The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books has set its 2027 dates: Saturday, April 17, and Sunday, April 18, at the University of Southern California. General admission stays free, as it has been, with a separate slate of paid events featuring authors and celebrities.
The festival calls itself the biggest book festival in the country, and its own count for 2026 backs up the scale: 165,000 attendees, more than 500 authors and celebrities, and more than 200 author events. The 2027 lineup has not been announced yet. Here is what is confirmed, plus what last year’s edition looked like so you can plan.
The quick version
| When | Saturday, April 17, and Sunday, April 18, 2027 |
| Where | University of Southern California, Los Angeles |
| Admission | Free general admission; some author and celebrity events are paid |
| Lineup | Not announced yet |
| Last year’s scale | 165,000 attendees, 500-plus authors and celebrities, 200-plus author events (2026, per the festival) |
| Transit | Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC |
| Official site | latimesbookfestival.com |
What last year looked like
The 2027 program is still to come, so here is last year’s edition for a sense of scale. These details are from the 2026 festival, held April 18 and 19.
- Headliners: Lionel Richie, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Larry David were among the big names, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
- Stages: FOX 11 reported eight outdoor stages, including the L.A. Times Stage, a Children’s Stage, and a Food Stage, plus a new Audiobook and Podcast Stage presented by Spotify.
- Exhibitors: More than 350, per FOX 11.
- Programming: Expanded romance and fantasy programming, and “page to screen” events with previews of upcoming series.
- Book Prizes: The L.A. Times Book Prizes ceremony ran the Friday before the festival, and Amy Tan received the Robert Kirsch Award.
Free vs. paid
Walking the festival, browsing booths, and catching the outdoor stages costs nothing. Last year, the paid side included “Friend of the Festival” packages, which guarantee seating at indoor panels, and tickets for select events in Bovard Auditorium. Expect the 2027 version to work the same way once tickets are announced, but check the festival site for the current setup.
How to get a seat
The biggest names fill rooms fast. A few habits that help, based on how the festival ran last year:
- Watch for the lineup announcement. Last year’s was in March, about a month before the festival.
- Decide early on indoor events. If a specific author is the reason you are going, a Friend of the Festival package or a Bovard ticket was the way to guarantee a seat in 2026.
- Use the outdoor stages. They are free and first come, first served, and they carry plenty of the weekend’s programming.
- Download the app. The festival has an official LA Times FOB app on the App Store.
Getting there
USC’s Festival of Books transit page lays out the options. Check it again closer to April, since details can change year to year.
- Metro: Take the E Line to Expo Park/USC.
- Driving from the 110: Exit at Exposition Boulevard. The campus is one block down on the right.
- Driving from the 10: Exit at Vermont Avenue, head south to Jefferson Boulevard, which leads to campus.
- Parking: USC lists $25 parking at the Downey Way, Flower Street, Figueroa Street, and USC Shrine structures.
- DASH: The DASH F line serves downtown riders, per USC’s page.
Still to come
The 2027 author lineup, stage schedule, festival hours, paid event tickets, and the date of the 2027 Book Prizes ceremony have not been announced as of October 5, 2026. The 824 Journal will update this guide as they are released.
Sources
- Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, official site (2027 dates and location, free admission, 2026 attendance and author counts)
- FOX 11 Los Angeles: LA Times Festival of Books 2026 lineup (March 21, 2026)
- Rafu Shimpo: L.A. Times Festival of Books This Weekend at USC (April 2026)
- USC: Getting to the Festival (directions, parking, Metro)
- LA Times FOB app on the App Store
Featured photo: Tracie Hall from Orange County, us via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
