Independent Bookstore Day

Independent Bookstore Day lands on Saturday, April 25, with more than 2,000 stores joining events across all 50 states and U.S. territories. (bookweb.org) The American Booksellers Association says 2026 is the event’s 13th year and its largest edition yet. The trade group describes it as a one-day national celebration held on the last Saturday in April, with stores participating online and in person. (bookweb.org, bookweb.org) Many stores are using the day for limited-edition merchandise, giveaways, author appearances and store-specific promotions. Publishers Weekly reported the association expected about 2,000 member bookstores to take part this year, up from 1,600 in 2025. (publishersweekly.com, bookweb.org) In Chicago, the local version is the Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl, with more than 80 bookstores in the city and suburbs participating on Saturday. Stores are offering discounts and activities during the crawl, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. (chicago.suntimes.com) Chicago’s crawl has grown into its biggest version yet, with customers able to earn yearlong discounts by visiting enough shops. Block Club Chicago reported that visitors who stop at 10 stores can get a 10% discount at participating stores until next year’s crawl. (blockclubchicago.org) Central Iowa is running a passport-style version that starts Friday, April 24, and continues through Sunday, April 26. Catch Des Moines says readers can collect stamps at 10 participating bookstores, plus a bonus stop in Boone, and turn in passports for prize drawings. (catchdesmoines.com) The Iowa weekend format is longer than the national one-day event. Storyhouse Bookpub said passport stamping begins Friday and that organizers added an extra day this year, alongside a Friday cookie crawl from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (dsmpartnership.com) The day was created to drive readers into locally owned stores at a time when independent booksellers lean on events, gifts and community programming as much as book sales. The American Booksellers Association says the celebration is meant to highlight the community impact of indie bookstores, not just retail traffic. (bookweb.org) This year’s pitch is simple: show up on Saturday, buy a book, and expect each store to do it differently. The national campaign gives the date; the local crawls, passports and exclusives are what turn it into a weekend ritual. (bookweb.org, chicago.suntimes.com, catchdesmoines.com)