Edinburgh's Radical Book Fair 2026: Building A Better Now

This year’s Radical Book Fair is taking place on Nov 5th - 8th at the Assembly Roxy in Edinburgh. Our theme for 2026 is Building a Better Now and our programme is now live!

With this year's theme, we want to shine a bright light on the many spaces, people and movements where the beginnings of a different world already exist, those pockets of reality where glorious alternatives to late capitalism and despair are carved out moment by moment.

As we spend our days and lives longing for a world that isn’t framed by oppression, sometimes we’re lucky enough to get a whiff of something different: a campaign, an organising space, a community of support. In those glimpses, we recognise what might be possible on a larger scale. It’s vital that we direct energy and resources to the breathing, flawed and sprawling experiments in liberation we see around us - be they small or large.

These are seeds for the world we want.

Like previous years, the fair will be made up of book stalls, activist stalls, events, workshops and more, ranging from topics such as the cost of living crisis, effective activism, queer ecology, lives in protest and prison, feminist utopias, fighting the rise of the right and much more. There will also be plenty of joy-giving performances and word-smithery and a community meal!

The stalls, featuring over 70 publishers, will be open to all to browse freely through each day of the fair, come explore the best in contemporary radical publishing!

For a taste of past Radical Book Fairs, you can watch back our panels from 2025 HERE, 2024 HERE and 2023 HERE - most events bring in a mix of writers, thinkers, campaigners and practitioners to offer rich, wide-ranging discussion that links theory with practice, intention with impact, the past with the present.

This year's poster was designed by the brilliant Malini Chakrabarty, a multidisciplinary storyteller whose playful, thoughtful artwork really brought to life this year's theme - she was a joy to work with and we can't recommend her more highly!

The Fair is FREE to browse, drop in and explore during the day Thursday - Sunday.

Panel discussions happen on stage in the same hall at the stalls, so you can browse and listen in, or book a ticket (£5/free) to sit in for those - please note many events do sell out, so do book if you want to guarantee a seat! Workshops will take place in the snug, a cosy space downstairs in the Roxy.

Accessibility: All events will be professionally filmed & livestreamed. The Roxy main hall (where all panels and all stalls are) is wheelchair accessible (including toilets), but the Snug is down a set of stairs (where we have workshops and extra break away space with hot drinks and snacks). We'll have provisions for neurodivergent guests including stims and quiet space. We may be able to provide BSL interpretation for a few events, please let us know if this would be helpful for you and we'll do our best to arrange provision.

*MASKS WILL BE EXPECTED IN THE SEATING AREA FOR ALL EVENTS*