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They say the right book finds you the right people…
Hidden Book Bar, a festival that carries the mood of a secret drinking spot tucked behind an unmarked door, is back with a new edition called 'Hidden Stories', taking over MunMun Srinakarin on the first floor of Seacon Square Srinakarin from May 29 to June 7, it runs daily from 11am to 9pm with free entry throughout.
Behind it is Book Festival, the group behind Read Fest, Pause & Play and Book & Beer, who've made a habit of making literary culture feel less like homework and far more like somewhere you'd actually want to spend a Saturday. No endless stacks or fluorescent lighting here. Just dim corners, soft music, warm lamps and people quietly nursing drinks while flipping through dog-eared paperbacks.
This year circles around the small stories people rarely tell out loud. Old crushes, strange encounters, embarrassing memories and the occasional emotional spiral all find a home here, especially at 'Drink Your Story', where guests share a personal anecdote, secret or heartbreak with the bartender, who builds a custom drink around the tale. Everything's alcohol-free, so nobody's dramatically texting their ex on the ride home, and each order comes with a small Story Token to take away.
The Book Zone ditches traditional categories entirely. Shelves run by emotion instead of genre, with sections labelled 'Healing', 'Escape' and 'Sad'. It sounds slightly unserious until you catch yourself drifting straight toward emotional devastation after a long week at work.
For a slower afternoon, the Reading Space and Live Music area has acoustic sets drifting through while people lounge with novels and iced drinks. Daily acts include Eltonsepp, Penguin Doll and Ken Burin among others, keeping things relaxed without tipping the whole event into concert territory.
The Talk zone brings writers, illustrators and creatives together for conversations that stay casual and approachable, more like listening to interesting friends chat over dinner than sitting through anything that resembles a lecture.
Then there's the Book Swap corner, where visitors trade favourite reads and leave handwritten notes tucked between pages for strangers to find later. Some are thoughtful recommendations, others are deeply personal oversharing. Both suit the atmosphere perfectly.
Workshops and mini exhibitions scatter throughout, including a ‘mailbox to your future self’ project alongside craft sessions covering bead accessories, handmade decorations and other small DIY activities that quietly swallow entire afternoons.
The Art Market rounds things off, packed with independent artists and local shops selling jewellery, postcards, knitted pieces and charming small objects nobody plans on buying before somehow carrying three home. A board game area keeps the social side going for anyone still not ready to call it a night.
Hidden Book Bar runs May 29-June 7, 11am-9pm at MunMun Srinakarin, first floor of Seacon Square Srinakarin.
Free entry. Get there via MRT Yellow Line, Suan Luang Rama IX Station, Exit 1. More details available at Book Festival