Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 25, 2026

Each year, Chicagoland proves itself to be the dream destination for book lovers and readers of all ages! In 2025, we had 55 independent bookstores in the greater Chicago area—from Lake Forest to Beverly, and Libertyville to the Loop—collaborate on our annual Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl, which encourages book lovers to indulge in bookstore tourism by visiting 10 or more stores in a single day.
 
The annual challenge is being held again in 2026 on Independent Bookstore Day (IBD), which is a one-day national party celebrating indie bookstores on the last Saturday in April. Each store creates its own unique events—including guest authors, special kids’ story times, readings, contests, giveaways, and special sales.

Stay tuned for all of the details, but for now MARK THOSE CALENDARS!