Welcome to this year’s list, which sees a full return to form with the highest number of anarchist and anarcho-friendly bookfairs in five years, happening across more than a dozen towns and cities. It’s encouraging to see events like Dorset returning after a venue trouble-related hiatus, Peterborough getting its second showing on the trot, and a newcomer in the form of the First Hull Radical Bookfair.
As ever this article was collated too late to catch the Derry Radical Bookfair in January, and worthy mentions go to Sheffield Radical Bookfair on February 4th, as well as Weston-Super-Mare on the 12th. All the best to the collectives who put those together!
Below is a quick summary of confirmed bookfair dates, more details on each can be found further down this page.
- March 18th: Liverpool
- April 22nd: Bristol Radical History Festival
- May 13th: Newcastle
- May 13th: Bristol
- May 27th: Glasgow
- August 12th: Hull
- September 2nd: Bradford
- October 7th: London
- October 7th: Dorset
- October 14th: Peterborough
- November 4th: Manchester
- November 9th-12th: Edinburgh
- December 26th: Belfast (details tba)
Note: All details are subject to change, be it due to unforeseen pandemic problems or because sometimes stuff goes wrong. Let us know via editor @ freedompress.org.uk if so, or if you want an anarchist bookfair in Britain or Ireland adding to the list!
Belfast
Belfast Anarchist Bookfair
Facebook | Contact: justbooksbelfast at gmail.com
December, tba
Initially looking at a Spring event, the organisers have now settled on a winter inning, with more details tba.
Bradford
Bradford Radical Bookfair
September 2nd
At the 1 in 12 Club
11am-4pm
Confirmed stalls include the AnarCom Network, Pirate Press, Northern Herald Books, the Communist Workers Association, Earth First, Yorkshire CND, Gutter Gear, West Yorks Hunt Sabs, Forged Books,
and Bandicoot.
Alongside the usual cafe events will be going on through the day, including Jack Horner (aka Leon the Pig Farmer), a Manchester-based Yorkshire beat poet, followed by a poetry session featuring your regular compere Tatty Hoggarth.
Bristol
Bristol Radical History Festival
Website | Facebook | brh at brh.org.uk
April 22nd at the M-Shed
10am-4.30pm
The fifth outing for the history festival explores two main themes: radical Bristol and the Visual Arts, and Bristol Trade Union History Then and Now. Ever heard of Doris Hatt? Monica Sjöö? The Bristol Tramways Lock-Out? Well if not, prepare to be treated to some interesting tales.
Bristol Radical Bookfair
May 13th at the Exchange
11am-3.30pm
Hosted by Active Distribution
Dorset
Dorset Radical Bookfair
Website | Facebook | Contact: dorsetbookfair at riseup.net
October 7th at the Bad Hand Coffee Warehouse, 7 Norwich Road, Bournemouth
11am-5pm
Back in Bournemouth this year, the bookfair is a stone’s throw from the sea and the town centre, with kids’ area and donations-based vegan food all day. Bookings for talks and workshops are well underway and suggestions are welcome – along with volunteers for the day. An afterparty with live music will be put onat The Four Horsemen Pub just round the corner.
Vendor info: Setup is from 10am, £20 per table, we have to hire them this time. We welcome suggestions for talks and workshops and we’ve some interesting stuff booked in already
Edinburgh
Edinburgh Radical Bookfair 2023
Website | contact: books at lighthousebookshop.com
November 9th-12th at Lighthouse – Edinburgh’s Radical Bookshop, 43- 45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Throughout our four days of panels, workshops, publisher and activist stalls, we explore the movement between our inner worlds and the society that shapes them, between personal and collective experience, the individual and the systemic in harm as well as joy.
Glasgow
Red and Black Clydeside Bookfair
May 27th at The Clubroom, CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
4pm-9pm
A gathering of libertarian/anarchist collectives, organisations, and individuals in the Centre for Contemporary Arts. With talks from Ben Franks, Iain McKay, Nick Heath, Hailey Maxwell and Jade Saab.
Hull
The First Hull Radical Bookfair
March 18th at The Danish Seamen’s Church, 104 Osborne St
11am-4pm
With stalls and poetry already lined up, plus organisational backing from the folks who do the regular Bradford showing, so fingers crossed for a good day! There’s limited space for stallholders so if you’re interested message them asap.
Liverpool
The 5th Liverpool Anarchist Bookfair
March 18th at The Black E, 1 Great George St
11am-5pm
A day of more than two dozen stalls, and workshops including talks on everything from resistance in Chiapas to sexism in the workplace and print cultures of 1930s Spain. Contact them for details about booking a stall or running a talk/workshop on liverpool.anarchistbookfair [at] gmail.com
London
Anarchist Bookfair in London
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Contact: anarchistbookfairlondon at riseup.net
October 7th across three central London venues
Details tba
Stall booking, artwork, a website retool, a mixtape etc are all in the process of being sorted, keep an eye on their various links for details.
Manchester
Manchester Anarchist Bookfair
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Email: manchester at bookfair.org.uk
It’s in the process of being organised, with a rumoured date of November 4th – details to be announced soon.
Newcastle
Ewan Brown Anarchist Bookfair
Website | Facebook | Contact: newcastleanarchistbookfair [at] protonmail.com
May 13th 2022 at the Star and Shadow Cinema
All day event
Food, stalls, workshops, a kids’ space and live music from Georgia May and Colly Metcalfe. Plus, as it’s at Newcastle’s fantastic radical cinema space, there’s also showings on of The Big Meeting and The Battle of Stockton respectively.
Peterborough
Peterborough Radical Bookfair
October 14th at The George Alcock Centre, Whittlesey Rd, Stanground, Peterborough
11am-4.30pm
It’s year two for the plucky Cambridgeshire team after a really well organised 2022, in a fully accessible venue. Details are all being worked out at the moment, to get a stall just send ‘em a message.
Nothing Announced (yet) …
Nottingham: The usual group behind the city’s radical bookfair are Fiveleaves, who tell us they’re not sure if they’ll be running a bookfair this year or not. Keep an eye on their facebook for updates!
Pic: As last year, the Newcastle bookfair poster is standout pretty so takes pride of place as our main image.
