The Gaudemaus (our dyslexic reporter told us “Gaumant”) book fair is in the main square (Cluj’s piata unirii) again. This is an annual event. 22-26 April, 2026.
Most books, naturally, are in Romanian, but there are a variety of books in different languages as well.
There are stands from the ethnic minorities of Cluj, including the Albanian stand that has a nice dictionary. These have literature written by members of the minority groups, many in Romanian but occasionally in another language.
And there is a second hand book stand with a wide variety of books in English (and Romanian, and other languages).
And, if you want to learn Romanian, there are plenty of children’s books. Also, some beautiful history books and box sets that would make excellent gifts.
We even got some books for university students learning Romanian while. It helped us learn all the different plurals. (And there are a lot of them.)
Opening and closing times – about 10 am to 8 pm
The stalls, or tents, closed strictly at eight pm, the bouncers were in full force. Hey, people who run these stands have a life too (and there are other evening events this weekend, like Fridays “crossul de noapte” where children and adults (and families) were running cross country races by the Casino in the “Central Park” (yeah, that park that is in the North Western border of the city. I guess it is central if you think of it in relation to Vivo and the airport.)
Not just books
Every stand there seems to be a publisher. But, a few of the stands seem to focus on something other than books. The first year we were here, we noticed a game stand with nice games. The second year we were here, we saw someone selling second hand records. This year, there is a kind of lame toy shop who also has a few comic books, and a jewelry stand.
There is also a jewelry fair in the museum square, however, none of those stands are selling books.
Anyway, the games are pretty fun, there is a wide variety of books, on everything from meditation to biographies and fiction you’ve heard of and new fiction.
Some of the authors are there too, and we had books signed there by three very nice Romanian authors. (I think I saw two of them today too. Maybe I’ll say hi and get another book.)
Recommended if you like books (or board games, or gem stones). But, there are plenty of other things to do in Cluj if you don’t.