For the past 5 years, through its Culture Program, Sofia Municipality has supported financially 100 projects in the fields of literature, publishing, operative critique, cultural periodicals and translation, as well as promotion of reading. Sofia Municipality has a purposeful program to promote reading, said by the Mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova at the opening of the traditional Spring Bazaar of the Book at the National Palace of Culture in the presence of the writer Lyuben Zidarov.

According to Mayor Fandakova, “Sofia is a reading city and this is evidenced by the statistics of books purchased or checked out of libraries. The time has come when the most expensive streets and shops close boutiques and open bookstores. The credit of Bulgarian authors and publishers is undisputed. And here I want to congratulate the "Bulgarian Book Association", because the campaign, which it organizes, continues to promote Bulgarian literature and reading."

According to data from the largest publishing houses, more than 4 million books have been sold since the beginning of the year, which is by 6% more than last year, said also Mayor Fandakova.

The mayor congratulated the organizers for the initiatives aimed at the youngest readers, because the attitude and love of books and knowledge is formed in early childhood.  That is why, the Sofia International Literary Festival for Children and Youth is supported by the Culture Program of Sofia Municipality.

Traditionally, in the Cultural Calendar of Sofia Municipality are National Campaign “The March of Books”, “Spring Bazaar of the Book”, “Alley of the Book", "Sofia International Book Fair" and Sofia International Literary Festival of the “Bulgarian Book Association", as well as the "Old Paper for a New Book" campaign.

Over the past five years, Sofia Municipality has purchased and provided over 7 000 titles to Sofia school libraries, as well as to the Sofia City Library and its branches.

Sofia already has its place for writing and translation. Over the last three years, in Sofia, in the home of the famous artist Nenko Balkanski, the first creative residences in Bulgaria were successfully implemented.

We opened new open spaces in order to promote reading - the Reading Room in the Sofia City Garden and reach out Green Libraries in parks and in the mountains. Fandakova congratulated the staff of the Sofia City Library and invited the attendees to the forthcoming event of the Sofia Library related to reading on May 31, 2019, at 11.00 hours at the Children's Eco-station "Beli Brezi". On the occasion of Children's Day, the Sofia City Library will launch the initiative „Library in the Mountains - 2019" with the mobile library - Bibliobus.

Minister Boil Banov, Deputy Mayor of Sofia Assoc. Prof. Todor Chobanov, children and students from the capital attended this year’s Spring Bazaar of the Book.