Chicago Zine Fest is hosting a music social!!! Join us this Saturday March 14th at Inside Town Art Collective (1954 S Troy St) for a night of community, groovy sounds, dancing, and light refreshments. The fun starts at 7 pm!

Boogie the night away with the electrifying vocals and 80’s-inspired synth beats of Rocco Desgres, swoon to the heartfelt and melodic tunes of Kate Malate’s voice and guitar, and jam to the experimental indie rhythms of Little Church.

Along with live music and refreshments, there will be a display of Chicago Zine Fest memorabilia, prints, and merch available for purchase. The event is free and open to all ages. Donations encouraged!

Accessibility note: Inside Town is located on the third floor with limited elevator access.

CZF 2026: save the date

We recently announced that Chicago Zine Fest will be back at the Harold Washington Library Center on Saturday October 10th, 2026. Keep an eye on social media and our website for all the latest updates.

The CZF 2026 application will be open from Sunday March 22 through Saturday April 11th at chicagozinefest.org. Thanks to the generosity of our host, Chicago Public Library, there will be no table fee for exhibitors!

New organizers orientation meeting

We’re looking for new organizers to help us plan for October’s fest! We’re especially looking for folks who are great with social media or who would like to help plan day-of-fest programming, but we welcome everyone who’s got an interest in making CZF happen.

Our new organizers orientation meeting is Wednesday March 18th at 7 pm Central. Register to attend the Zoom meeting!

Zine fests around the Midwest

Zine events are blooming in the Midwest!!! 🌻 Here's a list of all the zine and indie comics events we know about in the next six months. Get out there and support your local zine community!

✵ March 15th: Omaha Zine Fest
✵ March 21st: St. Cloud Zine Fest, St. Cloud MN
✵ March 28th: Zine Jamboree, Ypsilanti MI
✵ March 28th: Paperjam, Toronto ON
✵ March 28th-29th: SPACE (Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo), Columbus OH
✵ April 4th: ICE CREAM (Iowa City Expo for Comics and Real Eclectic Alternative Media)
✵ April 11th: Super Exclusive eXpo, Chicago IL
✵ April 18th: Milwaukee Zine Fest
✵ April 18th: LICZ (Lansing Independent Comics and Zine Fest)
✵ April 25th: Madison Print & Resist Zinefest
✵ May 2nd: Monkey Wrench Zine Fest, Indianapolis IN
✵ May 2nd: Flint Zine Fest, Flint MI
✵ May 2nd-3rd: CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo)
✵ May 16th: Planting Seeds - Indigenous Zine Fest, Chicago IL
✵ May 16th: Detroit Zine Fest
✵ June 13th: South Bend Zine Fest
✵ July 11th: Midwest Perzine Fest, Chicago IL
✵ July 11th: Street Cat Zine Fest Zine Fest, Chillicothe OH
✵ July 12th: Trashland Zinefest, Chicago IL
✵ July 12th: Gluestick Mini Zine Fest, Indianapolis IN
✵ August 8th: Grand Rapids Zine Fest, Grand Rapids MI
✵ September 5th: Anaphora Poetry & Publishing Conference, Indianapolis IN
✵ September 26th: MILK (Milwaukee Independent Local Comics Fest)
✵ October 10th: Chicago Zine Fest (hey that’s us!!)
✵ October 17th: Zinecinnati, Cincinnati, OH
✵ October 24th: Pretty Good Fest, Chicago IL
✵ October 31st: SLICE (St. Louis Independent Comics Expo)