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!
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.
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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!
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.
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!