Five Reasons You Won’t Want to Miss Exhibiting at BBF 2021

We know this is going to be a special year as BBF returns to in-person programming after a yearlong hiatus, and we wanted to share with you all the reasons you’ll want to be a part of it. As a business or organization, you’ll have the opportunity to promote your business in front of BBF’s smart and thoughtful audience — and actually talk to visitors as they browse your booth and many others. Our lively street market on Copley Square is always a highlight for festival-goers, and we’re excited to be bringing the festival energy outdoors in Roxbury with a new exhibitor area. Read on for five exciting highlights and apply to exhibit today (applications due Friday, July 9).

1) You get to meet our audience live and in-person! BBF is founded on the idea of celebrating all things literary together as a community, and we have definitely missed this component over the last year. As a business or organization, being a part of our buzzing outdoor street fair in Copley Square or Nubian Square, Roxbury, offers a unique opportunity to introduce yourself to potential new customers or clients, hand out materials, sell books from your press, or sign up people interested in your organization or products.

2) Copley Square will be buzzing with outdoor programming stages for the first time. We’re mixing things up this year and bringing even more energy and excitement outdoors, which we think will bring even more visitors to the exhibitor area. We’ll have programming right on Copley Square for the first time and will be hosting more sessions that engage people in the city. All of these outdoor activities will bring more people to the exhibitor area, even if we have programmed a smaller festival this year.

3) We’re launching a brand-new exhibitor area in Nubian Square, Roxbury, with live music and food trucks. We are just so excited about this new addition in Roxbury! We’ve been wanting to do more activities outdoors in Nubian Square, and this year, we’ll have an outdoor programming tent for kids at the DeWitt Center, indoor and outdoor activities at the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library, and a happening exhibitor area at the Blair Lot in the heart of Nubian. The Blair Lot, which is an empty lot that has been transformed into a hip outdoor venue space, will also have music and food trucks and be the festival hub.

4) We’re expanding to a weeklong festival with programming and exhibitor areas on two Saturdays. The Boston Book Festival has been expanding over the last few years as its grown into Roxbury, and now, BBF will be a weeklong festival! Events will start on Saturday, October 16, in Copley Square and end on Saturday, October 23, in Nubian Square, with events throughout the city and online in the intervening days. We’re excited to be hosting the festival on two Saturdays to allow for even more visitors to join us, particularly in Roxbury.

5) We have bundle discounts to exhibit at both Copley and Roxbury (and get a free Virtual Marketplace listing!). Who doesn’t love a good discount? Check out our Exhibitor page to find out more about how to bundle Copley and Roxbury and get a discount AND a free Virtual Marketplace listing.

This is definitely going to be an historic year for the Boston Book Festival, and we hope you will join us for this return to programming and to celebrating the power of the written word together. Visit bostonbookfest.org/exhibit and apply by July 9!