Lifeline Bookfest Brisbane 2024

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Sat 29 Jun 2024 - Sun 07 Jul 2024

Visiting & Volunteering

Get the most out of the best event of the year for book lovers

Twice a year one of the biggest and best events for book lovers takes place in Brisbane. Yes, it is Lifeline Bookfest time, and I am here to tell you how to get the most out of a visit as well as volunteer opportunities for those who want to help. Money raised goes towards the Lifeline Crisis Support Line.



About Lifeline Bookfest Brisbane
Taking up two halls at the Brisbane Convention Centre, the Lifeline Bookfest has books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, computer games and board games. Prices for books start at $2.50 and magazines and DVDs are even cheaper. They also have a Comicfest section that has comic books, graphic novels, t-shirts and other merchandise. People turn up with trolleys and carts and load up big time.

How it is organised
So if it is your first time there it can be very daunting. Many people arrive and see a big sign for the $2.50 section and think that they need to pay that to get in. Nope, that is the price of every book in that section, as the area is divided into 2 halls, one being the $2.50 section and the other being the high-quality section. Items in the $2.50 don't have any prices, and even if they do have a price on them, just ignore that. Some items in the $2.50 section are even cheaper, like CDs, DVDs and magazines.



Then the high quality section has individual prices on items. It is also where they put the records for all the vinyl heads out there. But you can often find good quality books in the $2.50 section as well, and of course, as the words are the same, an older tattered book has the same content as a more expensive shiny book. There is also a Comicfest section that includes comics, computer games and associated items. In January it was located as a separate section with its own entrance, though I am not sure what their plan is this year, so if you are visiting, check the map before going in.



Visiting
When you arrive in the main hall the two sections are clearly marked, and this is a big map on the wall, and they also hand out maps as well. You should also see trolleys in the main hall, and it is a good idea to pick up one of these. Though people bring their own carts and trolleys as well. If you go to the first Saturday of the event, as many of the most enthusiastic patrons do,



You have to go into one section and, if you find some things you want to buy, you have to pay before going into the other section. It is a good idea to grab a receipt when do leave so you can prove your those books were bought from the other section. The trick is to start with the $2.50 section as this is often the best place to find what you are looking for, but failing that, you can then go on to the high-quality section. Sometimes you will find the same book or game in both sections with the only difference being the one in the cheaper section being a little more dirty.



There are trolleys available outside the halls. Though, if you go on the morning of the first Saturday, most of the trolleys are snatched up by those queuing before the Bookfest opens and there is little chance of finding one until after midday. The rest of the time, there is really no problem, and they often have trolleys inside the halls as well if you decide, after you have picked up the 5th or 10th book, that you really need a trolley.

The event goes on for a week, bookended (see what I did there) by the weekends. While you are more likely to get the best, rarest or most popular finds early on, they do refresh the tables a couple of times during the event, so don't think you have to be there on the first day to get anything good. Especially if you have kids, you might want to wait until the second day, or at least the afternoon of the first day, or you will wrangling them through the crowds.

Yes, things are a bit random
The books are, in theory, placed in sections, but they are not organised in those sections. Also, on busy days, books end up piled on each other. Some books can be placed in one of several sections, so something could be a biography, it could be history or it could be Australiana.



The books you are looking for might not have been sorted into the right section. This is because they get large numbers of books that have to be sorted by volunteers, so they might end up being placed in the wrong category.

In the past, there was a problem with the categories laid out on the maps not matching what was on the floor. This really comes down to the poor management that existed in 2023 and before, with a manager who would give out orders then disappear, and was known to fire staff for even questioning her orders, no matter how wrong her orders were. In January this year, they brought in a new manager who engaged with staff and volunteers and listened. This is a beautiful case study for why authoritarian management doesn't work because in January the books were all in the right categories and the work was completed far more efficiently. Of course, I have no idea if they will keep the good manager or bring back the person whose style predictably creates problems.

But overall, you do have to search around and be creative. Take an example like cookbooks. There is a cooking section, but they put all the Women's Weekly and Golden Circle cookbooks with the magazines. Given how legendary the %%Women's Weekly% cookbooks are (all recipes are triple-checked before publishing), once people hear that, they head straight to the magazine section.

Cool finds

So some things you might look for include


Food & drink
At the back of the halls are two food outlets. Most people go there for coffee, but you can also have a snack or a meal there. They might also have a coffee cart out the front, but you might just consider grabbing a coffee on the way to the venue at nearby places. You will need the energy to keep you going through the book search.



In the past, they have had a Chill Out Zone, with bean bags and chairs in the High-Quality Section. There are also some chairs in both sections, usually occupied by partners or friends of people who love books more than they do.

Donating
Of course, you can also donate books. You can do this through Lifeline Shops, at their donation bins or on the day. When you enter the halls, there are donation bins set up for people to drop off their books. If you have a large number of books to donate, as many libraries or people with large collections have, you can contact Lifeline to arrange a pickup.

You can also just donate money to the cause. Yes, books, games, comics, CDs, DVDs and so on are welcome. But so is money.

Volunteering
You can also get involved as a volunteer with Bookfest. They need volunteers to set up and break down the event. But they also need volunteers on the days of the Bookfest. Roles include register, information booth, tidy up and staff to collect and giving out trolleys.



They often have enough volunteers at the start of the event, but not enough near the end. I would suggest, avoiding the first Saturday, especially the morning, when it is really busy. But do look through the shifts to see which ones most need people.

One other thing, as a volunteer, if you are there during the setup or early in the morning before your shift, you can browse at leisure before the crowds arrive. In the past, they have given volunteers a gift card to buy some books as well.

Getting there
Buses stop at the Cultural Centre Station, trains at South Brisbane Station and the ferry terminal in South Bank is not that far a walk from the Convention Centre. You can drive and there is paid parking at the Convention Centre. Though if you want cheap parking for South Bank events, you can often find discount parking in the City on weekends, and just walk across to South Bank. Walking back with lots of books though may not be as easy though.

Overall
Lifeline Bookfest is a popular event in the book lovers' calendar. You can be one of the people queued up on the first day to get the perfect find, or wander in any time during the week it is open to have a relaxing browse. Do always anticipate buying more books than you thought you would.

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