Bookshop Day is an annual, one day celebration of all high street bookshops. Approximately 1000 UK retailers, both independents and branches of chain bookshops, participate. Bookshop Day aims to celebrate bookshops - their contribution to our communities as well as the service they provide for their customers - and to encourage people to start their Christmas book-shopping early, on their high street, with their local bookshop; to “choose bookshops”. The campaign launched in 2013 and falls on the second Saturday in October.
Bookshop Day 2026 will take place on Saturday 10 October.
Each year Books Are My Bag commissions an illustrator to create the campaign artwork. This year's artwork was created by Kerri Cunningham aka Murphy's Sketches. Kerri is a Sunday Times Bestselling writer and artist from Preston in Lancashire. Find Kerri on Instagram
The annual Books Are My Bag Limited-Edition Bag is available for purchase exclusively via high street and independent bookshops from Bookshop Day onwards, while stocks last. we're thrilled that Jane Foster is the designer of this year’s bag. Jane has published 36 books over the past 11 years, and she has collaborated with the likes of Ikea, John Lewis and Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day. Find out more about Jane Foster here.
Our City Spotlight activity shines a light on a different part of the country each year. Working with Jack Arts, local artists are commissioned to create bespoke bookshop murals. In 2026 our focus will be on Sheffield and its wonderful bookshops. This year’s artists are UUendy Lau (@uuendylau) and Joshua Billingham, known professionally as Gent 48 (@gent48). Mural sites will be confirmed shortly. Watch this space!
Why Do You Choose Bookshops?
Our latest Choose Bookshops video premiered at 6pm on Thursday 9 October 2025. Featuring well-loved authors and illustrators, and filmed in three wonderful bookshops, this video celebrates the magic of shopping local and the communities bookshops create. Click on the video above to watch it.
Books Are My Bag Limited-Edition Bag designers:
- 2026: Jane Foster
- 2025: Ashwin Chacko
- 2024: Angela Harding
- 2023: Poonam Mistry
- 2022: Jackie Morris
- 2021: Dapo Adeola
- 2020: Charlie Mackesy
- 2019: Yehrin Tong
- 2018: Sir Peter Blake
- 2017: Orla Kiely
- 2016:Coralie Bickford-Smith; Fatti Burke (designed for Irish bookshops)
- 2015: Grayson Perry
- 2014: Tracy Emin
Choose Bookshops
- Local jobs
- Local economy
- Local community
- Real passion
- Real people
- Real conversations
- Proper service
- Perfect gifts
- (and taxes paid!)
How can I celebrate Bookshop Day?
- Find your local bookshop
- Shop with them on Bookshop Day
- Pick up our Limited-Edition Bag!
- Share your book purchases on social media tagging @booksaremybag and #BookshopDay
- Tag your favourite bookshop on social media and encourage your followers to do the same (make sure you also tag @booksaremybag and #BookshopDay!)
- Kick-start your Christmas shopping!
- Every bookshop will have their own way of celebrating Bookshop Day so make sure you find out what your local has planned – whether it is an in-store author signing, a virtual event, book club, special offers and more.
Get news about events and offers from your local bookshop straight to your inbox with National Book Tokens Discover. Visit the National Book Tokens site to search for your nearest shop and sign up!
Keep up to date with campaign at:
Thanks to all of our sponsors, National Book Tokens, Hachette UK, Penguin Random House UK, HarperCollins Publishers, Pan Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, DK, Bloomsbury, Usborne, Scholastic, Faber & Faber, Bonnier Books UK, Profile Books, Walker Books, Ingram Content Group, David Fickling.
If you are a bookseller or publisher and would like more information about the campaign, please visit the Booksellers Association website.