Posted in: Comics, Dynamite, IDW, Image, Oni Press, Rebellion / 2000AD, Titan | Tagged: Alice Oseman, Dave Elliott, Dean Simons, Diamond UK, london book fair, mike lake, nick landau, reed expo, tony lee
From One Side Of London Book Fair 2026 To The Other, in videos, photos and comic books, with Tony Lee, Dave Elliott and more
Article Summary
London Book Fair 2026 marks its final year at Olympia before moving to the ExCel venue in 2027.
ExCel offers improved access and hotels, but divides fans due to its size and less central London location.
Comic creators like Alice Oseman and Tony Lee were highlights, reflecting the fair’s graphic novel boom.
Anti-AI activism was prominent, with campaigns like “Don’t Steal This Book” creating a buzz on the floor.
Farewell! Farewell! The London Book Fair 2026 on yesterday, today and tomorrow, will be the final show at Hammersmith/Kensington Olympia, also home to Toy Fair and the London Film and Comic Con. Possibly other shows as well, but those are the ones I go to, three times this year so far. But as of next year, London Book Fair 2027 will be on the far side of London, at the London ExCel, the same venue where London Book Fair owners/organisers Reed Expo also put on the MCM London Comic Con twice a year.
It won’t be the first time, the Book Fair was held there twenty years ago, for one year, but was considered too inaccessible and soulless, one massive room, fewer corners to hide and conspire in, fewer decent pubs in close proximity, and further from the centre of London, in a Docklands shed. But on the other hand, cheaper hotel rooms, easier access for flying in, especially these days with the Elizabeth Line, and easier access from the rest of London’s transport. And possibly part of a bulk buy from Reed Expo…
Check the video above and the gallery below, with an emphasis on comic boom stuff I saw around the place. The Creative Of The Fair was graphic novelist Alice Oseman, in the wake of graphic novel sales exploding in the UK in recent years, and her final volume of Heartstopper coming out later this year. More of that in another article, I think. The fight against A.I. was also strong with the Don’t Steal This Book campaign all over the place. Probably also deserves another breakout piece too. I also bumped into comic book luminaries Nick Landau, Mike Lake, Dave Elliott, Dirk Wood, Tony Lee, Tim Pilcher, Dean Simons, Mike Holman and more… some of whom pop up in the videos and pics in this very article!
The London Book Fair is held every year in March or April. and is principally a global marketplace for rights negotiation. from different territories to different media. Initially formed in 1971 as The Specialist Publishers’ Exhibition for Librarians, with 22 exhibitors, the event and purpose grew rapidly and was renamed the London Book Fair or LBF in 1975, and the librarian focus was dropped. Held at the Olympia exhibition centre until 2006, it moved to the London ExCel building for one year, before switching to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre until 2015 when it returned to Olympia. And in 2027 back to the ExCel again…
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