Big Bad Wolf Book Sale
Goes to Bandung

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale has come to Bandung! It takes place at the Parahyangan Convention Center from May 23 to June 2, 2024, open from 9:00 AM to 12:00 AM (midnight.)

Having visited the Big Bad Wolf Bazaar in Jakarta, I can't help comparing them. Many things are very similar, but there are differences too. First of all, every Big Bad Wolf book sale is free for the public, meaning the organizer doesn't charge any entrance fee. So, it feels like entering an enormous bookstore!

Initially, Big Bad Wolf opened non-stop during its event. So we could choose the most convenient time to browse the books. In most cases, we tried to visit when it had the least visitors, to avoid crowds and long queues at the checkout counters. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Big Bad Wolf book sale changed its opening hours. Its opening hours are still longer than traditional bookstores, but not twenty-four hours for several days straight. Now, it opens from nine in the morning to midnight.

As usual, the majority of the books sold are English books. Over the years, they also offer books in Bahasa Indonesia and languages books, such as Korean and Mandarin. There are many types of books, from self-help to children's books, history, references, graphic novels, cookery, photography, architecture, and designs. So, they cover both fiction and non-fiction. However, I noticed that over the years, young children's books such as board books, activity books, sticker books, and simple story books dominated the children's books section. At a closer look, although all of the books are brand new, they are old in terms of publication year, which means you will not find the latest New York Times best seller here.

Welcome to Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Bandung!

Book hunting at Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Bandung.

Once you enter the venue, you will see a big hall with many tables. Every table has a cardboard sign for the book category and the pricelist. Books are piled high on these tables. Usually, the books are neatly stacked, every book is individually plastic-wrapped, and on top is the sample book, which is free for us to read. Instead of a price tag, you can see a sticker on the plastic wrap. To know the price of a book, you match the alphabet on this sticker to the price list. On average, an English paperback novel is Rp. 80,000.

Since the space in the Parahyangan Convention is not sufficient to accommodate all of these books, tables have been set up in the corridor and outside in a tent between the convention center and the hotel. Hence, if you don't find books you like in the first room, move on to the next room. I don't think you will get lost if you follow the flow. At the end of this book labyrinth, you will find the cashiers. They are at the end of the tent.

Finish choosing the books? Be prepared to queue at the cashiers, which often takes a long time. Imagine people buying books in trolleys, and the cashier has to check out one by one. Finally, the last queue: securities will check and match your receipt to the books you buy. They will check your bag too. If you've bought a lot of heavy books that are difficult to carry on public transportation, you might want to arrange with J&T to have them shipped to your designated address.

Boxes of books waiting to be displayed at Big Bad Wolf Bandung.

Long queues to reach the cashiers at Big Bad Wolf Bandung.

There's always something new every time I go to the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale. This time, I noticed a book vending machine. Inside, there are several books in various categories with different price lists. You can choose the price, but you'll receive a random book from that price group.

For the first time at Big Bad Wolf, I found a table dedicated to Korean books. There are storybooks, cooking books, and craft books, in addition to books for learning the Korean language. At the next table, I saw a Children's Story & Fairytale Festival table, which is dominated by Geronimo Stilton – a mouse who lives like a human and works as an editor in Mouse City. Although these are early stories of Geronimo Stilton that have been reprinted many times, they are good English storybooks for young readers.

Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is not all about books. My greatest enjoyment in Big Bad Wolf Bandung this year is buying the Big Bad Wolf limited edition of Flazz Card (a prepaid card published by BCA.) For several years, Big Bad Wolf has partnered with BCA. Usually, BCA offers cashback and discounts to their customers. But this time, they are selling the limited edition of Big Bad Wolf Flazz Card! (Flazz Card is a prepaid card published by BCA, it can be used to pay for many things and it comes with various designs.)

After all of the excitement of book browsing and hunting, take a break at the impromptu café by Mason Pine Hotel. The café is located in the front yard of the hotel and provides picnic tables so you can enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Kota Baru Parahyangan.

How to go to Big Bad Wolf Book Sale in Bandung.

Tap/Click the map to get directions to Kota Baru Parahyangan, Bandung.

Just like in previous years, Big Bad Wolf Bandung is held at Parahyangan Convention, a wing of the Mason Pine Hotel in Kota Baru Parahyangan, Bandung. The GPS coordinates are 6°51'50.0"S 107°28'48.0" E (-6.863889, 107.480003).

Since Kota Baru Parahyangan is approximately twenty-five kilometers from downtown Bandung, the most convenient way to go to Mason Pine Hotel is to drive private vehicles or hail ride-sharing services (GoCar or Grab). If you drive a car, you can shorten the travel time by taking the Cipularang (Purbaleunyi) toll road and exiting at Padalarang. This exit will take you directly to the front gate of Kota Baru Parahyangan at the Puspa Iptek Sundial. Alternatively, you can drive along Bandung-Padalarang provincial road.

If you choose public transportation, the Trans Metro Pasundan Bus will take you from Alun-Alun (the downtown at Asia Afrika Street) Bandung to Kota Baru Parahyangan.

Bandung is very popular as a family vacation destination in Sunda. It offers many activities for the whole family. If you prefer outdoor activities, I recommend Lembang and Ciwidey, the best highlands near Bandung. Kota Baru Parahyangan, where the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale takes place, also has several exciting places to explore.