Free Books Festival returns for another year, and this year we’re celebrating our 5th Birthday.
This year’s festival takes place on the 17th August at Big Penny Social set across one jam-packed day of activities, workshops, panels and demonstrations - as well as loads of freebies including food, and of course, books!
Full line-up and schedule will be announced soon.
Thank you to our sponsors and partners.
How to get here
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Big Penny Social is part of the ‘Blackhorse Beer Mile’ in Walthamstow, E17. The closest London Underground station (Blackhorse Road on the Victoria Line) is 7 minutes walk away. The nearest bus stop (Priestley Way, on London Bus Route 158) is just around the corner and there is plenty of space to lock up bikes on our forecourt if you fancy cycling here from Walthamstow Village, Leyton, Clapton or Stratford.
Full address is: Big Penny Social, 1 Priestley Way, London, E17 6AL
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There’s a public pay-and-display car park just around the corner, which can be booked via the RingGo app. It’s the Crowbond Car Park (location code 48131), located at 12 Priestley Way, London, E17 6AL.
Festival FAQ’s
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Doors open at 10:00, we recommend coming on time to enjoy the full day of events and workshops. Festival closes it doors at 9pm.
P.s. we have some extra goodies for the first group of attendees through the doors!
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Our events are family-friendly and open to all ages before 6pm.
At 6pm, our event turns into an 18+ space for the afterparty.
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For 5 years we’ve worked with publishers, community organisations, authors, schools, brands, you name it, to get books to people who can’t afford them for free across the UK & Ireland. That’s over 11,500 brand new books in new homes! As we turn 5, we’re taking our work to Dakar, Senegal.
In Senegal, just 58% of adults are literate, many children and families still have little or no access to books. We’re raising funds to build a free, community library that will offer more than just books — it will be a vibrant third space with free internet access, technology, and opportunities for learning, skill sharing and global knowledge exchange.
Therefore, this year we’re remixing how we ticket the Free Books Festival. We have created a donation-based ticketing system, where the cost of your ticket goes directly to the Free Books Library, Senegal. These costs include research, building, legal fees, resources and much much more! By supporting the festival, you’ll help increase literacy rates, open doors to education, and empower a new generation through free and equal access to information.
Tickets this year have a suggested min-max, so you can choose how much to donate in exchange for a ticket!
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Yes, due to alcohol presence the afterparty will be open only to 18+. Please bring a valid ID to avoid disappointment.
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Free tickets are allocated for those who can’t afford them, please contact us at info@freebookscampaign.co.uk to claim your free ticket.
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If you’re a publisher or author and would like to donate brand new books to the festival, please contact us at fatima@freebookscampaign.co.uk.
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Yes, please alert a member of staff if you need assistance. We’re more than happy to help!
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Each attendee will be gifted one brand new, free book for them to choose inside our Free Books Store.
If you are in attendance with someone under the age of 16, you may collect a book on their behalf.
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Unfortunately we do not offer refunds as all proceeds will be used toward our goals of building a library in Senegal.