Madrid Book Fair dismisses director Eva Orúe after five years, citing a 'change of cycle' and a need to put bookstores first

A sudden dismissal

Eva Orúe, the first woman to lead the Madrid Book Fair, was dismissed on Monday 6 July 2026 by the Asociación de Librerías de Madrid, the event's organiser. The decision was communicated to her that morning by the association's president, Luis Tigeras. Orúe had held the post since 2021 (some sources say 2022), succeeding Manuel Gil, and had overseen five editions of the fair.

I do not share any of the reasons they have given, but they have the power to terminate the contract.

The official explanation

Tigeras described the move as a "change of cycle" and said the association wants to "put bookstores in the front line and talk about them". He praised Orúe's work, noting advances in sustainability and cultural programming, but insisted the fair needed a new perspective. No specific criticism of her management was made public, and the association's statement did not link the dismissal to the 2026 results.

It is a change of cycle and this is the moment to make that decision. Eva has done a magnificent job and the fair with her has reached many aspects it didn't have before.

A difficult 2026 edition

The 85th edition, held from late May to 14 June in El Retiro park, recorded sales of €9,862,888 and 587,014 books sold, with more than 730,000 unique visitors. That represents a drop of roughly 2.7% to 5% compared with 2025, depending on the metric. Orúe attributed the decline to a heatwave, the visit of Pope Leon XIV to Madrid, and concerts by Bad Bunny that discouraged visitors from coming to the city centre.

What comes next

Pablo Bonet will serve as interim director while the association opens an administrative process to select a permanent successor, a role open to external candidates. The 2027 edition, whose theme was to be "memory", will still take place in El Retiro in May–June. Tigeras asked for calm and said the goal remains to highlight bookstores.

Orúe's tenure

Orúe, a journalist and cultural manager, took over after the pandemic-disrupted 2021 fair. Under her leadership, the fair renewed its agreement to use El Retiro for four more years and expanded its cultural programme. The 2026 edition was the first to see a year-on-year sales contraction since the post-pandemic recovery.