Drawing 40,000 visitors to the historic city of Paraty, the country’s leading literary festival demonstrated its growing cultural and commercial influence—even as that success placed new pressure on its host city.

By Talita Facchini, Contributor

In July, the Brazilian publishing industry gathered in the historic city of Paraty for the 24th edition of the Paraty International Literary Festival, known in Brazil as Flip. The five-day event once again demonstrated the importance of literary festivals—not only for authors and readers, but also for book circulation, reading promotion, and for the publishing industry as a whole.

For those who have never visited Paraty, picture a preserved colonial town whose historic center was designed so that high tides could periodically flood its streets, functioning as a natural cleaning system. The city, on Brazil’s southeastern coast, has a population of just under 48,000.

During Flip, which traditionally presents a strong program of Brazilian and international authors, publishers, bookstores, cultural organizations, and other companies connected to the industry rent houses throughout the historic center. Each one develops its own program, shaped by a distinct curatorial approach.

This year, Flip reached a record 46 partner houses, up from 39 in 2025 and 29 in 2024. Together, the official and parallel programs offered close to 1,000 events over five days, creating a festival that extended far beyond its main stages and occupied almost every corner of central Paraty.

The official program, curated by literary critic Rita Palmeira, paid tribute to Brazilian poet Orides Fontela and featured authors including Zadie Smith, Eduardo Halfon, Andrey Kurkov, and Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida, among many others. In the parallel program, one of the biggest draws was U.S. activist, author, and scholar Angela Davis.

Growth, Investment, and the Limits of Success

One of Flip’s greatest achievements is the way it connects literature with territory and heritage.

“It is wonderful to see Paraty welcoming this cultural and literary movement, engaging so deeply with the city and bringing a critical perspective to the challenges we face,” said Mauro Munhoz, artistic and cultural director of Associação Casa Azul and a cofounder of Flip. “Culture can attract economic activity to the city, but at the same time, we must preserve the qualities of its tangible and intangible heritage, which are recognized nationally and internationally.”

The involvement of cultural institutions from 12 countries, the presence of Brazilian government ministers and other political representatives, and the participation of internationally active publishing companies such as Bookwire and MVB also reflected the festival’s importance – not only to Paraty, but to the wider publishing industry.

This year, Flip operated with a budget 48% smaller than in 2025, a reduction that organizers attributed to the uncertainties of an election year and to sponsors’ caution amid an unstable global environment.

Despite the smaller budget, Paraty welcomed around 40,000 visitors over the five days—the largest audience in Flip’s history and an increase of approximately 14% from the 35,000 visitors reported in 2025.

That growth, however, also exposed a problem that has become increasingly difficult to ignore: the city’s infrastructure has not kept pace with the expansion of the festival.

On one of the busiest days of the program, a power outage affected Paraty for several hours. Partner houses had to interrupt events, while bookstores and other businesses were unable to continue operating or selling books.

And books, of course, are a significant part of the festival’s economic impact. Livraria da Travessa, which operates the official Flip bookstore and has locations in Brazil and Lisbon, reported that the festival’s 20 bestselling titles sold almost 4,000 copies combined.

The bestselling author was Brazilian writer Socorro Acioli, who had also emerged as the leading author during the first months of MEC Livros, a recently launched Brazilian government platform for the purchase and distribution of books.

The figures help explain Flip’s significance, but they also reveal the tension at the heart of its success. The festival has become larger, more diverse, and more relevant to the publishing industry. Its next challenge may be ensuring that Paraty—and the infrastructure on which publishers, booksellers, authors, and readers depend—can grow with it.