On Swiss Read Aloud Day: Ex Libris launches digital book festival
To mark Swiss Reading Aloud Day on May 21, 2025, Ex Libris is hosting the digital book festival «Next Chapter» for the first time. During a 12-hour livestream, more than 25 authors and prominent figures will give readings and interact with the audience in a digital 3D reading café.
According to the company, the world's first digital book festival is part of Ex Libris' efforts to make the reading experience accessible to a wide audience. The festival offers a new form of literary experience with a mixture of livestream, interactive functions and modern technologies, such as recording the readers as holograms.
For twelve hours, more than 25 authors, BookTokers and well-known personalities will read either from their own works or from their favorite books in the 3D reading café. The audience can follow this from anywhere free of charge via livestream on YouTube. Questions can also be asked to the readers in real time using the chat function. There will also be raffles for signed books.
The celebrity readers include names such as well-known writers Blanca Imboden, Doris Büchel, Meike Werkmeister and Sita Maria Frey, presenter Röbi Koller, Graubünden comedian Rolf Schmid and Swiss music legends Gimma and Chris von Rohr. The YouTube livestream will start at 10 a.m. on May 21 and last until 10 p.m.
