California Book Events, Fests

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

April 20-21, 2024

USC Campus
3551 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA
Free admission, $ parking events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/
festivalofbooks/usc.edu

Saturday, April 20, 2024, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, April 21, 2024, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The free, public invited literary event for all ages which began in 1996, expects 150,000 attendance during the two-day showcase, plus Friday night special, ticketed events. It takes place indoors and outdoors on the USC campus.

The festival kicks off the the USC Trojans Marching Band performance at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and is filled with hundreds of lectures, seminars, book signings, author & book meet & greets and discussions, food trucks, vendors and more!

Crime, poetry, history, race, journalism, politics, women, men, cultures, the world, the future, space, cooking, kids, medicine, pets, arts, mental health, sports, music and practically any topic you can imagine appears at this one-of-a-kind annual literary events with nothing like it in all of California.

Highlights

• Official Book Signing Areas located near Conversation venues
• Food Trucks
• Booksellers, Publishers and Exhibitors
• Newstory emerging storytelling through VR, podcasts, performance, and more

Berkeley Bay Area Book Festival

June 1-2, 2024
Downtown Berkeley
baybookfest.org
Saturday 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Outdoor venues, including the San Francisco Chronicle Stage, are free. Guaranteed seating in indoor programs through Priority  Tens of thousands of book lovers meet hundreds of acclaimed authors over an exciting weekend in downtown Berkeley, California. One of the premier literary events in the nation. This bold event showcases 250 acclaimed authors from the Bay Area, nation and world in 100 programs that take on some of the most pressing issues of our time. Nearly 500 speakers and exhibitors come together for the fifth anniversary festival featuring interviews, panels, keynotes, performances, participatory activities, exhibits, and a lively Outdoor Fair.

CALIFORNIA: Scholastic Book Fairs throughout the state
scholastic.com/bookfairs

There are over 1,500 California book fairs listed on the Scholastic Book Fair site, featuring book sales at schools throughout the state!

CARSON: Black Writers On Tour April 27, 2024, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Carson Community Center
801 E. Carson Street
Carson, California 90746
Free admission & parking, blackwritersontour.com
Authors, Business Exhibitors and attendees converge to promote African-American authors, writers, and to motivate, and develop aspiring new writers and authors. Activities include Workshops and Seminars | Let the Elders Speak Forum | Children's Writing Contest | Business Pitch Competition | Authors | Writers | Aspiring Writers | Readers | Book Clubs | Librarians | Major Publishers | Literary Agents | Business Exhibitors

SAN BERNARDINO: Multicultural Book & Family Festival of the Inland Empire May 11, 2024, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 
California State University San Bernardino Santos Manuel Student Union
5500 University Parkway
San Bernardino, CA
Free admission, lbff.us
Free Complimentary Parking (Lot D)
Keynote speaker is Victor Villaseñor; entertainment, culture, food, exhibits, storytelling, workshops and award-winning authors

PASADENA: Pasadena Festival of Women Authors March 22, 2025
Tickets: pasadenaliteraryalliance.org
Pasadena Hilton

OCEANSIDE: Latino Book and Family Festival June 8, 2024, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Miracosta Collage
1 Barnard Drive
Oceanside, CA 92056
Free Admission & parking, lbff.us
Over 100 Exhibitors, Get autographed books, Bilingual activities & Workshops, Health, education, financial empowerment

SACRAMENTO: Latino Book & Family Festival Sacramento September 28, 2024, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Sacramento City College
 3835 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822
Free Admission & parking, lbff.us
Over 100 Exhibitors, Get autographed books, Bilingual activities & Workshops, Health, education, financial empowerment

SANTA MONICA: Yallwest Book Festival May 4, 2024
Santa Monica High School
601 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
Free, some fee events, yallwest.com
Features over 60 writers and authors, plus notable TV, film, video game, and comic creators. Book signing, panels, give-aways, sing alongs and shenanigans.

SALINAS: Steinbeck Festival September 21, 2024, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Steinbeck Museum
1 Main Street & 100 block of Main Street
Salinas, CA
Free, steinbeck.org
100 Block of Main Street
Celebrating John Steinbeck’s "Cannery Row" in 2024. This event is always free and family friendly.

SONOMA: Sonoma Valley Authors Festival April 26-28, 2024
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
100 Boyes Blvd.
Sonoma, CA
Free to $1250-2750, svauthorsfest.org
Esteemed line up of authors and speakers in 2024 includes Doris Kearns Goodwin A Pulitzer-Prize winning biographer | David Grann, Award-winning New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author of five books | Author Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club) | Alex Filippenko, Nobel Prize winning astrophysicist | Author Hampton Sides acclaimed journalist and bestselling author | Anita Gail Jones, Author Colm Tóibín, Admiral James Stavridis, Author Elliot Ackerman, Author Wade Davis, Author Jonathan Eig, Jeffrey Brown, Luis Miranda, Akhil Reed Amar, Arthur Benjamin, Jeffrey Rosen, Talmage Boston, Kristin Carlucci, John Dalton, Craig Frazier, Ker Gibbs, Jeanne Walker Harvey, Quinton Martins, Aza Raskin, Kori Schake, Julia Flynn Siler, Deepak Srivastava, James Strock and Masters of Ceremonies Noah Griffin and Laura Zimmerman.
Authors on The Plaza Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Authors on the Plaza is a free, family-friendly special event for the Sonoma community hosted by the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival.

SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco Art Book Fair July 19-21, 2024
1275 Minnesota Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Free, sfartbookfair.com
Annual multi-day exhibition and celebration of printed material from independent publishers, artists, designers, collectors, and enthusiasts from around the world.  SFABF features artists' books & multiples, art catalogs, monographs, periodicals, zines and printed ephemera. Festival includes talks, performances, book launches, special projects, exhibitions, and signings across the  contemporary art campus.

SAN DIEGO: San Diego Festival of Books August
Liberty Station
Point Loma
San Diego, CA
sdfestivalofbooks.com

SACRAMENTO: Fall Antiquarian Book Fair September   
Scottish Rite Temple
6151 "H" Street
Sacramento 95819
sacbookfair.com

COSTA MESA: Orange County Children's Book Festival September 22, 2024
Orange Coast College
2701 Fairview Rd.
Costa Mesa, CA
Free admission, free parking, kidsbookfestival.com
Over 20,000 people attend this annual event.

MANTECA: Great Valley Book Fest October 12, 2024, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley (Bass Pro Center)
Hwy 120, Union Road exit 280 Lifestyle Rd.
Manteca, CA
Free admission, gvbookfest.org
Family-friendly festival that celebrates literacy and promotes the written word in the heart of California’s Central Valley.

RICHMOND: CODEX  February 4-7, 2024
International Symposium and & Book Fair:
Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center
Oakland, California
codexfoundation.org
Extraordinary Lineup of Writers
The Library of Congress National Book Festival routinely attracts the participation of many of the nation's most-honored and most-respected authors.

LOS ANGELES: Leimert Park Village Book Fair November 11, 2023
leimertparkbookfair.org
Leimert Park Village Book Fair was founded in 2006 by Cynthia E. Exum with the goal of promoting literacy and education in Los Angeles. The Annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair attracts over 200 authors, poets, spoken word artists, storytellers, performers, and literary/educational exhibitor participants and boasts an audience of over 5,000. Since its inception the Leimert Park Village Book Fair has grown in popularity and prestige becoming a cultural tradition and premier summer literary event.

Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.