Edinburgh's TAGS Fest returns for its biggest year yet
Taking place on the 25th and 26th of October, a flurry of talks, games, and bustling independent market returns to Fruitmarket for a third year.
Tabletop and Graphic Storytelling Festival is a free to attend market event dedicated to spotlighting Scotland’s small press talent, from comics and zines to tabletop and board games.
The festival returns to Fruitmarket for its third year, expanding to a full weekend of talks, games, and markets, running on the 25th and 26th of October from 10am to 5pm.
TAGS Fest will be celebrating independently-published collaborative and visual storytelling in its many forms. The event is completely free to attend.
A bustling market will feature over 50 independent creators across the weekend, curated to spotlight new, exciting, and diverse voices from Scotland’s small press scene. There will be talks running on both days, with speakers like CHIP Collective’s Ashling Larkin, Peruvian cyberpunk legend Gustaffo Vargas, and TTRPG publisher Paolo Greco of Lost Pages, moderated by Leith’s La Belle Adventure comic shop.
The event has also partnered with Leith’s Ancient Robot Games to curate a Board Game Zone full of free-to-play games of all kinds, with both drop-in and bookable games available and an extensive selection of local and international titles.
TAGS Fest is run by Eve Greenwood of Quindrie Press and Brian Tyrrell of Stout Stoat Press, two award-winning independent micropublishers based in Edinburgh, who recently joined forces with Faye Stacey of Glasgow’s Sequential Scotland comic event to form Small Press Scotland CIC.
“We’re so excited to be bringing TAGS Fest to life under Small Press Scotland this year,” says Eve. “The independent publishing scene here in Scotland has seen a lot of hardship recently but we’re hoping that with SPS we can continue to put on fantastic shows like TAGS Fest and give creators a dedicated platform for their work.”
“There are fewer and fewer spaces where people can come together, especially for free,” adds Brian. “It’s so encouraging seeing folk come back to the show year after year, to meet local authors, play games, and hang out."
WHAT: Tabletop and Graphic Storytelling Festival: A celebration of independent, self-published work from creators.
WHEN: Saturday 25th October and Sunday 26th October, 10am–5pm
WHERE: Fruitmarket, 45 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DF
HOW: The market is free to attend and is not ticketed. The Board Game Zone is free to drop into, and some volunteer-run games require booking free tickets at tagsfest.co.uk
For more information, visit tagsfest.co.uk or contact Eve and Brian at hello@tagsfest.co.uk. Follow TAGS Fest on Instagram and Bluesky.
