April 18-19, 2026
FAQ
Q. What is the Festival of Books?
A. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple goal: to bring together the people who create books with the people who love to read them. The festival was an immediate success and has evolved to include live bands, poetry readings, film screenings and artists creating their work on-site.
Q. Where is the Festival?
A. The Festival of Books takes place on the University of Southern California campus. USC is located in the University Park neighborhood of downtown L.A. near such attractions as the California Science Center, the Natural History Museum, the Exposition Rose Garden and the California African American Museum.
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books spans nearly the entire 226-acre USC Campus. The event does not provide wheelchair rentals or motorized transportation. If fatigue is a concern, please consider planning ahead and bringing a wheelchair or other aids.
Q. Who attends the festival?
A. The festival attracts approximately 160,000 people of all ages each year from Southern California and all around the country.
Q. How much is admission?
A. General admission to the festival grounds at USC is free. There is a small reservation fee for indoor panel tickets. Certain additional events during the festival may require a paid ticket. All tickets are non-refundable.
Q. Is there a waitlist or standby line for indoor events?
A. Standby lines are formed at each indoor festival venue and, if seats are still available at the start of an indoor program, guests from the standby line will be allowed in without a ticket.
Q. Do I need a ticket to attend an outdoor stage event?
A. No. Outdoor programming on stages does not require a ticket.
Q. When can I reserve tickets for the 2026 event at USC?
A. Advance tickets and Friend of the Festival packages (which include other benefits) will become available in February 2026, with early reservations opening in March. Keep an eye on our website for more details.
Q. What is a Friend of the Festival package?
A. Friend of the Festival packages include additional attendee benefits like early panel reservation access, complimentary tickets to the Book Prizes awards ceremony, festival swag and more! Keep an eye on our website for more details.
Q. Can I ask authors questions during the events?
A. Traditionally, microphones are set up in the venue aisles so that attendees may line up and ask participants questions.
Q. How do I buy the authors’ books?
A. You can purchase copies of the authors’ books from booksellers set up near each signing area.
Q. Can I bring my own books?
A. Yes, you can bring books from home. However, we strongly encourage you to purchase at least one book from the festival booksellers at the signing areas before getting in the signing lines. Purchasing books at the festival is a way you can directly support the independent booksellers that make up such a large and important part of the festival and our communities.
Q. Will authors sign their books?
A. Most authors will sign their books after the panel/presentation. However, we cannot guarantee that every author will sign. Each guest may have no more than three books signed at a time before having to go back and rejoin the line for additional book-signing requests.
Tip: While you are waiting, write the name of the person you’d like the book inscribed to on a piece of paper for correct spelling.
Q. How can authors participate in a panel or other program this year?
A. Public submissions are not yet open. Stay tuned for more details. Due to the volume of submissions received, we are not able to respond to each one.
Q. I was contacted about participating by a company outside of the L.A. Times. Are they legitimate?
A. We work with many exhibitors and independent authors, but be cautious of deceptive practices. View our list of official 2025 exhibitors. You can also find more information on vanity presses and author services here.
Q. Does USC have a sustainability plan?
A. USC's sustainability commitments include eliminating single-use plastic beverage bottles from campus. Since July 2022, USC has prevented over 1.5M plastic beverage bottles from entering the waste stream. The University has installed numerous hydration stations to help reduce the use of plastic water bottles. So, please consider bringing your own reusable container for water. To learn more about USC’s efforts, please visit their website.
Q. Do you have a lost and found service?
A. All items found during and after the festival are turned in to USC’s Department of Public Safety. Items are kept for a total of 90 days. If you have lost an item, call DPS at (213) 740-9759.
Q. Who should I contact for special accommodations at the event?
A. If you need special accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please contact eventinfo@latimes.com. The festival spans the 226-acre USC Campus with multiple points of entry. If fatigue is a concern, please consider planning ahead and bringing a wheelchair or other aids.
The event does not provide wheelchair rentals or motorized transportation.
Q. How do I contact you?
A. For general information, please contact eventinfo@latimes.com.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
COVID SAFETY FOR ATTENDING IN-PERSON
If you or anyone within your group has or is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, we ask you to please stay home to ensure the health and safety of our audience and staff. By voluntarily attending this event, you acknowledge the following:
1. Attending the event includes possible exposure to and illness from infectious diseases including but not limited to COVID-19. While particular rules and personal discipline may reduce this risk, the risk of illness does exist;
2. You knowingly and freely assume all such risks related to illness and infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, and release Los Angeles Times and its affiliate partners of liability; and
3. You hereby knowingly assume the risk of injury, harm and loss associated with the Activity, including any injury, harm and loss caused by the negligence, fault or conduct of any kind on the part of the Released Parties.
EVENT CODE OF CONDUCT
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is committed to providing a welcoming, harassment-free event experience for everyone. Since 1996, the Los Angeles Times has proudly hosted the Festival of Books, one of the city’s largest and most inclusive events. Originally inspired by the idea of bringing the people who write books together with those who love to read them, the festival quickly became a venue for an open exchange of ideas. That often means taking on difficult topics and providing a space for civil discourse. We’re proud to continue that tradition, especially as there are movements to ban books and stifle free speech throughout the country. We look forward to bringing authors, artists, storytellers and experts together with the community in an inclusive and respectful environment.
We expect all participants, including speakers, performers, exhibitors, staff, volunteers and attendees, to maintain an atmosphere of respect and fairness throughout the festival venue.
We endeavor to create an environment that fosters an open exchange of ideas. We welcome conversation that includes debate and disagreement. However, we cannot allow the loudest voices in the room to silence others or discussion to devolve into personal insults or abuse.
Harassment will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates this standard of behavior may, at the discretion of the organizers, be expelled from the festival.
The festival’s anti-harassment policy and ways to report harassment are detailed below.
We expect all participants, including speakers, performers, exhibitors, staff, volunteers and attendees, to maintain an atmosphere of respect and fairness throughout the festival venue.
We endeavor to create an environment that fosters an open exchange of ideas. We welcome conversation that includes debate and disagreement. However, we cannot allow the loudest voices in the room to silence others or discussion to devolve into personal insults or abuse.
Harassment will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates this standard of behavior may, at the discretion of the organizers, be expelled from the festival.
The festival’s anti-harassment policy and ways to report harassment are detailed below.
ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is committed to providing a welcoming, harassment-free event experience for everyone, regardless of identity or circumstance, and inclusive of all ages, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, political and religious beliefs, physical and mental abilities, and more. We do not tolerate harassment of festival participants including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, performers, exhibitors, volunteers and staff.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
· Comments or images that demean an individual or group and reinforce oppression or discrimination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, geographic origin or economic class.
· Inappropriate or unwelcome physical contact.
· Unwelcome sexual attention, contact or content, including the display of images in public spaces.
· Intimidation, stalking or deliberate following.
· Unwelcome or intimidating photography or recording of any kind.
· Sustained disruption of talks or other events.
· Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
· Comments or images that demean an individual or group and reinforce oppression or discrimination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, geographic origin or economic class.
· Inappropriate or unwelcome physical contact.
· Unwelcome sexual attention, contact or content, including the display of images in public spaces.
· Intimidation, stalking or deliberate following.
· Unwelcome or intimidating photography or recording of any kind.
· Sustained disruption of talks or other events.
· Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
REPORTING
Those immediately in danger or that have been a victim of crime during the event should call the USC Department of Public Safety at 213-740-4321. Those wishing to report an incident post event may do so at eventinfo@latimes.com.
A NOTE ABOUT SENSITIVE TOPICS
Some event conversations will include discussion related to sex, discriminatory language, violence or other triggering topics or language, due to the topics of the participants’ books or topic of the conversation as a whole. These program elements are not considered harassment and festival organizers, moderators and interviewers will do due diligence to make sure these topics are addressed in a respectful manner.
ENFORCEMENT
Anyone asked to stop any harassing behavior by festival organizers or security personnel is expected to comply immediately. If someone engages in harassing or disruptive behavior, festival organizers retain the right to take actions to restore a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes issuing a warning, expelling the offending party [with no refund] and, if warranted, pursuing legal action.
