The London Bookshop Crawl weekend is nearly here!!

The London Bookshop Crawl was set up in 2016 to explore (and support) independent bookshops, as well as being a great way to meet fellow book lovers. This February (9th to 11th) will see 85 of Central and Greater London’s bookshops offering special events, discounts and perks to bookshop crawlers.

Sharing book love

The event was founded by book blogger Bex Hughes, who says “the idea of the London Bookshop Crawl is joy: celebrating the joy of books, the wonder of bookshops and the often unique experience of buying books with others who also love them and fully support the acquisition of far too many. London has so many bookshops and we wanted a way to help people to discover them, meet each other and have lots of fun doing so.”

Bookshop Crawls visited Bath in 2016 and Oxford in 2017. Bex is an ex-Londoner and wanted to explore the smaller London bookshops as well, rather than just the large ones like Waterstones Piccadilly and Foyles. “The core of the event is passion for supporting independent bookshops,” she says. “I personally feel that they are one of the most important resources and by supporting them we are supporting local communities and encouraging literacy. In 2018, we'll be running two summer crawls – one North and one South.”

How to join in

During the weekend of 9th to 11th February, there will be guided tours led by knowledgeable bookworms, author events, special tours and many other fun things alongside the special perks being offered by the bookshops themselves. 

Tickets are still available for Richmond & Kew London Bookshop Crawl on February 10th. However, interest has been high and the other Bookshop Crawls (Soho and surrounding, Waterloo & Southbank, Old Street & Brick Lane and Notting Hill) have now sold out. The London Bookshop Crawl is a not-for-profit event. 

You can also still buy tickets for Jess Kidd in Conversation at Blackwells High Holborn on Friday 9th February at 7pm. Click here for details. 

There's also a Book Swap Brunch in Hyde Park on Sunday 11th at 10.30am. This is a free event but you still need to sign up online here. 

Finally, you can end the weekend with a drink at The George Inn, 77 Borough High Street, from 6.30pm. 

Create your own crawl

If you still want to explore the book shops in other areas of London, you can always create your own crawl with a group of friends and post your progress on social media – using #LondonBookshopCrawl so others can follow too. 

Bookshops throughout London will be offering special Bookshop Crawl discounts & freebies to those with a Bookshop Crawl ID over the three-day period. Downloadable IDs are available online here with a list of all participating venues.

For more information, visit www.bookshopcrawl.co.uk, follow @ldnbkshopcrawl on Twitter and follow @londonbookshopcrawl on Instagram.