Queen Letizia presided over the opening of the Book Fair in El Retiro Park, an event that commenced on Friday, May 29, 2026. During her tour, the monarch was met with expressions of affection, greetings, and photographs from numerous attendees, and shared moments with children, in addition to receiving several literary gifts.

The institutional inauguration was attended by figures such as the Fair's director, Eva Orúe, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, and the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. The itinerary began at the Ministry of Culture stand, followed by spaces from the City Council and the Community of Madrid.

This year, the fair features over 360 stands and centers on humor as its main theme. The Queen conversed with booksellers and visitors, accepted recommendations, and engaged warmly with those awaiting her. A notable encounter was with writer and bookseller Marina Sanmartín at the Cervantes y Compañía bookstore, where she mentioned following literary recommendations on social media.

Among the books received were titles of poetry, essays, and fiction, such as ‘La grieta’ by Rodrigo Gervasi, ‘Cartas’ by Maruja Mallo, and ‘La doble desaparición de Abril del Pino’ by Marina Sanmartín. Exemplars like ‘40 miradas sobre el libro y su futuro’ and ‘Cocina práctica riojana’ were also presented.

Poetry also played a significant role, with the presentation of poetry collections such as ‘Mujeres fuertes’ and ‘Ama de casa’ by Laura Rguez. Sayd, and ‘Sonido de otras lenguas’ by Jaime Siles. The visit concluded at Editorial Nórdica, where she collected works like ‘Hambre’ by Knut Hamsun and ‘Noches blancas’ by Fiódor Dostoyevski.

The Book Fair will run until June 14, focusing on humor and satire, with activities planned across various city venues such as the Eugenio Trías Library and CaixaForum, in addition to the 366 stands along the Paseo de Coches in Retiro.