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2019 Bay Area Book Festival | Berkeley

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Sunday, May 5, 2019 - All Day | Cost: FREE*
*Free first-come, first-served admission for most events after Priority Ticket holders are admitted (Priority tickets are $10 per event, or $15 for entire weekend)

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park (Berkeley) | 2151 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA

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2019 Bay Area Book Festival | Berkeley

Come face-to-face with 250+ amazing authors at the 5th Anniversary Bay Area Book Festival on May 4 & 5, 2019, which will fill downtown Berkeley with a literary extravaganza that offers pleasure to anyone who has ever loved a book.

The Festival celebrates two days of interviews, panels, keynotes, performances, participatory activities, exhibits, and a lively outdoor fair. Plus, don’t miss the ever popular free book giveaway, sponsored by Half Price Books.

More than 200 literary exhibitors will delight you, free stages present acclaimed authors, and there’s loads of performances and fun activities for all ages abound.

2019 Bay Area Book Festival
Saturday-Sunday, May 4-5, 2019
Downtown Berkeley
FREE entry to the Festival
Priority Admission Tickets are recommended to avoid lines ($10 per event)

> Festival FAQ & Map
> 2019 Schedule
> 2019 Directions and Lodging
> 2019 Participating Authors & Speakers

You can purchase a General Admission Wristband for $15 for the whole weekend, with first-come, first-served admission after Priority Ticket holders are let in. Outdoor sessions — at the San Francisco Chronicle Stage in the Park and the Showtime Stage for families — are free, with first-come, first served seating.

The Festival’s Outdoor Fair is a lively, immersive experience where readers meet writers and diverse communities gather to celebrate a love of books and reading.

Get enlightened at over 100 programs that take on some of the most pressing issues of our time such as Race, Immigration, Incarceration, Refugees, Citizenship, Activism, Native Issues, Slavery, Gender and more.

All genres will be represented including fiction (literary masters along with popular genre writers); memoir; non-fiction; poetry; and new forms of digital storytelling. All topics will be covered including current events, social justice, international affairs, environment, gender, business, spirituality, sports, and, of course, digital innovation.

2019 Highlights:

  • New this yearLiterary Death Match, a competitive, humor-centric reading series taking the nation by storm
  • Hundreds of emerging authors, booksellers and book artists and a broad array of children’s and young adult authors
  • A large outdoor stage sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle
  • A new German Pavilion which highlights the literature and attractions of Germany (stop by to learn a bit of German, too)
  • The triumphant return of Grammy-nominees Alphabet Rockers
  • A special focus on the “slow” food movement
  • A colorful “reading garden” with reading nooks inside giant inflatable flowers and other cozy spots will beckon you to cozy up with a good book.
  • Try your hand at translating poetry, guided by experts at the Center for the Art of Translation/Poetry Inside Out booth

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE*
*Free first-come, first-served admission for most events after Priority Ticket holders are admitted (Priority tickets are $10 per event, or $15 for entire weekend)
Categories: **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, Art & Museums, Block Party, East Bay, Eating & Drinking, Fairs & Festivals, Fun & Games, Kids & Families, Lectures & Workshops, Literature
Address: 2151 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA