The largest book festival in the United States, The Los Angeles (L.A.) Times Festival of books is back at the University of Southern California (USC) campus to honor the work of many authors and literary pieces, April 20-21.
With almost 150,000 people attending the festival annually, they offer over 200 events and panel discussions that they can visit, some including book signings, cooking demos, poetry readings and more. Some events feature authors and celebrities like John Green, Tiffany Haddish, George Stephanopoulos, Octavia Spencer and Lois Lowry.
Each year before the festivities begin, The L.A. Times Book Prizes ceremony is held April 19, celebrating 2024’s highest quality of writings and its best authors. The awards are dedicated to the year’s emerging new authors as well as recognizing literacy’s greatest achievements. Tickets for the Book Prizes ceremony were priced at $17 for general admission and $75 for VIP, which includes invitations to the ceremony’s official afterparty.
General Admission for the festival is free, however, there are some ticketed events offered that will feature authors and celebrities. Most of the ticketed events cost $25 to $35 for balcony seatings and $45 to $85 for orchestra seating.
The festival also offers two packages that people can purchase to visit some of the many ticketed events and gain several perks. The Friend of the Festival packages include several discounts and access to reserve panels a month before the general public. For $85, people can purchase the basic package to get the best experience at the festival.
The Idea Exchange event, featuring some fan favorite authors, is one of the many ticketed events that is offered at the festival. On the first day of the weekend, RuPaul talked about his new highly anticipated memoir, “The House of Hidden Meaning.” During the talk, he discusses the importance of life and his journey to fame as he changes the way the world thinks about drag.
The second day of the weekend, José Andrés, an award winning chef, discusses his newly published cookbook, “Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon.” During his talk at the festival, he offers a look into the infamous restaurant that opened 20 years ago, allowing people from all around the world to enjoy his extraordinary food traditions.
During the weekend, the hosts of the popular political podcast, Pod Save America, talk about their new book, “Democracy or Else: How to Save America in 10 Easy Steps” and discuss with fans the latest updates regarding the 2024 campaign.
Readers all across the world have traveled to visit the popular festival since 1996, when it originally began. Since then, the festival has grown into the world’s most significant literary gathering, celebrating the work of several authors and new emerging writers.