RIYADH: Saudi Cultural Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan on Friday invited all publishing houses to participate in the 2021 Riyadh International Book Fair due to be held in October. Prince Badr said on Twitter: “I call on all local, Arab, and international publishing houses to participate in Riyadh International Book Fair whose capacity will be doubled.” The registrations will be open from July 1 till Aug. 1 via https://riyadhbookfair.org.sa/user/register This year’s book fair will be held under the auspices of the Literature Publishing and Translation Commission, one of the commissions of the Ministry of Culture, after the previous year’s book fair was canceled due to preventive measures taken by the Kingdom against the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission intends to double the capacity of this year’s book fair to attract the best local, Arab and international publishing houses, and provide distinguished content for the public according to a high-level criterium that satisfies the needs of readers and visitors and places Riyadh International Book Fair among the big international book events. Riyadh International Book Fair will include for the first time an international conference for publishers to strengthen communication between local, Arab and international publishing houses, activate partnerships between related institutions and companies, and sustainably enrich the regional scene through discussion sessions, interactive activities, workshops and seminars.