Indie stores: Saturday

Independent Bookstore Day lands on Saturday, April 25, with about 2,000 American Booksellers Association stores expected to join events across every U.S. state and territory. (publishersweekly.com) The annual event is held on the last Saturday in April, and IndieBound calls it a one-day national party in which each store runs its own version of the celebration. (indiebound.org) This year’s turnout would be up from about 1,600 participating stores in 2025, according to Publishers Weekly’s reporting on the American Booksellers Association’s forecast for 2026. (publishersweekly.com) The format is less a single national program than a coordinated local rush: stores are planning limited-edition merchandise, author events, giveaways, and store-specific promotions. (publishersweekly.com) (bookriot.com) Seattle shows how that local model works. KUOW reported 33 participating stores in the Seattle area, while the city’s event site says readers can use maps and store listings for the April 25 celebration. (kuow.org) (seattlebookstoreday.com) In Seattle, the one-day event also stretches into a 10-day passport challenge: readers can pick up a passport on April 25, collect stamps at all 33 stores by May 4, and turn in a completed card for a prize. (mi-reporter.com) (booktreekirkland.com) Book Riot’s roundup says other cities are leaning on the same scavenger-hunt logic, with bookstore crawls, raffles, and anniversary-style events meant to move readers from one shop to the next. (bookriot.com) The day is organized through the American Booksellers Association and limited to member stores that sign up to participate and buy official exclusives through the group’s program. (bookweb.org) For shoppers, that means April 25 is less about one national headline than about what a nearby store is putting on for a few hours — a signing, a tote bag drop, a kids’ event, or a stamp on a passport. (bookriot.com) (indiebound.org)