• Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Rss
Bay Area Book Festival
  • About
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • Mission and Values
    • Event Archive
    • Contact Us
  • Pre-Festival Events
    • 2023 Prologue Speakers
    • 2023 Prologue Schedule
  • 2023 Festival
    • Festival Schedule
    • Festival Speakers
    • 2023 Sneak Peek
    • Outdoor Fair
    • Exhibitors at the Outdoor Fair
    • Festival Information
    • How to Attend
    • Maps & FAQ
    • Festival Sponsors
  • Women Lit
    • Welcome: How to Join!
    • Upcoming Women Lit Events
    • Women Lit Members
    • Women Lit Member Hub
  • Media
    • Press Room
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Get Involved
    • Contribute
    • Sponsor the Festival
    • Sponsor Women Lit Events
    • Volunteer
    • Job Opportunities
    • First Edition Club
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

MAY 6 & 7, 2023

The main Festival dates are May 6 & 7 — plus special pre-Fest events throughout the Bay Area!

INDOOR & OUTDOOR

All events will be in person with more outdoors than ever!

Link to: 2023 Sneak Peek

CREATE YOUR SCHEDULE

Check out our schedule! Nearly all programs are now free! Easy!

To get new info right away, sign up for our communications!

Festival Schedule Festival Speakers How to attend Directions and Lodging Maps & FAQ

Get ready for one of our most exciting Fests yet!

We can’t wait to introduce you to some of today’s top authors for adults, young adults, and children — writing from around the corner, across the country, and throughout the world. Join an audience of fellow readers as the writers discuss their new books, debate issues, and describe how they’ve spun their tales and arrived at their ideas. The authors will take your questions and sign your books! Also discover our literary marketplace in Berkeley’s MLK, Jr. Civic Center Park where you can stroll scores of stalls featuring bookstores, publishers, writing programs, book art, individual authors, and more. Much of the park also becomes a truly magical youth expo (much larger than in past years) with stages hosting award-winning YA, middle-grade, and picture book authors & illustrators from here and around the world, as well as a lively Family Fun Zone brimming with author booths, games, arts & crafts, scavenger hunts, and other interactive fun!

When? Soon! The 2023 Festival will be held May 6-7, with indoor literary programs on both days (with all health protocols) and with the Outdoor Fair, bigger than before, on Sunday, May 7. Plus, this year we’re kicking off a suite of pre-Fest events, including some headliners, from April 1 through May 5.
Where? Over the Festival weekend, indoor author programs will fill multiple Downtown Berkeley venues. The Outdoor Fair, with adult and youth program stages, an expanded Family Fun Zone, and scores of exhibitors and food vendors, will take over Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park. As for the pre-Fest events, you’ll find them throughout the Bay Area at venues both big and small, traditional and fresh.
Can I take part as an author? Submissions for on-stage programs are now closed, but you are welcome to exhibit at the Outdoor Fair!
Can I exhibit in the Outdoor Fair? Yes! 2023 Exhibitor Registration is now open!
Can I sponsor the event? Yes, we’d love to have you, and we offer many unique opportunities to connect with our engaged audience. We’ll customize a package to fulfill your specific goals, so reach out now to start a conversation.
PreviousNext
123

Newsletter & Announcements

Subscribe below to get updates about the Festival and future literary events.

Subscribe here

Social Media

Keep in touch with Festival and delightful book news amidst the doom scrolling.

2023 Programming

The call for proposals to present an individual speaker or a curated program is has now closed,  and the full schedule is live!

Take a peek at the schedule

Exhibit at the Outdoor Fair

You’ll find more than 150 literary exhibitors, free stages featuring acclaimed authors, and performances and fun activities for all ages.

Exhibit at the Outdoor Fair

COVID Precautions

We will continue to monitor and adhere to the current best practices to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Volunteer

Volunteers are a crucial part of the Festival’s success each year. No experience is necessary and you’ll enjoy learning what is required to produce a major literary event!

Sign up to Volunteer

© Copyright - 2023 Bay Area Book FestivalSite by WebCherry
Scroll to top