Great news for all book lovers – the Las Vegas Book Festival is back for its 24th year on Saturday, October 18! This free, all-ages event takes place downtown at the Historic Fifth Street School. It’s the perfect day out for literature enthusiasts of all kinds.
Las Vegas Book Festival 2025
Every year, the festival is put together by the city of Las Vegas, with help from Nevada Humanities, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, Clark County Parks & Rec, and a couple of other generous sponsors and donors.
You can expect a packed lineup of activities, as usual. There’ll be everything from big-name authors and panel talks to book signings, story times, and even arts and crafts for the little ones. Here’s what we know so far about this year’s headliners:
- Taylor Jenkins Reid – Author of Daisy Jones & the Six, Carrie Soto Is Back, The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo and her latest, Atmosphere.
- Is Separation Of Church And State Over? – The New York Times bestselling authors, Katherine Stewart and Tim Alberta are in conversation with local television reporter and political analyst Steve Sebelius.
- Destined to Lead: Nevada Political Icons – Former U.S. Senator Richard Bryan and Former Nevada Governor Bob Miller in conversation with Historian Geoff Schumacher
- Disney’s “Meant To Be” Series – Featuring all the authors together for the first time: Christina Lauren, Zoraida Córdova, Jasmine Guillory, Julie Murphy, and a virtual appearance by Jesse Q. Sutanto.
Inspired tent schedule
- Food Stories: A Culinary Conversation – 11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M.
- We Run the City – 12:45-1:45 P.M.
- Avantpop Artists & Authors Symposium – 2:15-3:15 P.M.
- Ink & Influence: Owning Your Power in Music & Media – 4-5 P.M.
Empowered tent schedule
- For the Love of Fantasy – 10:45-11:45 A.M.
- Mankind, Nature, and Language – 12:15-1:15 P.M.
- The Lady & The Bard – 1:45-2:45 P.M.
- Tim Chizmar & Spookyninjakitty Media: The Ultimate Diverse Voices of Horror Writing – 3:30-4:30 P.M.
Downtown tent schedule
- Finding Your People: On Writers and Literary Community – 10-11 A.M.
- Between Somewhere and Nowhere: Desert Fiction – 11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M.
- Set in Sin City: Getting Las Vegas Right in Fiction – 1-2 P.M.
- Writing Historical Westerns in the Digital Age – 2:30-3:30 P.M.
Poetry pavilion schedule
- The Stories We Tell as Psalms – 10-11 A.M.
- Introspective (Dis)connection – 11:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M.
- Spark! Youth Poetry – 1-3 P.M.
- Clark County Poet Laureate Presents: Poetry Open Mic – 3:30-4:30 P.M.
Discovery tent schedule
- Nevada Young Readers Award Winners – 10-11 A.M.
- Adventures in Middle Grade – 11:30 A.M.-12:15 P.M.
- Drawn to Books: The irresistible pull of illustrated middle grade books – 12:45-1:30 P.M.
- Books of the Heart: Triumph and heart in stories for young adults. – 2-2:45 P.M.
- Tales Reimagined: A modern spin on classic stories for young adults and middle grade readers. – 3:15-4:15 P.M.
For workshops and kids activities, check out this link.
2024 highlights
Let’s take a quick look back in time! Last year, these were the edition’s highlights:
- John Waters, who has written and directed sixteen movies including Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Polyester, Hairspray, Cry Baby, Serial Mom and A Dirty Shame.
- Nicola Yoon, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Instructions for Dancing; Everything, Everything; and The Sun Is Also a Star.
- Tracy Wolff, the #1 New York Times, #1 International, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Crave series, as well as a lover of vampires, dragons, and all things that go bump in the night.
About the Festival
The Book Festival is Nevada’s biggest celebration of books, storytelling, and everything in between. The event brings together authors and readers of all ages, for workshops, talks, or readings. Topics vary from casual to serious, from politics to food, from history to sci-f. No matter what you’re into, there’s something here for you. Did we mention that it’s entirely free? See you there on October 18 between 1o AM – 5 PM.