Balkan Anarchist Bookfair
September 24-27, 2026
Skopje, North Macedonia
https://bab2026.espivblogs.net/
Call for Participation on the Balkan Anarchist Bookfair 2026
Skopje, 24–27 September
To invite comrades, collectives, publishers and initiatives to the Balkan Anarchist Bookfair 2026, taking place in Skopje between the 24-27th September, is an occasion that fills us with excitement and inspiration.
We are excited and motivated to invite comrades, collectives, publishers and initiatives from the Balkans and beyond to Skopje for the Balkan Anarchist Bookfair 2026, taking place from 24 to 27 September. With tenacity and care, we take on the responsibility of hosting this moving gathering of resistance, solidarity and self-organization. We look forward to welcoming you to share four days of encounters, discussions, disagreements, learning, organizing, and collective struggle.
After fifteen years, the Balkan Anarchist Bookfair returns to Skopje, where it was last held in 2011. It returns to a completely changed city, a transformed region and a radically altered global context. What remains unchanged is the need to meet, organize, exchange, and resist together. The return of BAB to Skopje is not a nostalgic gesture, but a political necessity: to reconnect old and new struggles, to strengthen regional and international ties, and to confront the realities of the present with collective force. A new movement of anarchy is once again being mobilized in this city shaped by contradictions, devastation and survival. New collectives, informal groups and initiatives are emerging, reconnecting with past struggles while opening new fronts of resistance. Skopje is once again becoming a terrain of confrontation with the state, capital and all forms of domination.
Wars are no longer exceptional events – they are becoming the everyday condition of the world. Imperialism is no longer hidden behind diplomatic masks, but openly reshaping borders, lives, and futures. New technologies are developed behind closed doors of private ownership, while their consequences are imposed on all of us: artificial intelligence, digital surveillance, algorithmic control of labor, education, health, war and entertainment. We are excluded from the data, the decisions, and the infrastructures, yet forced to bear their burden – increasingly as targets of militarization and social control.
At the same time, a new wave of reactionary politics is rolling back decades of struggle. Anti-gender movements attack women, queer and trans people with renewed violence. Patriarchal, nationalist and religious forces are mobilizing fear and resentment, shaping new generations with old hierarchies. The economic machine of capitalism continues its endless destruction, breaking new records each year in ecological collapse, exploitation, displacement and social misery.
These crises are not separate. They form one interconnected landscape of domination. They are the logical outcome of state power, capitalist accumulation, technological control and social hierarchy.
In the Balkans, these global processes take on particularly brutal and visible forms. The region continues to be treated as a semi-peripheral laboratory for austerity, privatization, corruption and extraction. Rivers are being dammed, forests sold off, mountains turned into mines, and cities reshaped for speculative profit while entire communities are left without water, clean air or secure livelihoods. Ecological destruction advances hand in hand with unemployment, forced migration and the dismantling of what remains of social infrastructure.
At the same time, new and recycled populist regimes, nationalist projects and authoritarian governments are consolidating their power through fear, militarization, misogyny, racism and historical revisionism. The borders of the Balkans remain zones of detention, pushbacks and death for people on the move, while local populations are disciplined through debt, precarity and permanent crisis. Yet across the region, struggles continue: against hydropower plants, extractionism of water and land, evictions, police violence, gendered oppression, fascist organizing, border regimes and workplace exploitation. These struggles are often isolated – and this is precisely why we need spaces like the Balkan Anarchist Bookfair to connect, to coordinate, and to resist together.
Against this grim reality, we are faced with a shared task: to respond revolutionarily and radically. To rethink our strategies, rebuild our networks, and sharpen our practices of resistance. To find the cracks in the system and act there, together.
The Balkan Anarchist Bookfair has existed for more than a decade as a space for precisely this: not only for books, but for encounters, debates, disagreements, learning, organizing, care, frustration and renewed strength. It is a moving gathering that refuses to be fixed in one place, reflecting the realities of our region and the need for constant recomposition of struggles.
In 2026, the Balkan Anarchist Bookfair will take place in Skopje, from 24 to 27 September.
Skopje is a city of layered histories of struggle, revolt, repression and survival. A city where cultures meet and clash, where urban space is constantly contested, where new generations are once again forming groups of resistance under increasingly harsh conditions. From workers’ struggles to antifascist organizing, from feminist and queer resistance to ecological and neighborhood fights – Skopje is not only a site of crisis, but also of potential.
We invite anarchist collectives, publishers, infoshops, autonomous initiatives, informal groups and individuals from the Balkans and beyond to come together in Skopje to share experiences, analyses, tools and practices. We invite you to bring your books, zines, texts, posters, discussions, workshops, films, skill-shares and proposals. We invite you to bring your struggles, your doubts, your questions and your anger – as well as your energies and desires for another world.
The Balkan Anarchist Bookfair is not an event of spectators and speakers, but a common space we build together. It is a place to meet comrades from different contexts, to learn from each other’s defeats and victories, to argue, to disagree, to support each other materially and politically. It is a place to strengthen translocal and internationalist ties against borders, states and capital.
In a time of war, authoritarianism, patriarchal backlash, ecological devastation and technological domination, we insist on organizing without rulers and without bosses. We insist on solidarity instead of competition, self-organization instead of representation, direct action instead of delegation.
Further details on participation, the political framework, logistics and deadlines for contributions will follow in the coming months. We ask you to translate this call in your own languages, share it with us, put it on your platforms and share it on your communication channels.
For now, save the dates and spread the word:
Balkan Anarchist Bookfair 2026 Skopje
24–27 September 2026
Against war, capital, patriarchy and the state –
For solidarity, resistance and liberation.
PROGRAMME
Sending proposals for events
The organizing assembly is in the process of structuring the fair programme (Thursday 24 September to Sunday 27 September) with our main concern being to include as many presentations and workshops as possible, but also to allow enough time for profound discussion in every topic. The programme is imagined to include the full days of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with half-day on Sunday. Check in will start on Wednesday.
The final programme will be ready and will be announced at the end of March 2026 – please send us your proposals by then at the latest (letting us also know when you plan to arrive to Skopje).
CONTACT
Contact us at bab2026@riseup.net.
FAQ
1) Where will the bookfair take place?
The venue(s) of BAB2026 will be announced very soon 😉
2) Where do I go for information when I arrive in Skopje?
An Info point kiosk will function at the venue.
If you plan to arrive earlier, send an email message to bab2026[at]riseup[dot]net asking to send you a mobile phone contact. During the hours of the bookfair, there will be an info point at the stall with the bookfair merch.
3) I will come with a private car, where can I park?
Parking is usually available for free or a small fee. We will list all the options very soon.
4) Are the bookfair premises child-friendly?
The buildings that will host the BAB are accommodating, and there will be space for children and parents to hang out away from the fair activities. No young child should be left unsupervised, though. If there is a need for childcare, we will try to organise something on the spot, with the solidarity and help of the participants.
5) Will there be food available at the bookfair?
There will be a vegan meal available for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Voluntary contribution will apply for meals and sandwiches, and also for coffee. We will need support for organizing the meals as there is no solidarity kitchen initiative or similar in Skopje, part of the organizing team will be organizing and cooking the meals so any support will be very welcome.
6) Will there be wi-fi access on the bookfair premises?
There will be access to a wi-fi network, but with limited bandwidth. It is advisable for those coming from EU countries to have purchased Internet access data in their countries, so as not to overburden the limited wi-fi network that will be available.
7) What is the BAB2026 policy on photos/videos?
All persons being photographed should be asked if they consent. When there are photos/vídeos of discussions, workshops, live, performances, etc., taken, the speakers/artists must first be asked for consent. Before publishing the photos/videos, it must be ensured (with blur, pixelate technique) that no faces of participants are visible.
8) What is the average temperature in Skopje in late September?
The average temperature should be 20-30 degrees Celsius (hotter or colder as there is climate change). Check the weather forecast just before you start your journey, because in the recent past there have been much higher and lower temperatures.
9) What about pets?
There is plenty of space and comrades often come with their pets, which should not be left unattended.
10) What about fascists and police?
We don’t expect any major issues with the police or fascists. However, having a bunch of anarchists in the city is new for them, so we might see more surveillance than usual, but nothing unexpected. A fair warning – Skopje has a lot of police so it is not unusual to see them everywhere.
There are several active nazi/fascist groups however, they are mostly keyboard warriors. We advise you to be cautious as there have been instances of street harassment and similar. Skopje is generally safe as anywhere else.
11) Is there a possibility for camping and pitching a tent?
Most of the Skopje centre is beton. There is the Vodno mountain and the Matka canyon, which are in nature and fairly close to the city where people have pitched tents before. Closer to the venue would be harder.
12) What about drugs?
Drugs are very illegal in Macedonia, and police tend to do searches all the time. Usually, there are a lot of arrests on these charges.
13) Is Skopje disabled friendly?
The venue(s) will be accessible, and the organising committee is there to support anyone who needs support. The city has some infrastructure which is disabled accessible, but not that much.
14)Sending books for BAB, bringing looks/leaflets to BAB?
Books under the value of 200 euros per person are fine. Anything over 200 euros “should” be registered as a temporary import with customs, and there is a fee for this. If you’re in a car with four people and they find your books, explain that these are personal books for each person, meant to be given away as gifts. Sending books is also okay, we can reserve a table. Send us an email at bab26@riseup.net so we advise you on the best way to send them.
Accomodation
As we have no squats in Skopje, we have no capacity to offer any free accommodation. We have only a few opportunities to host some individuals, groups or initiatives who cannot afford travel and/or accommodation expenses with the organising committee. Therefore, we ask you whether you manage to arrange your own accommodation in Skopje, and of course, we are able to offer support.
Considering that September is a so-called tourist month and tourist agencies bring large groups of tourists, we highly suggest you arrange accommodation as soon as possible, as later they may be unavailable and more expensive.
We will update the page with any changes and any potential offers (discounts) we may negotiate, so make sure to check it from time to time. If you need additional info, assistance, or you need some financial support, please write to us at bab2026@riseup.net.
Hostels, Hotels, Booking
For the cheapest option for accommodation, we advise hostels. Prices range from 10 to 15 euros per person per night (depending on the room). You can contact the hostel directly via WhatsApp or Viber or if they have social media, write to them there to book a room.
Skopje is not a huge city, and you can get everywhere by foot relatively fast, and there is public transport available as well, we will list some information on some of the hostels, and their distance from the venue will be updated on the site once we have confirmed everything with the venue. This is not the entire list of hostels; there are many others available.
Get INN Hostel, Location: St. Stiv Naumov 102g, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QsiUUbKzwY4zRAUD8,
Phone: +389 72 238 690,
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/266843/get-inn-skopje/
Mickitos Urban Hostel,
Location: Ulica Filip II, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/TMnPM4SxGVaMpF4r7
Phone: — +389 71 396747
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/324236/mickitos-urban-hostel/
HI Skopje Hostel,
Location: Crniche 15, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/Hrwy3wmsGTziotss8
Phone: — +389 26 091 242
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/59104/hi-skopje-hostel/
Shanti Hostel,
Location: R. Jovchevski Korchagin 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/EYLJaHxvkskS5iqs6
Phone: — +389 78 857 694
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/49624/shanti-hostel/
Hostel Central Skopje,
Location: Boulevard Krushevska Republika 37, ul Prolet 37, ul 706 br.37, Skopje 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/R5M5f1QTzx6cFEpv5
Phone: — +389 76 610 605
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/325641/hostel-central-skopje/
Skopje Downtown Hostel,
Location: Slavko Janevski 69, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: —https://maps.app.goo.gl/ght8syZNdApr158f6
Phone: — +389 77 654 485
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/290566/skopje-downtown-hostel/
Hostel Valentin,
Location: Nikola Karev Str. 9 2/12 Skopje, North Macedonia
Google Maps: —https://maps.app.goo.gl/CNTUaL7pSdC28zdN8
Phone: — +389 76 266 050
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/85456/hostel-valentin/
Hostel Comfy
Location: Boulevard Kuzman Josifovski Pitu 10, Skopje 1000
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2J1pJAxQUhCtWdS46
Phone: – +389 78 441 573
Urban Hostel and Apartments,
Location: Sveti Nikolska 42, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/QCU578C7pWaRM5UM7
Phone: — +389 78 432 384
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/57122/urban-hostel-and-apartments/
Railway Hostel,
Location: 1a, Sveti Nikolska 42, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/HFnVGqmQqTUqNNDp6
Phone: — +389 78 380 813
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/321894/railway-hostel/
M Square Studios and Private Rooms,
Location: ul. Makedonija 10, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/VnfA7ssaDaUSmNF1A
Phone: — +389 71 396 747
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/316608/m-square-studios-and-private-rooms/
DM Hostel and Apartments,
Location: Dane Krapchev 22, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/KSc2aiU5L1EubWL39
Phone: — +389 72 932 996
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/325838/dm-hostel-and-apartments/
Hakuna Matata Hostel,
Location: 11th October St. 29/1-1, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/phsU3cPRs5BrcQPWA
Phone: — +389 71 380 684
Site: https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/321208/hakuna-matata/
Hostel Inbox,
Location: Bitpazarska 58, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/87nH8vT5De9moPZt8
Phone: — +389 23 112 239
Site: http://www.hostelinbox.mk/
Hostel 42,
Location: Boulevard Ilinden 42, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
Google Maps: — https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fwvii6DwX6VEXSDb8
Phone: — +389 78 449 944
Site: https://www.booking.com/hotel/mk/hostel-42.en-gb.html
Visa requirements
For most countries, no visa is required. For confirmation, visit https://www.mfa.gov.mk/en/page/31/do-you-need-a-visa
If a visa is required, support can be provided it usually takes up to 2 months for the process.
Travelling to Skopje
Travelling by Car
Travelling by Bus
Travelling by Plane
Travelling by Train
Travelling by Car
If you’re driving, ensure you have all the required documents, including vehicle insurance (Green Card) and any necessary border permits. Keep in mind that Macedonian highways have tolls, so have cash or cards handy for payments. Borders can experience delays, so be prepared.
Estimated driving times and toll costs to Skopje –
Thessaloniki (Greece): ~2.5 hours (230 km) – Total tolls €8.25 / Ден507.48
Sofia (Bulgaria): ~3.5 hours (250 – 300 km) – Total tolls €10 / Лв.19.56
Belgrade (Serbia): ~ 5 hours (630 km) – Total tolls €24.70 / Дин2,894.42
Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina): ~8-10 hours (700 km) – Total tolls €8.25 / KM16.16
Tirana (Albania): ~5.5 hours (350 km) – Total tolls €5.65 / L557.56
Zagreb (Croatia): ~10-12 hours (890 km) – Total tolls €47.56
Athens (Greece): ~10-14 hours (1000 km) – Total tolls €31.25
You can find more information regarding the cost of the tolls here:
https://tollguru.com/toll-calculator
Travelling by Bus
Skopje has many bus connections across the Balkans and even further. Direct bus routes operate from most neighboring cities, and they might be the most affordable option.
Estimated Bus Times to Skopje (D-direct route/P-possible)
Albania — D
Tirana → Skopje — ~6–7 h (direct daily services multiple operators)
Bosnia & Herzegovina — P / D from some cities
Sarajevo → Skopje — typically 8–12 h
Bulgaria — D
Sofia → Skopje — ~4–5.5 h (multiple direct operators)
Croatia — D / P
Zagreb → Skopje — ~9–11 h (long direct buses available)
Greece — D
Thessaloniki → Skopje — ~4–5 h (direct buses; longer than a simple drive due to border checks).
Athens → Skopje is much longer (≈10–12 h) and often done with a transfer via Thessaloniki.
Kosovo — D / P
Pristina → Skopje — ~1.5–3 h (regular buses; some runs are very short).
Montenegro — P
Podgorica → Skopje — ~8–12 h (routes exist but less frequent).
Serbia — D
Nis → Skopje – ~3–4 h (several daily buses)
Belgrade → Skopje — ~6–7 h (several daily buses).
Slovenia — D / P
Ljubljana → Skopje — ~13–16 h (direct buses).
Romania — P / D from some cities
Timișoara / Bucharest → Skopje — often 10–18 h and may require a change (some seasonal/direct lines exist from western Romania).
Austria — D
Vienna → Skopje — ≈12–17 h (daily/night services).
Germany — D
Munich → Skopje ≈ 16–24 h (overnight); Berlin → Skopje also served (very long journey).
Italy — D
Trieste / Venice / Milan → Skopje — often 12–20 h (direct seasonal or scheduled long-distance buses).
Switzerland — D / P
Zurich / Basel → Skopje — long direct services exist (overnight, ~18–24 h).
France / Belgium / Netherlands / Luxembourg — D (limited / long)
Paris / Brussels / Amsterdam / Luxembourg → Skopje — (very long overnight runs, often with few departures weekly).
Czechia / Slovakia / Hungary / Poland — D / P
Brno / Bratislava / Budapest / Warsaw → Skopje — some direct lines or one-change itineraries are available; expect 12–24+ h.
Sweden / Denmark / Norway / Finland — P (via Germany/Poland/Netherlands hubs)
Copenhagen / Stockholm → Skopje — possible direct/through services; expect 20+ h and limited frequency.
Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) — P
Usually require at least one change (Poland / Germany / Czech hubs); long travel time (often >24 h).
Travelling by plane
If you plan to come by plane, Skopje’s Airport (SKG) is connected to many cities across Europe and the Balkans. You can also travel to Prishtina as it is very close also.
Getting to the city from the Airport
Airport Bus: eraktransporter.com. Tickets cost €2.5, and the ride takes ~40 minutes.
Taxi: Taxis are available 24/7, with fares ranging between €25–€30 to the city center. Not advised as they often inflate the prices.
SHORT GUIDE TO SKOPJE
Skopje is not a city that explains itself.
It doesn’t offer a clear narrative or a clean entrance. You arrive somewhere between a capital and a waiting room — a place where history keeps restarting before it finishes a sentence. It’s chaotic, ugly, beautiful, boring; it is too much and too little, because it refuses to be easily consumed.
The official currency is the Macedonian denar (MKD). Euros circulate unofficially in conversations, rents, and comparisons, but denars are the legal tender. Prices feel low if you’re coming from Western Europe. Most people survive through combinations of underpaid labour, family support, remittances, and improvisation. Stability is rare, and endurance is common. The air is a consistent reminder that the consequences of exploitation are not abstract. In winter, Skopje regularly ranks among the most polluted cities in Europe. Politically, Skopje is largely confined within a neoliberal cage; nationalism flares up when useful, austerity is constant, and European integration is presented as the only “option”. Like elsewhere in Europe, fed by such a lack of a democratic politics, a growing fascism is peering from behind the fog. You will witness graffiti, excessive nationalism, billboards of fascists and cynical attitudes. You will also witness a general lack of alternative spaces, which have been co-opted/commercialised/destroyed in recent years. And yet beneath this stagnation, something else is forming. People are skeptical, they do not live under false pretenses that conditions are becoming better and they do not have trust in the existing political institutions. In response to repression, dispossession, and loss of territory, new forms of resistance are taking root. New movements and political horizons are appearing, as people are organising — quietly but persistently.
Kafanas are the city’s institutions. They are not restaurants, and they are not “traditional experiences.” They are places where people sit for too long, smoke too much, drink rakija, and talk through everything that isn’t working. These spaces are messy, gendered, loud, and imperfect, but they are social infrastructure in a city where many other forms of gathering have been erased. We recommend Kaj Jole, 4 Angeli, Lavce, Krcma, Barik, Trokadero, Zhabar, Fontana. The ones that are made to look like they are emulating a traditional kafana are usually bad ones. The vegan options are not a lot – tavce gravce, potatoes, salads, and other side dishes. The prices have inflated over the years – but a good meal and a good time can cost from 10 – 15 euros. You’ll find fully vegan places like Vegan 365, some with vegan options like Healthy Junk Food Corner 888, Çiğ köfte in the Old Bazaar, and many many bakeries with burek and pie. Bakeries in Cair usually have the best burek and pie (we recommend Aksa, but also near center there is Venera, Specijal, Silbo). Skopje has many bazaars, but the Green Market and Bit Pazar are the best ones. Bunjakovec is more expensive (with the most food imports). There are also a lot of small convenience shops (sometimes cash only). For markets we recommend Stokomak, Kam and Kiper (the cheapest ones with good options). You can pay cash or card. For bars we recommend La Kanja, Garson, Che, Dze, Gluvo Kuche, Kaldrma. Usually nothing works much on Sunday, if you want to eat there are restaurants open, and bakeries like La Delicious that never close. People smoke everywhere, the cigarettes and tobacco are pretty cheap, and in most places there is a smokers area. Drugs of all kinds are illegal and considered a criminal offence (with jail sentences). If you wish to do drugs be very careful.
If you look around, instead of sightseeing, you’ll notice how the city argues with itself through architecture. Brutalist buildings from the socialist period stand next to the artificial classicism of the Skopje 2014 project, a nationalist fantasy that is insulting on the senses. The monuments are not beautiful or ironic, rather, they are heavy with intention, trying to overwrite complexity with marble certainty. The Old Bazaar, Charshija, has some reminders of a good time, but even that is decaying to fit tourism. You will still find small shops passed through generations, cool-ish bars (usually hidden away from the fake hipster-ish fake flower cafes with pop music) and interesting spaces. There are many great museums. There is the Cifte Hammam and the Daut Pasha Hammam, and the Musuem of Contemporary Art, which are interesting. There is police everywhere, for every one monument at least 5 cops, they are also part of the architecture. In most cases they don’t do much, so don’t engage with them.
What you do in Skopje matters less than how you move through it. You sit longer than planned. You walk because it’s easier than waiting endlessly for buses that don’t come. You learn patience by necessity. You listen to people who say the same things over and over. You attend events that happen despite a lack of funding, some self-organised, some really good, some interesting, some being the same event over and over again. You start to understand that much of life here is about maintaining dignity under conditions that quietly erode it. You can get a bus pass online at Skopska or JSP, or in small shops, the buses always run late or don’t show up, but the city is very walkable. For taxies we recommend Wizi, Global (Andro Cab) or BeeRide all available as applications for the phone. Don’t get on taxies on the street randomly as they tend to overcharge. Taxies will cost you 2-4 euros depending on where you are going.
Roaming is fairly expensive, there are some good deals. We also recommend e-SIM or prepaid SIM via A1 Makedonija, Telekom and MTel.
If you want to find the core of Skopje you will find it in many places. You will find it in the Social Centre Dunja, which has persisted and lived for 10 years, autonomously. It is the home of many movements. You will find it in small independent bookshops and publishers that still persist even if people are not reading as much, such as Ilika, Ili Ili, and Begemot. You will find it on the Vodno mountain, trying to breathe life in a city of poison, the City Park with trees and ponds and millions of conversations, Gazi Baba park and all of Skopje’s hidden little corners.