Sharjah Book Fair opens on 4 November, with Oman as guest of honour

The Sharjah International Book Fair, one of the biggest book fairs in the world, opens its 45th edition at Expo Centre Sharjah on Wednesday 4 November and runs for 12 days until 15 November. The Sharjah Book Authority has chosen the theme Made of Stories, and Oman is this year's guest of honour.

The organisers say 2,673 publishers and exhibitors from 124 countries will take part, with 1,500 cultural, creative and artistic events across the 12 days. They expect 106 writers, artists and thinkers from 25 countries. Among the international names are the Nigerian author Nnedi Okorafor, the British crime novelist Clare Mackintosh, the Chinese novelist Liu Zhenyun, the American writer and translator Daisy Rockwell and the author John Vaillant. Emirati guests include Sultan Al Ameemi, Ali Abu Al Reesh, Habib Ghuloom, Dubai Abulhoul and Aisha Sultan.

Crime fiction gets its own space again: the fifth Thriller Festival runs from 7 to 10 November with more than 12 crime writers, literary agents and screenwriters, among them Karen Dionne, Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee. In the Cookery Corner, chefs including Kausar Raja and Romy Gill cook live.

Families have three stage shows that need booking ahead: the musical When Memories Sing from 7 November, a science show called Impossible or Science?! on 8 November, and Waterland on the outdoor stage on 14 and 15 November. New this year are Poets' Corner, where visitors tell a personal story and have it turned into a poem in Arabic or English, and Future Hands District, a small learning city where children try out different jobs. As guest of honour, Oman brings a pavilion with 15 cultural sessions, six children's workshops and 20 performances, and a delegation of 50 that includes 41 writers and poets.

The fair is also a trade event. The Sharjah Publishers Conference runs from 1 to 3 November before the doors open, and the Sharjah International Library Conference from 7 to 9 November.

Expo Centre Sharjah is on Al Taawun Street, and the Sharjah Book Authority says extra parking and transport will be announced before the opening. Opening hours and how to book the stage shows will be on sibf.com. If you are driving from Dubai, the weekday evenings and the two weekends are usually the busiest times on the roads into Sharjah, so plan to arrive early.