Vancouver Art Book Fair 2025 – Canada’s Premier Celebration of Art Publishing 📚🎨

📍 Main Venue: Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, Vancouver, BC
📅 Dates: July 4–6, 2025
🎟️ Admission: FREE

The Vancouver Art Book Fair 2025 (VABF) returns with a weekend full of exhibitions, talks, readings, performances, and hands-on workshops celebrating independent art publishing and print culture. From Friday, July 4 to Sunday, July 6, head to the Roundhouse in Yaletown to connect with artists, publishers, and thinkers from Vancouver and around the world.

This annual fair is Canada’s longest-running event dedicated to books, zines, magazines, and experimental print media rooted in contemporary art.

🗓️ Event Schedule

📍 Pre-Fair Kickoff – July 3

Venue: Western Front, 303 E 8th Ave, Vancouver

• 🕕 6:00 PM–8:00 PM – Exhibition Opening & Book Launch: “Craft Parlour” by Rebecca La Marre

• Exhibition runs until July 26, 2025

📅 Friday, July 4 – Opening Night

Venue: Roundhouse Exhibition Hall & Outdoor Plaza

• 🕔 5:00 PM–9:00 PM – VABF Exhibition Opening

• 🕢 7:30 PM–8:00 PM – Reading/Performance: Jasper Pelle, Emily Lawson, Exiliahu (Moniker Press)

📅 Saturday, July 5 – Full Day of Programming

Venue: Roundhouse
🕚 11:00 AM–6:00 PM – Exhibition Hall Open

Theatre Talks & Panels:

• 🕛 12:00 PM – Care Where No-One Does: Freek Lomme & Kevin Yuen-Kit Lo

• 🕜 1:30 PM – A Robot Walks into a Library…: Talk by Benjamin Lord

• 🕒 3:00 PM – Writers at the Cross Section: Panel with Lara Mimosa Montes, Rachel Valinsky & others

• 🕟 4:30 PM – Stories About Objects & Collecting: Panel with Glenn Alteen, Daina Augaitis, more

📅 Sunday, July 6 – Final Day & Workshops

Venue: Roundhouse
🕚 11:00 AM–5:00 PM – Exhibition Hall Open

Theatre & Room C Events:

• 🕦 11:30 AM – The Sounds of a Press: Listening Party with Lillian Doyle

• 🕐 1:00 PM – Zine Panel 2025: Ivy Zheyu Chen, Sophia Zarders & more

• 🕑 2:00 PM – Workshop with Rebecca La Marre (Room C)

• 🕝 2:30 PM – Magazines & Criticism Roundtable: Featuring editors from Esse, C Magazine & more

🎉 Afterparty – Yacht Rock Celebration

📍 Venue: Wil Aballe, 1375 Railspur Alley, Granville Island
📅 Date: Sunday, July 6
🕕 6:00 PM – Yacht Rock VABF Afterparty
Celebrate Robert Kleyn's new edition Toward the Great Attractor with a live DJ set by tender in one of Vancouver’s most artistic neighbourhoods.

🤝 Accessibility & Community Support

ASL interpretation provided thanks to support from ARCA and the Vancouver Art Gallery. The event is wheelchair accessible and committed to inclusive programming.

VABF 2025 is presented with support from Fillip, Libby Leshgold Gallery at Emily Carr, Western Front, and Contemporary Art Gallery. Whether you’re a curious visitor or seasoned collector, this fair is a rare chance to discover and purchase stunning independent publications while engaging with Vancouver’s vibrant art scene.

🔗 Discover more local festivals and creative events at Vancouver Page – Discover Local Events