Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl

Independent Bookstore Day 2026

​Save the Date: 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! Independent Bookstore Day 2026 is on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

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Participation Details & Our Map from Independent Bookstore Day 2025

How to Participate...
Select your first bookstore and receive a  passport and your first stamp.

Now check out the map—which lists all the participating stores—and start planning your route!

Additional bookstores you visit throughout the day will provide you with a stamp with no purchase required! (However, showing them some love today, too, would of course be a very cool thing to do.)

And to remind you of the goals:
• Visit TEN stores in one day and get 10% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR!
• Visit FIFTEEN stores in one day and get 15% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR! 

After visiting 10 or 15 participating bookstores, on your last bookstore visit show your passport and receive a limited edition sticker!