Tarpon Springs Book Festival leads Indie Bookstore Day events

The Gilded Page in Tarpon Springs will be celebrating Indie Bookstore Day in style next weekend. The recently opened bookstore joins other local shops participating in this month’s Bay Area Book Crawl.

Book lovers can participate by collecting a passport at their local shop and gathering stamps at any of the participating stores up to the day on April 25. The crawl concludes with a myriad of events hosted at each shop, where stamped passports can be turned in to enter a giveaway for literary-themed prizes. See a list of participating stores below.

The Gilded Page has partnered with Tarpon Springs Downtown District to take their festivities to the streets, hosting its second annual Book Festival that day. The street fair features a wide array of vendors, including local authors and artists, new and used book stalls, literary nonprofits and guest speaker panels. (Disclosure: this reporter will be in attendance, representing literary nonprofit Kitchen Table Literary Arts).

This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Last year’s inaugural festival drew a crowd of thousands and, in the words of its organizers, “We can’t wait to do it again. But this time…BIGGER!”

See below for a list of Indie Bookstore Day participants and more bookish events across Tampa Bay April 16-May 2.

Indie Bookstore Day Crawl 

• Back in the Day Books, Dunedin
• Black English, Tampa
• Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg
• Bookends Literature & Libations, Tampa
• The Book Lounge, St. Petersburg
• The Gilded Page, Tarpon Springs
• Oxford Exchange, Tampa
• Pages & Perks, St. Petersburg
• Portkey Books, Safety Harbor
• Steamy Lit, Tampa
• The Story Garden, St. Petersburg
• Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg
• Wilson’s Book World, St. Petersburg

‘Speaking in Italics’ and ‘Last Call South Florida!’: An Evening with Gregg Shapiro and Rick Karlin Thursday, April 16. 7 p.m.-8 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg

Halfway To Halloween Book Fair Saturday, April 18. 12 p.m. No cover. Books-A-Million, Port Richey

Erin L. McCoy Tuesday, April 21. 7 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg

‘Sight Unseen’ Release Celebration with debut fantasy author Alexis Marie Saturday, April 18. 12 p.m.-3 p.m. No cover. The Book Lounge, St. Petersburg

‘Between the Arches’ Featured Poetry Reading with local poets Alexandra Morgan Geiger, Jamaal Rocke, and Unspoken Wednesday, April 22. 6 p.m.-7 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg

Annual OE Book Fair: ‘A Celebration of Local Authors’ (over 70 featured, across genres) Thursday, April 23. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. No cover. Oxford Exchange, Tampa

‘Mending the Nets’ Launch Event with Keep St. Pete Lit founder Maureen McDole Friday, April 24. 7 p.m.-8 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg

Inchstone Books Grand Opening Saturday, April 25. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. No cover. Inchstone Books, New Port Richey

Tarpon Springs Book Festival Saturday, April 25. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. No cover. The Gilded Page, Tarpon Springs

Book + Bottle Article Club Sunday, April 26. 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg

Tampa Bay History Center’s Black History Book Club reads ‘Race Matters’ by Cornel West Monday, April 27. 5:30-6:45 p.m. No cover. Black History Museum, Tampa

‘The Everlasting Life of Charlie Wall’: An Evening with local author Paul Wilborn Wednesday, April 29. 7 p.m.-8 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg

Steamy Lit hosts ‘Romantically Ever After’ Library Lit Fest Saturday, May 2. 10 a.m. No cover. Largo Public Library, Largo

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This article appears in Apr. 16 – 22, 2026.