Los Angeles Zine Fest 2026 at Angel City Derby

Zines are small, self-published booklets, and for one Saturday a year Los Angeles puts hundreds of them on tables in one room. L.A. Zine Fest is back for its thirteenth year, and it is free to walk in. If you are sorting through things to do in Los Angeles this month, this is a cheap, easy afternoon built around people who make things by hand.

When: Saturday, November 7, 2026, 11 AM to 5 PM Where: Angel City Derby Warehouse, 785 E 14th Pl, Los Angeles Price: Free Tickets and info: Discover Los Angeles event page

What to expect

The festival bills itself as Southern California's largest gathering for zines, DIY print culture and independent publishing. This year it moves to a new downtown venue, the Angel City Derby Warehouse, and the organizers list more than 300 independent zinesters, publishers and creators at the marketplace. Independent bookstores and community groups will be tabling too, among them LA Queer Zine Fest, SWOP LA, Nova Community Arts and the Los Angeles Public Library.

The work on the tables ranges widely: photography, illustration, poetry, collage, risograph printing and more, in several languages. Expect zines that are funny, personal, political, instructional or plain strange. Prices at a fair like this tend to be low, so bring a little cash if you want to take a few home.

Workshops and panels

Programming runs through the day. At noon, the Mattazine Society presents a talk on the emergence of the queer zine in Los Angeles, from science fiction fanzines through the gay rights movement to the punk era. At 2 PM, TRANS•FORM leads TRANS•SCRIBE, a workshop on creating your own queer archive. The festival also runs a Zine Week beforehand, with zine-making meetups, readings and open mics at libraries and community spaces around the city.

Why this one matters

The organizers frame the fest as a defense of free expression, and they point to a federal case in which a box of zines was treated as evidence. Whatever you take from that, the event is built around the idea that passing a zine from one reader to another is an ordinary, valuable act. More than 5,000 people are expected, so arrive early if you want first pick of the vendors.

Getting there

The warehouse sits on East 14th Place in downtown Los Angeles. Check the event page for current details before you head out, and plan for parking or transit as you would for any busy Saturday downtown. For more upcoming events in Los Angeles, browse the festivals category, or see what else is on in downtown.