The 32nd National Book Festival was held on the main square of Ulaanbaatar on the weekend /16-18 September/ with the support of the Mongolian Government.

At the opening of the festival, Deputy Mayor of Ulaanbaatar J.Sandagsuren noted that Ulaanbaatar intends to participate in the UNESCO World Book Capital programme in order to become the book capital of the world.

UNESCO launched the World Book Capital program in 2001 and annually selects a city that encourages reading as the Book Capital of the World.

Mongolian book culture arose in the 13th century in the Mongol Empire along with the creation of writing.

The book festival gives readers the opportunity to meet writers, publishing companies in person and purchase books at a discounted price signed by the authors.

Representatives of Ulaanbaatar libraries, publishing companies, universities, public organizations, writers and translators attended the event.

The Department of Sociology at the Mongolian State University estimated that more than 180,000 people attended during the three days of the festival. This is almost 12 percent of the population of Ulaanbaatar. At the same time, 74.5 percent of visitors were between the ages of 15 and 35. Almost half of them are primary school students. 95 percent  of the people who came to the festival bought books.