Our celebrations of mini self-publishing
Click HERE to find out about our March 2026 Zine Fest in Middlesbrough
Tees Zine Fest is an inclusive event featuring a zine marketplace packed full with wonderful creators, as well as various workshops, happenings or installations and a breakout space to encourage community conversation.
We run a Zine Fest at least once a year, working with the amazing Navigator North, who lend us their space within the Hillstreet Centre in Middlesbrough Town Centre, and their support in running the event.
Tees Zine Fest is in its 3rd year in 2026 and brings together some of our area’s best zine makers, as well as those from across the North. Alongside our main festival we’ve run Zine Fests in Hartlepool and Redcar too. Our community of zine makers are an amazingly diverse and accepting lot and use zinemaking to share their art, poetry, illustration, photography and as a way of working through their thought processes, niche interests and passions. Our community proudly includes stallholders who are LGBTQ+, Neurodivergent and Disabled.
We have, then made some guidelines by which we will run Tees Zine Fests
- All taking part in Zine Fests to have a zines as their main selling items
- Stalls at Zine Fests will be financially accessible at up to £10
- No items over £5 – support will be given for zine makers to achieve this
- Our sellers will be viewed as equal community members and will have access to Tees Zine Fest information equally
- Every Zine Fest will have a quiet period and safe space, and will be suitable for those with access and stimulus needs
Our events will be
- Financially accessible to take part in
- Supportive of people who are disabled and neurodivergent
- A safe place for people of all minority groups
- Free of hate speech
- A place where all zines of any genre are given equal validation and appreciation
In an area with particular issues with affordability, stalls are accessibly priced, and we insist that all items for sale are £5 or less. This means our upcoming creatives of all ages and backgrounds can come along and go home with 2 full sized zines for £10 or less.
We normally have a stall for our local Illustration Degree students, offer assistance for those struggling with income and have an opportunity for anyone who doesn’t want their own stall to have their items sold at a small commission on our community stall.
To take part, email us here but keep ogling our posts and socials too.