20 bookshops unite for Singapore's first Indie Bookshop Day, with book talks, stamp trails and more

Living The inaugural event will take place from Oct 2 to 4 with 20 indie bookshops across Singapore hosting various activities celebrating books, readers and the communities around them. Singapore's inaugural Indie Bookshop Day 2026 will feature 20 participating bookstores across the city. (Photo: Book Bar, Wardah Books) New: You can now listen to articles. This audio is generated by an AI tool. Book lovers, get ready: 20 independent bookshops in Singapore are coming together for the inaugural Singapore Indie Bookshop Day (SGIBD) 2026.Taking place mainly on Oct 3, with programmes beginning on Oct 2 until Oct 4, SGIBD invites the public to visit local bookshops and take part in programmes ranging from storytelling sessions and author visits to PowerPoint parties, live portraits and a bookshop stamp rally, and celebrate the reading communities in Singapore. The event is jointly organised by participating independent bookshops and the Singapore Book Publishers Association, and is supported by the National Arts Council and international publisher Hachette Book Group. It also takes inspiration from bookseller- and reader-centric events in other countries, including Independent Booksellers Week in the UK and Independent Bookstore Day in the US.Rather than bringing the participating bookshops together at a single venue, SGIBD will take place across the shops themselves, giving each participating bookseller the freedom to design their own programme.“SGIBD is not a fair just to sell books, but to celebrate the spaces of our bookstores and bring more people into our worlds," Ibrahim Tahir, the founder and principal bookseller of Wardah Books, a bookshop located in Kampong Glam, said. DIVERSE HOST OF PROGRAMMES“The programme reflects the different identities of the participating bookshops; it really was up to what each bookshop wanted to do,” Ho TingXuan, a bookseller from online bookshop Wormhole, said.The result is a diverse host of activities with each shop putting its own spin on what a celebration of books and reading can look like.At Book Bar, visitors can browse President Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s book recommendations, while Epigram Books will invite readers to engage in a blind book swap or to share their own bookshop memories on a community wall. Wardah Books will also invite readers to pair books with batik through a “Batik Librarian” consultation. Other activities are more hands-on, from watching a live sketching demonstration at Basheer Graphic Books and storytelling sessions at Eliko Picture Books & Things, to a bookselling workshop at Closetful of Books and a zine workshop at City Book Room. Readers can hear about Singapore comics and self-publishing at Dakota Dreams, have a portrait drawn after making a purchase at Bommoi, or receive a personalised Malay poem typed on a typewriter at Nurul Anwar Bookstore.There are also programmes designed to bring readers together. Wormhole will host a weekend pop-up featuring literary games and live bookmark illustrations, and a PowerPoint party where participants share their takes on books, while Woods in the Books will mark the relaunch of Alfian Sa’at’s The Invisible Manuscript. A PowerPoint party organised by Wormhole. (Photo: Wormhole) Visitors can also explore the 20 participating bookshops through the SGIBD Passport, which doubles as a directory and stamp rally. Each shop will have its own customised stamp, and participants who collect stamps from at least half of the shops will qualify for a lucky draw, with prizes including book vouchers and a curated gift set of books.The passport is designed to remain useful beyond the weekend, with maps and information to help readers discover the participating shops and plan their own visits. SGIBD will also suggest walking routes connecting bookshops in areas such as Chinatown, Bras Basah and Joo Chiat, while a paid bus tour is being planned for those who want to visit multiple shops in one trip.Limited-edition SGIBD bookmarks will also be available at participating bookshops, while stocks last.More information on the programmes, participating bookshops and registration details will be available on SGIBD's official Instagram. THE 20 PARTICIPATING BOOKSHOPS Basheer Graphic Books – 231 Bain Street, #04-19Bommoi – 61A Neil RoadBook Bar – 57 Duxton RoadBooks Ahoy! – 583 Orchard Road, #02-03/04City Book Room – 387 Joo Chiat Road, #03-02Closetful of Books – 73 Ubi Road 1, #10-60Dakota Dreams – 51 Old Airport Road, #02-55Eliko Picture Books & Things – 335 Smith Street, #01-079Epigram Books – 1008 Toa Payoh North, #03-08Grassroots Book Room – 25 Bukit Pasoh RoadHungry Traveller Bookstore – 231 Bain Street, #01-31Littered With Books – 20 Duxton RoadMaha Yu Yi – 231 Bain Street, #03-07, #03-11, #02-15Natventure – online storeNurul Anwar Bookstore – 58 Bussorah StreetSea Breeze Books – 37 Tannery LaneUnion Book Co – 231 Bain Street, #03-01Wardah Books – 58 Bussorah StreetWoods in the Books – 46 Kim Yam Road, #03-06Wormhole – online store Collapse Expand CELEBRATING THE READING COMMUNITY IN SINGAPOREFor the organisers, SGIBD is about more than putting 20 bookshops on a map. It is also an opportunity to highlight the communities, conversations and encounters that already take place in and around Singapore’s bookshops."The perception people have of bookselling is that it's a mere transactional act, but we are more than that," Ibrahim said. "We are here to build community, to educate, and to bring people together.”For Yuree Hwang, founder of Korean bookshop Bommoi, the community around a bookshop can be seen most clearly in the ways customers choose to support the space itself.“I have so many customers coming up to me saying, ‘If you need somebody to look after the store for a couple of hours a day, I can. I'm here. Just call me'," she said. "Our readers are ready to show up for us, so we want to do this for them, too."The organisers also want the event to showcase the breadth of the country’s indie bookshop scene, including smaller and less visible shops that readers may not otherwise encounter. And while books can now be bought easily online or borrowed from libraries, they said, independent bookshops offer something beyond the transaction of buying a book.“If a bookshop closes, you're not only losing an avenue for the purchase of books,” Ibrahim said. “You're losing community, you're losing conversations, you're losing encounters, you're losing so much more than an avenue to buy books.”