the london book fair
10–12 March 2026
Olympia London
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Time for a big new adventure

The London Book Fair announces move to world-class venue Excel for 2027

London, 28th January 2026. The London Book Fair (LBF) has today announced its move to Excel for its 2027 edition as part of a multi-year deal. The dates for the first Fair at the new location are 16 - 18 March 2027.

The decision to transition to a new venue follows extensive consultation with the industry and the LBF Advisory Board. This move is designed to support the Fair’s vision for a more inclusive and accessible event, offering world-class facilities and a tangible, long-term commitment to sustainability. Excel, Europe’s largest fully-integrated conference and exhibition space, currently hosts 400 events per year and offers significant infrastructure that will elevate the quality of LBF27.

The new venue offers enhanced accessibility, featuring step-free access throughout to accommodate visitors with a wide range of mobility needs. It is well-connected via public transport, including the new Elizabeth line, simplifying travel from key airports such as Heathrow and London City. Additionally, Excel provides increased seating capacity, expanded meeting rooms, and state-of-the-art connectivity, following a recent major investment in 5G and Wi-Fi 7 infrastructure.

Emma Lowe, Director of The London Book Fair, said: “The decision to leave Olympia is bittersweet. I began my event career there and hold deeply fond memories of many LBFs under its iconic glass roof. The team at Olympia has always extended a warm and generous welcome to the LBF crew, and for that, we are profoundly grateful. While we are fully focused on delivering a vibrant and successful March 2026 edition to close this chapter at Olympia on a high note, we are also thrilled about the opportunities that await us at Excel in 2027. This move marks an exciting new era for LBF, and we look forward to building on its legacy in a fresh and dynamic setting. On behalf of RX, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Olympia for their unwavering support throughout this incredible journey.”

Bridget Shine, Chief Executive of the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), said: “It’s very important to IPG members that London has a world-class book fair, and the move to Excel feels like the best option to sustain its role. There are a few things we’ll miss about Olympia, like the glass roof, bustle and nearby pubs, and it’ll be a fond farewell in March. But it’s time to look to the future. Excel and its transport links are much improved since the last time the Book Fair visited, and most of our members from outside London will have an easier journey. It’s a modern venue with room for the event to grow, and all the crucial amenities should be better. Ultimately of course it’s the people who make a book fair, and if Excel gives our members the professional and comfortable environment, they need then it will be a happy new home. We also welcome the move to freeze prices for current exhibitors in 2027. Emma Lowe and the LBF team have been very good at engaging with publishers’ needs, and we’re confident they will deliver a successful transfer.”

Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association, said: “We are excited about The London Book Fair move to Excel in 2027. London Book Fair is a thriving event showcasing the buzz of our wonderful industry. The new location offers more opportunities to modernise and grow and refresh The London Book Fair experience. All of this to say, we are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Excel for The London Book Fair 2027!”

Meryl Halls, Managing Director of the Booksellers Association, said: “The Booksellers Association is pleased to see LBF moving to Excel, and appreciate the work done behind the scenes by the LBF team in researching and executing the project. It’s important that the industry can do business in a fit-for-purpose venue, and the improvements to the infrastructure and surroundings of Excel make it an excellent choice. The prospect of more space, better catering and purpose-built meeting rooms will make our job of attracting, networking and meeting with our booksellers members all the more effective. Our two days of bookseller education and networking is one of the biggest gathering of booksellers in our year, and we look forward to collaborating with the LBF team to make that transition and implementation as smooth and rewarding as possible.”

Nick Graham, Director – Exhibitions at Olympia Events, said: “We've enjoyed our partnership with RX, helping The London Book Fair to successfully grow over the years and celebrating numerous milestones with them, such as the event's recent 40th anniversary. We're extremely proud to have been an integral part of the show's success, and so it is with a heavy heart that we wish the event all the best as it moves to Excel next year. Olympia is the home of remarkable and extraordinary events synonymous with global culture and creativity, and we look forward to working with the organisers on other leading events and planned launches very soon.”

The London Book Fair (LBF) is the world’s largest spring book trade and publishing event and this year will take place at Olympia London from 10 – 12 March 2026. The London Book Fair has negotiated a price freeze for a limited period for existing exhibitors for its 2027 edition.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The London Book Fair has secured the exclusive use of the brand-new ICC Expansion, opened in the autumn of 2025.
  • The ICC expansion cost over £350m and offers us world-class, state-of-the art facilities in brand new halls, conference facilities, and public spaces.
  • The ICC expansion is served by its own Docklands Light Railway station (Prince Regent) or via a 5 minutes’ walk via the main boulevard from Custom House, served by both the DLR and The Elizabeth Line.
  • Transformational Elizabeth Line in addition to DLR line means travelling to Excel is quicker, easier and more accessible.
  • Excel is now Europe’s largest fully integrated venue, winning numerous UK and International Awards, including UK’s Best Venue for the last 2 years in a row.
  • Since 2019 alone, over 50 exhibitions, both trade and consumer, have either moved to or launched at Excel, with 46 of these moving directly from Olympia.

With a £6 million investment in cutting-edge 5G and Wi-Fi 7 technology, Excel will deliver seamless, high-speed connectivity across the entire venue – supporting up to 200,000 concurrent 5G devices and providing visitors with fast and reliable Wi-Fi.

5G

  • In 2026, Excel will be the first fully 5G enabled venue in Europe, enabling over 200,000 devices to connect concurrently via over 800+ wi-fi antennae, to enable 4K streaming
  • The 5G service will be available to all customers (visitors, exhibitors, organisers) of the Excel.

Wi-Fi 7

  • In partnership with Cisco, Excel London is bringing state-of-art Wi-Fi 7 due its customers in Q3 2026. Providing several significant benefits, particularly in terms of speed, reliability, and capacity. Implemented throughout the entire venue, including event halls, the boulevard and meeting spaces.  

Excel procures 100% renewable energy and sends zero waste to landfill.

  • Excel London is one of the UK’s most accessible large-scale venues, designed to accommodate visitors with a wide range of mobility and access needs. The site offers step-free access throughout — including ramps at all public entrances and automatic doors — and all public floors are level for unobstructed access. 
  • Facilities include accessible toilets, reservation free of charge for wheelchairs and mobility scooters (subject to availability), welcome of guide and assistance dogs, accessible parking bays and frontline staff have been trained to recognise the Sunflower Lanyard scheme.
  • The venue is also well-connected via accessible public transport options— step-free stations on the DLR and Elizabeth line—making travel to and from the venue as straightforward as possible.   

  • London City Airport, less than 1km from the venue, gives international guests fast daily connection to Excel London from over 30 key European cities and is reached in 5 minutes by taxi or 10 minutes via Docklands Light Rail.
  • Since the opening of the Elizabeth line in 2022, Excel has become the best-connected venue in Europe, with direct, step-free access to Heathrow Airport in just over 40 minutes, as well as improved connections to Canary Wharf (3 minutes), Liverpool Street (10 minutes), the West End (15 minutes) and Paddington (20 minutes). 
    • Elizabeth line: Direct to Heathrow in under 45 minutes
    • Canary Wharf: Just 3 minutes away
    • Soho / West End: Around 15-20 minutes door-to-door
    • London City Airport: Only 5 minutes from the venue
    • Easy road access: Minutes from the A13, M25, and Blackwall Tunnel
  • Excel’s seamless transport links ensure a steady flow of UK and international visitors every day of the year – making it a prime location for exhibitors to reach engaged, high-value audiences from the moment they arrive.

The Excel campus and the wider East London eco-system is a vibrant, culturally rich environment with endless opportunities to connect and network.

Since 2006, 13 new hotels adjacent to the venue have been built with almost 3,000 rooms at all price points. Plus, the Elizabeth Line has opened the options even more, with over 30,000 hotel rooms within a 15 minute travel time.

Hotels

  • 13 on/adjacent to venue with almost 3000 bedrooms at all price points (Aloft, Novotel, ibis, Good Hotel, Sunborn, DoubleTree, Premier Inn, etc.).

Entertaining

  • 2-3 mins to Canary Wharf for high-end dining and entertaining
  • 20 mins from the West End (Elizabeth Line)

  • Excel offers 27 permanent F&B units across the Boulevard with choices including Poke Bowl, Chozen Noodle, Camden Bar, Bagel Factory, Wrapid, Subway and two revamped Costa Coffees which can take up to 400 orders an hour.
  • The new Waterfront just a five-minute walk from the West Entrance and offers a number of brand-new bars and restaurants including the Waterfront Street Kitchen and Bar, The Entourage Bar (Fame*Factory) and Bob's Burbank Diner (Elvis Evolution).
  • Two new onsite waterfront restaurants / bars (opened in the last 12 months) for on-site networking, plus huge choice of options at Canary Wharf (3 minutes away via the Elizabeth Line) with options for everything from drinks receptions to high-end dining and client entertainment and an array of premium hotels on the doorstep.
  • Classic West End venues, including Michelin Star restaurants and the attractions of London’s Theatreland easier to reach than ever before!
  • Catering team can deliver everything from coffee and pastries to luxury gala dinners and everything in between, all with a focus on local and seasonal, responsible produce.
  • Investment in technology has driven efficiencies. For example, new terminal can enable 400 coffees per hour in busy times!  

  • Following the completion of recent expansion, Excel now offers over 125,000 of venue space, making it the largest integrated venue in Europe.
    • Immaculate toilets (over 120 in the new ICC expansion alone)
    • More cloakrooms
    • Dedicated seating areas
    • Natural light in abundance and inspiring public space (both - inside and outside).  
  • Excel will be the first fully 5G enabled venue in Europe, enabling over 200,000 devices to connect concurrently via over 800+ wi-fi antennae, to enable 4K streaming.

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