Hosted by local bookshops such as La Biblioteka, Juno, Novel and Hillsborough Bookshop, Sheffield’s first ever Indie Book Fest will take place from Saturday 25 April to Sunday 26 April.
Comprising author talks, workshops, panels, poetry and signings across Sheffield the festival aims to celebrate stories, and the shops and publishers who keep them alive.
Sarah, from Juno Books expanded: “We have been talking about organising a festival amongst several of the Sheffield indie bookshops for a little while now, and we felt the time was right to make it happen. We’re really lucky to have a thriving indie literary scene in Sheffield, and we all wanted to work together to celebrate our love of books, and the incredible array of writers, poets and publishers that we have in the city.”
SIBFest will kick off on the Saturday with events hosted by each of the independent bookshops in their own spaces, including Bibliotekka where one can enjoy readings from three of Sheffield’s finest poets, Helen Mort, Suzannah Evans and Molly Naylor, in an intimate bookshop setting.
A bookshop crawl map will be available at each location, with attendees encouraged to grab one and explore the variety of independent bookshops Sheffield has to offer.
When asked about the importance of showcasing indie book culture in Sheffield, Sally, at The Mowbray, one of the venues hosting events, said: “It is completely crucial – gatherings like these raise vital awareness for the importance of independent book sellers and shops – and their importance in the community.”
Sarah added: “It’s really important to showcase indie book culture, particularly in an era dominated by screens, AI and things chosen for you via algorithms. People want to have conversations with a real bookseller, who can recommend a book based on their own experience, and more and more people are choosing to support their local indie bookshops because they understand the value of having indie businesses on the high street.”
The main festival takes place from 10 am to 5:30pm on the Sunday across its two Neepsend Venues: The Victoria and The Mowbray.
Free events range from The Mowbray’s Book Market, a Graphic Novel Reading Room at the Lodge, the Speakers Corner at Victoria Yard.
“It’s going to be such a vibrant day, alongside all of the good stuff from the Festival – we have a whole day of feasting, cocktails, coffee from Clubhouse Social – our Cafe/Bar at Victoria, plus we’ll be cooking from The Fire Kitchen in Victoria’s Courtyard – and over at The Mowbray – there’s Festival Butties and Cocktails to be enjoyed on our Roof Garden! Everyone is very welcome.” said Sally.
With ticketed events costing a flat rate of £10, all proceeds will go towards funding the festival next year.
For more information on the event visit the SIBFest website or Instagram.
