BAGFest 2026 Debuts in Singapore, Bringing Books and Board Games Together in One Creative Festival

A new cultural festival is set to launch in Singapore next month, bringing together the worlds of literature and tabletop gaming in a shared celebration of storytelling, creativity and play. The inaugural Books & Games Festival, or BAGFest 2026, will take place on 27 and 28 June at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, marking the first event of its kind locally to place books and board games on equal footing.

Organised by literary charity Sing Lit Station in collaboration with board game publisher Origame, the two day festival aims to spotlight analogue creativity at a time when digital entertainment dominates everyday life. Running from 10am to 7pm daily, BAGFest 2026 will gather independent publishers, writers, zine creators and tabletop game designers in a single space dedicated to narrative driven experiences.

Visitors can expect a curated mix of independently published books, zines and contemporary Asian board games, many of which draw inspiration from regional culture and storytelling traditions. Across the weekend, a series of free programmes will explore the intersections between literary craft and game design. Highlights include discussions on writing and play as interconnected storytelling tools, new works that use games as metaphor in literature, and a live Dungeons and Dragons performance.

At the heart of the festival is the idea that reading and gaming are complementary ways of engaging with stories rather than separate activities. Organisers hope to encourage visitors to slow down, step away from screens and reconnect with tactile and communal forms of entertainment, whether through browsing, playing games or interacting with creators.

A key feature of the event is the Read and Play Passport, priced at $5 online or $8 at the door. The passport guides visitors through a series of festival challenges, with those who complete them eligible for rewards including a limited edition poetry.sg card game created exclusively for BAGFest. Organisers describe it as a unique experiment that could be among the first of its kind in Singapore’s literary scene.

Applications for exhibitors are still open, with participation available to creators working in books, zines, tabletop games and related fields. Selection will be based on suitability and available space.

BAGFest reflects the ongoing efforts of its organisers to support and grow Singapore’s creative ecosystems. Origame, known for its work in designing and publishing modern Asian board games, also runs the Asian Board Games Festival, a regional platform for designers and players. Sing Lit Station continues to develop literary initiatives such as Poems on the MRT, Singapore Poetry Writing Month and Book-A-Writer.

By bringing together two seemingly separate communities, BAGFest 2026 aims to offer a different way of experiencing stories in Singapore, one that blends poetry with puzzles, novels with game mechanics and imagination with interaction.

BAGFest 2026 will take place on 27 and 28 June 2026 from 10am to 7pm at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Multi-Purpose Hall, Level 7, 1 Straits Boulevard, Singapore 018906. Exhibition fees are priced at 5 for a half table, 0 for a full table and 0 for two tables. Final registration closes on 25 June 2026 at 11.59pm.