Call it the Book Festival Express. BART brings you directly to Downtown Berkeley, right into the heart of the festival. Read your books en route rather than worry about traffic and parking. Check out BART’s Quick Planner. AC Transit also goes right to Downtown Berkeley, and it has a huge network. 511.org.
The Berkeley Bike Station, 2023 Center St, 510-548-7433, is a safe and convenient place to park your bike. It is not staffed during the weekend, but you can access the BikeLink Secure Parking 24/7. You can find additional parking using the Bike Parking Map from the City of Berkeley
Parking will be available for all day custom rates for the weekend at:
Allston Way/Center Street Parking
AirGarage: $20/day flat fee
2061 Allston Way in Berkeley, CA (Allston Entrance will not be open on Sunday. Use Center Street entrance)
$15/all day weekend rates
2020 Kittredge Way
$25/maximum per day ($3/hr)
2025 Center Street Berkeley
Note that while parking is much better than it used to be, many people still prefer BART because the area around the festival is crowded. Here’s another idea if you want to drive. You could drive to a BART station near the festival, using their parking lot, then just BART in on the Richmond line (only 5-10 minutes to the fest). BART lots are free on weekends. From Marin, consider El Cerrito Plaza BART (huge lot) or North Berkeley (also lots of spaces); from the East Bay, there’s MacArthur (another big lot). Check out www.bart.gov for station choices.
Most important: If you’re set on driving, don’t let parking deter you. There are plenty of options.
If you are coming to the Festival and using a ride share service like Lyft or Uber, we have a designated drop off/pick up zone you can use:
- White Zone on Center St. @ Shattuck ( 2081 Center St. Berkeley)
Saturday, May 31
Family Day, Writers’ Workshops, Democracy Dialogues, Headliners
| Venue | Address |
|---|---|
| Berkeley Public Library, Teen Room (1st Floor) | 2090 Kittredge Street |
| Berkeley Public Library, Mystery Room (2nd Floor) | 2090 Kittredge Street |
| Berkeley Public Library, Exhibitors (3rd Floor) | 2090 Kittredge Street |
| Berkeley Public Library, Children’s Room (4th Floor) | 2090 Kittredge Street |
| Berkeley Public Library, Family Hands-on Activities (3rd Floor) | 2090 Kittredge Street |
| The Marsh Berkeley (Writers’ Workshops) | 2120 Allston Way |
| Freight & Salvage (Democracy Day, Headliners) | 2020 Addison Street |
Sunday, June 1
Bookworm Block Party, Inside Ideas, Headliners
| Venue | Address |
|---|---|
| Freight & Salvage | 2020 Addison Street |
| Bookworm Block Party | 2151 MLK Jr. Way |
| Family Stage | Allston Way @ Milvia Street |
| Poetry Stage | Kittredge Ave @ Harold Way |
| Book Sales and Author Signings | The Marsh Berkeley, Brower Center, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Freight & Salvage |
| The Marsh Berkeley | 2120 Allston Way |
| Brower Center | 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley |
| Hotel Shattuck Plaza | 2086 Allston Way, Berkeley |
| Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza Stage | 2170 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley |
A Friends membership allows you to join a priority access line at all the indoor venues, making it easier for you to see your favorite authors. Plus, if there are tickets left, you’ll get one for an evening keynote.
You can join the Friends on our website at baybookfest.org/donate, or by visiting the Friends of the Festival tableat the Berkeley Public Library, 2020 Kittredge on Saturday and BART Plaza on Sunday.
With your donor card, you can get into the Friends priority line, which will enter the venue first when doors open (20 minutes before the program’s start time).
Why “Friend” Us? All daytime programs are now FREE! – that is, free to the public, and free for you reading this page. But this giant event isn’t free to produce, to say the least.
The Friends of the Festival do what all friends do, which is lend a hand, in this case financially, with a donation starting at $250*. That very real generosity benefits everyone: it allows the organizers to bring this nonprofit festival to you for FREE.
Can you say, “With my help, everyone can attend”? Yes you CAN! Go to baybookfest.org/donate right now (easiest).
*It’s tax-deductible, of course. We’ll send you a receipt.