It’s the 10th year of the Tucson Festival of Books it was founded in 2009 to improve Literacy rates in southern Arizona. With that mission in mind, the festival has become a Tucson staple for our rich writing and reading community. The Tucson Festival of Books is happening this weekend, March 2nd and 3rd from 9:30-5: 30 pm. Along with the bibliophiles, writers, lifelong learners, and families, I look forward to this community event.

Plan Ahead
If you want to have optimal fun at the Tucson Festival of Books, there are a few things you can do before you leave the house. If you’re anything like me, it’s not easy to pick just one topic or genre for the entire weekend. You can find me at the culinary tent learning about the food of Vietnam or Iran, then at a playwright’s roundtable discussing community theatre, perhaps followed by a mingle in the Indie Author Pavilion. I schedule out my day with the Tucson Festival of Books app. I can add all the must-attend events to my calendar and stay organized.
Pro Tip:
If you plan to purchase a book from an author make sure you know where they will be selling and signing their books after the event. The books for sale and the signing table are usually in two different places close to one another. So, scope out those locations beforehand, and you can be first in line to purchase or have the book you already own signed by the author.
There’s more to being prepared than just knowing which events you want to attend. Take a peek at the weather so you can prepare for rain or sunshine. Make sure you bring a water bottle. There are plenty of places to refill throughout the day. Finally, don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes!
Surviving the Day
Now that you’re out the door and at the festival. Make it easy for yourself and plan where you want to park. Parking options per the festival are as follows, “The Cherry Avenue, 6th Street, Tyndall, South Stadium and Main Gate garages are available for $5 per vehicle; free entry is granted after 4 pm. Use of public transportation is strongly encouraged. Both the SunTran bus system and the SunLink street car provide convenient alternatives to parking at the University of Arizona.”
When you arrive orient yourself and be sure to find a map so you can take full advantage of all the festival happenings since the festival centers around events you have time to sit and rest throughout the day as you listen to a discussion or learn to cook a new dish. When you’re not soaking up an event be sure to connect with the Tucson community and check out the exhibitors you want to visit. Stop by the tent of a museum you haven’t visited yet, learn something new in Science City thorough interactive activities, or check in with your favorite nonprofit. They usually have some fun swag to take home and who doesn’t love a freebie? We’ll have our famous Bookmans Festival of Books totes so you can carry all your freebies from the day.
At some point, you’ll want a bite to eat. You can plan ahead by bringing snacks, but I always like to try a local taste from the food vendors.
Pro Tip:
Food vendors can get pretty busy around lunchtime, so I try to go between 10-11am or 2-4pm.
Be sure to visit Bookmans at Booth 443 to pick a new read. Also, look for Bookman roaming around and bringing joy to festival goers while you make the most of your weekend at the Tucson Festival of Books!