Overview The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books takes over USC's University Park campus for a free weekend each April, and the 2026 bill put Lionel Richie, Sarah Jessica Parker and Larry David among more than 550 writers, experts and storytellers. The Times bills it as the biggest book festival in the country. The 2026 edition, the 31st, ran across eight outdoor stages and 13 indoor panel rooms with more than 350 exhibitors, presented in association with USC. General admission is free; indoor conversations, the Ideas Exchange speaker series and select Bovard Auditorium events are ticketed. On site The stages spread across the campus: the L.A. Times Stage, the USC Stage, the YA Stage, the Children's Stage, the Poetry Stage, the De Los Stage with L.A. Times en Español, the L.A. Times Food Stage for chef demos and, new in 2026, an Audiobook and Podcast Stage. Panels run indoors in halls such as Wallis Annenberg Hall and Bovard Auditorium, and authors sign in tents. Exhibitor booths are laid out in colored zones, with an expanded Romance and Fantasy area in 2026, 17 food trucks and restaurants, and live music. The Times' food, plants and image teams set up to meet readers, and L.A. Times Games runs a puzzle hub. Audience The bill runs from toddlers to romance readers: in 2026 it carried Blippi and Meekah for small children, young adult romance panels and a Spanish-language stage. Readers queue for signings and for the indoor talks, where reserved seats go first and standby seats open close to start time. In 2026 more than 1,000 volunteers worked it. Talent and Influencers In 2026 Lionel Richie discussed his memoir Truly in the Ideas Exchange, Sarah Jessica Parker appeared with the novelist Alexandra Oliva, and Larry David joined Times critic Lorraine Ali on her book about Curb Your Enthusiasm. The bill also carried Pat Benatar, Tina Knowles, Tom Selleck, Anne Lamott, Roxane Gay, David Duchovny and Abby Phillip. The night before, the 46th Book Prizes at Bovard gave Amy Tan the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, with 61 finalists across 13 categories. Margaret Atwood, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dave Grohl and John Lewis were on the 2017 bill. Track record Narda Zacchino and Lisa Cleri Reale of the Times started the festival at UCLA in 1996. It moved to USC in 2011, went online during the pandemic and came back to campus in 2022. The 2017 edition drew more than 150,000 people to see about 500 authors, celebrities, musicians, artists and chefs. Brand presence USC was the 2026 presenting sponsor. Spotify presented the new Audiobook and Podcast Stage, and Audible presented the Book Prizes award for audiobook production. Below them the festival lists associate sponsors, a prize presenter, supporting sponsors and community partners, and C Street runs exhibitor sales. Studios use the page-to-screen slots: in 2026 Prime Video screened the first episode of The House of the Spirits, Hulu previewed The Testaments with Margaret Atwood appearing by video, and Rivals got a sneak peek with its writer and a lead actor.