> Quick view: Big Bad Wolf Books is back in Kota Kinabalu from 30 October to 9 November 2026 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), 10am to 10pm daily, free entry. Books start at RM3, discounts run up to 95%, and the headline prize is a gold bar. The sample prices Big Bad Wolf posted work out to 11% to 86% off.

*Image: Big Bad Wolf Books*

What Big Bad Wolf has announced

Big Bad Wolf confirmed the Kota Kinabalu stop on its own Instagram on 2 October 2026, under the banner "Book sale paling gila, balik sudah bah!" (the craziest book sale is back). The post gives the essentials:

  • Venue: Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Kota Kinabalu
  • Dates: 30 October to 9 November 2026, 11 days
  • Hours: 10am to 10pm
  • Entry: free
  • Prices: books from RM3, up to 95% off
  • Lucky draw: a chance to win a gold bar. The second slide of the campaign artwork reads "with prizes up to RM15,000" and carries the usual "T&Cs apply"

Last year Big Bad Wolf came to SICC from 12 to 16 November 2025 as part of the Kota Kinabalu International Book Fair, a five-day window. This year's stop is a standalone run of more than twice that length, which gives KK readers two full weekends (31 October to 1 November and 7 to 8 November).

What the discounts actually look like

The same announcement carousel shows eight titles with Big Bad Wolf's price next to the recommended retail price (RRP). We worked out the real discount on each:

  • CoComelon Feelings (board book): RM6.00, RRP RM41.90, 85.7% off
  • Baby Shark My First 100 Words: RM23.99, RRP RM54.90, 56.3% off
  • Usborne Book of the Body (hardcover): RM35.99, RRP RM77.90, 53.8% off
  • The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden: RM30.99, RRP RM64.90, 52.2% off
  • Murdle Volume 2 by G.T. Karber: RM30.99, RRP RM89.90, 65.5% off
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: RM47.99, RRP RM53.90, 11.0% off
  • Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (hardcover): RM44.99, RRP RM109.90, 59.1% off
  • I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee: RM47.99, RRP RM65.90, 27.2% off

Two lessons sit in that list. Children's board books and illustrated titles are where the steep cuts are. Current bestsellers that are still selling well at full price, like the Sarah J. Maas, barely move. The RM3 books exist, but they are the bargain-bin end of the hall, not the titles on the posters.

Worked examples

  • A family stocking up for the school holidays: the three children's titles above cost RM65.98 together against RRPs of RM174.70, a saving of RM108.72 or 62.2%.
  • Buying all eight sample books: RM268.93 against RM559.20 in RRPs, a saving of RM290.27, or 51.9% overall. That is roughly what a mixed basket looks like at Big Bad Wolf: about half off, not 95%.
  • A reader after one popular new novel: compare with your usual bookshop first. At 11% off, the Maas title is only RM5.91 below RRP, and a members' discount at a regular bookshop can come close to that.

Who should go, and who can skip it

Go if you buy children's books, illustrated non-fiction, cookbooks or backlist fiction, or if you are a teacher or parent building a home or class library. These are the categories where Big Bad Wolf's prices are hard to match anywhere in Sabah.

Skip or go late if you only want one or two specific new releases. The chance of a deep cut on a current bestseller is low, and the sale is cash-and-carry, so there is no ordering in a title that is not on the tables.

Getting there

SICC is on Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens at Tanjung Lipat, on the Likas Bay waterfront a short drive north of the city centre. The centre lists 952 parking bays. Expect them to fill on the two weekends, and especially on the opening Friday evening, so going on a weekday morning is the easiest way to get a bay and browse the tables before they are picked over. Ride-hailing drop-off at the main entrance avoids the car park altogether.

Fine print that trips people up

  • Per-stop offers are not out yet. At Miri in September, Big Bad Wolf ran a spend-RM100-get-RM5 and spend-RM150-get-RM10 rebate (not stackable), an RM10 voucher for the first 50 shoppers before 11am, weekday buy 6 get 1, and 5% off for students and educators on three books or more. Kota Kinabalu's equivalents have not been published. Do not assume the same numbers until Big Bad Wolf posts them, usually in the week before opening.
  • The RM100 MADANI Book Voucher does not work here. BookXcess's redemption guide says the voucher can only be used on the Book Capital online platform, not at physical stores, and its redemption window closes on 31 October 2026, the day after the KK sale opens. Students holding one should spend it online before then.
  • "Up to 95%" is a ceiling. None of the eight sample books reached it. The deepest posted cut is 85.7%.
  • Pictures are for illustration only, says the artwork. Stock is what is on the tables on the day, and popular titles go fast.
  • Bring your own bag or box if you plan a big haul, so the trip home is easier.

Related reads

*Checked on 3 October 2026 against Big Bad Wolf Books' Kota Kinabalu announcement on its official Instagram (2 October 2026) and the campaign artwork, plus BookXcess's MADANI voucher redemption guide. Big Bad Wolf may add or change offers before opening.*