Back again at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, for its third year, Tabletop and Graphic Storytelling Festival (TAGS Fest) has been expanded to a full weekend of talks, games, and markets this year, running on Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th October 2025, from 10.00am to 5.00pm.
TAGS Fest is a market event, completely free to attend, dedicated to spotlighting Scotland’s small press talent, from comics and zines to tabletop and board games. The event will be celebrating independently-published collaborative and visual storytelling in its many forms.
A bustling market will feature over 50 independent creators across the weekend, curated to spotlight new, exciting, and diverse voices from Scotland’s small press scene. There will be talks running on both days, with speakers like CHIP Collective’s Ashling Larkin, Peruvian cyberpunk legend Gustaffo Vargas, and TTRPG publisher Paolo Greco of Lost Pages, moderated by Leith’s La Belle Adventure comic shop.
The event has also partnered with Leith’s Ancient Robot Games to curate a Board Game Zone full of free-to-play games of all kinds, with both drop-in and bookable games available and an extensive selection of local and international titles.
TAGS Fest is run by Eve Greenwood of Quindrie Press and Brian Tyrrell of Stout Stoat Press, two award-winning independent micro publishers based in Edinburgh, who have joined forces with Faye Stacey of Glasgow’s Sequential Scotland comic event to form Small Press Scotland CIC.
“We’re so excited to be bringing TAGS Fest to life under Small Press Scotland this year,” says Eve. “The independent publishing scene here in Scotland has seen a lot of hardship recently but we’re hoping that with SPS we can continue to put on fantastic shows like TAGS Fest and give creators a dedicated platform for their work.”
“There are fewer and fewer spaces where people can come together, especially for free,” adds Brian. “It’s so encouraging seeing folk come back to the show year after year, to meet local authors, play games, and hang out.”
• Tabletop and Graphic Storytelling Festival 10.00am – 5.00pm Saturday 25th October and Sunday 26th October 2025 Fruitmarket, 45 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DF – A celebration of independent, self-published work from creators
The market is free to attend and is not ticketed. The Board Game Zone is free to drop into, and some volunteer-run games require booking free tickets at tagsfest.co.uk
• For more information, visit tagsfest.co.uk or contact Eve and Brian at hello@tagsfest.co.uk. Follow TAGS Fest on Instagram and Bluesky
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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