This year's #BooksAndRoses campaign saw events taking place in 44 countries, making it the most international edition to date

Since 2015, the #BooksAndRoses initiative has been promoting and organising Sant Jordi-related activities and celebrations on a global scale. At the end of this year's campaign, the scoreboard shows 354 events held in 206 cities across 44 countries. Among these figures, the number of countries involved represents a record, having never been so high before.

The large number of events this year is a result of the collaboration and efforts of many different actors, including the Catalan Government's delegations abroad and the Institut Ramon Llull's Catalan lecturers, who have been promoting Catalan culture abroad for years. Catalan communities abroad also play a fundamental role, with dozens of Catalan organisations, groups and cultural centres keeping the Sant Jordi celebrations alive beyond Catalonia's borders.

This year's edition was also notable for its expansion into new territories, such as the Bermuda Islands, Dakar (Senegal), Rabat (Morocco) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), which celebrated the festival for the first time. Meanwhile, countries with a long history of celebrating Sant Jordi, including Japan, France and Argentina, offered all kinds of activities ranging from community meals to children's workshops, cultural outings, literary talks and more.

Of the overall tally of 354 events, 274 were directly supported by the Government's delegations, which provided logistical and financial resources. In terms of geographical distribution, the countries that hosted the most activities were Germany (119), Italy (67) and France (47). Once again this year, special mention should be made of the collaboration between the Government of Catalonia's delegations and local bookshops, which contributed to the festival's growth by distributing roses and bookmarks.

Catalan communities abroad also played a key role by organising innovative and diversified events. From Montevideo to Kyoto, Cologne to Copenhagen, Catalan community organisations and centres organised picnics, literary conferences and, above all, book and rose exchanges in public squares and streets, including one in Christie Pits Park (Toronto).