8 highlights at first Singapore Indie Bookshop Day
SINGAPORE – Singapore’s independent bookstores can be found everywhere, from an estate in MacPherson to a bustling food centre in Chinatown. Go on a stamp rally to find out where they are in a new ground-up initiative bringing together 20 of the country’s indie bookstores on Oct 3.
Wanting to dispel the doom and gloom narrative of Singaporean bookstores, Singapore Indie Bookshop Day (SGIBD) co-organiser and bookseller Ibrahim Tahir says of the annual event, to be held on the first Saturday of every October: “Why not celebrate what we have – which are the bookstores that are open and thriving?”
Eliko Picture Books & Things owner May Lin in her store at Chinatown Complex on Nov 22, 2025.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Bus tours of bookstores are sold out. Alternatively, take a self-guided walking tour in the clusters of bookstores in Bras Basah/Kampong Gelam, Chinatown and Katong. Grab a “bookshop passport” from participating bookstores and attend events across Oct 2 to 4.
The participating bookstores are Basheer Graphic Books, Bommoi, Book Bar, Books Ahoy!, City Book Room, Closetful of Books, Dakota Dreams, Eliko Picture Books & Things, Epigram Books, Grassroots Book Room, Hungry Traveller Bookstore, Littered With Books, Maha Yu Yi, Natventure, Nurul Anwar Bookstore, Sea Breeze Books, Union Book Co, Wardah Books, Woods in the Books and Wormhole.
Ibrahim Tahir (in a 2023 photo) is founder of Wardah Books, a bookstore in Kampong Glam.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Ibrahim, who founded Wardah Books, notes that new bookstores and concepts have made the scene more varied in recent years.
Physical bookstores, he says, provide three important things today: curation at the human scale, a space to discover and learn, as well as an anchor for community. “Every reader has his or her book, every book its reader. For every reading community, too, its bookshop.”
He adds: “The way booksellers understand the books you like is almost an intimate knowledge of you that is not mediated by algorithms. Go to bookstores you’ve never been to – you may never know if there’s something for you there. The booksellers are throwing their doors open and welcoming everyone.”
Here are eight events to check out at the inaugural Singapore Indie Bookshop Day.
1. Learn to sketch quickly at Basheer Graphic Books
If you have ever wanted to make a quick sketch on your travels or start a visual diary, this event is for you. Illustrator David Tsnen, author of Start Sketching, Start Drawing, will do a live demonstration of what it takes to make visuals come to life quickly. Where better to pick up drawing than Basheer Graphic Books, a favourite among art and design lovers?
2. Appraise your antique books at Hungry Traveller Bookstore
Hungry Traveller Bookstore, which brings together vintage food and travel books under one roof, knows what excites the Singaporean reader. It is setting up a little “customs office” for visitors to bring their thrifted or antiquarian books for a quick live appraisal on the book’s origin, age and physical condition. Participants will get a small preservation kit – as well as pro tips from a vintage lover – to help care for their books.
3. Decompress with singer Linion at Grassroots Book Room
If you are looking to unwind after a day of running around bookstores, catch Taiwanese neo-soul and R&B singer-songwriter Linion’s relaxed set at Grassroots Book Room. His sophomore album, Leisurely (2020), won the best R&B album at the Golden Indie Music Awards and his latest album is mi casa su casa (2025). For the most updated ticketing details, go to www.sgindiebookshopday.com
4. Watch children stage a puppet show at Eliko Picture Books & Things
At 2.4m by 2.4m, Eliko Picture Books & Things is one of the smallest bookstores in Singapore. Usually a part-shop and part-pay-as-you-read library, the eclectic Chinatown bookstore becomes the stage for children to tell their own fairy tales and stage their own puppet show. Expect also a guerilla takeover of the corridor with illustrations for sale. Register at str.sg/NoGK
5. Meet indie zine makers at City Book Room
Independent zine makers come together at City Book Room to talk about the art and craft of self-publishing. Singapore cartoonist Tai Shuxia joins creatives from Beyond The Hijab, a platform for Singaporean Muslim women to share their stories, to discuss what attracts them to the stubbornly analogue form. Register at str.sg/3e8yV. After the event, explore Joo Chiat as the area goes car-free from 3.30pm to 9.30pm.
6. Pair batik with books at Wardah Books
Batik, like books, can be read and interpreted. In this unique “library consultation”, bring a book and batik expert Hafiz Rashid will recommend you a batik textile that tells a similar story. Or come in batik and he will recommend you a book. Aptly, Wardah Books – which specialises in books for Muslim readers – is located in the heart of Kampong Gelam, which has rich histories of fashion and print culture.
7. Speak to a boys’ love author at Sea Breeze Books
What is behind the growing boys’ love (BL) fever in Asia? In recent years, Singapore has caught up too – with home-grown actor Ayden Sng making it big in Chinese BL drama Double Helix (2026) and Singaporean publisher TrendLit Publishing starting a BL imprint. Speak to one of TrendLit’s authors, Beatrix Leow, on the behind-the-scenes of making Point Of Information, her debut BL novel. Check out the bookstore’s collection of BL titles too.
8. Shop at a craft market, munch on Chin Mee Chin bakes at Woods in the Books
Children’s bookstore Woods in the Books is partnering 101-year-old breakfast institution Chin Mee Chin Confectionery on a craft and bakes market that will delight bookworms and foodies alike. Expect art prints, zines, magazines, picture books, handmade book products and freshly toasted buns from the two neighbours on the modish street. Hang out till 5pm on Oct 3 and catch Singaporean writer Alfian Sa’at at the relaunch of his book The Invisible Manuscript.
For the latest information on Singapore Indie Bookshop Day, go to www.sgindiebookshopday.com