Burbank Public Library will host the 2026 Burbank Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Buena Vista Branch Library, bringing readers, writers, and book lovers together for a free day celebrating books, storytelling, and community.
The Burbank Book Festival began as a conversation between local authors Emily Barth Isler and Erin La Rosa and has grown into a literary event that welcomed more than 4,000 attendees in 2025. The 2026 Festival marks a new chapter, with Burbank Public Library working alongside Barth Isler and La Rosa to bring the Festival to an even wider audience while maintaining the community-focused spirit that inspired its creation.
“The Burbank Book Festival is a wonderful celebration of creativity, connection, and community,” Mayor Tamala Takahashi said in a statement. “We’re proud to bring readers, authors and families together and especially excited to unveil the Bookmobile’s new design, a public art on wheels that will bring library resources to neighborhoods throughout Burbank.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Burbank Book Festival back to the Library and help build on the wonderful foundation Emily and Erin created,” said Eric Lashley, Burbank Library services director. “The Festival is a natural extension of what libraries do every day, connecting people with stories, authors, ideas and one another. We’re excited to make this year’s event an even bigger celebration for the Burbank community.”
The 2026 Festival will feature more than 80 participating authors representing a wide range of genres, including adult fiction and nonfiction, romance, children’s literature, middle-grade, and young adult titles. Attendees will have opportunities to meet authors, purchase books, attend panel discussions and book readings, participate in author signings, and explore vendors offering bookish merchandise and other goods.
“We created the Burbank Book Festival to foster a bookish community, connect readers to books, and celebrate local authors,” Festival co-Founder Erin La Rosa said in a statement. “We’re so excited to see the Festival continue to grow and to have the Library join us in making this event possible.”
Festival co-founder Barth Isler added, “The book festival isn’t just about connecting readers to their favorite, local authors; it provides multiple layers of community-building. Authors meet peers, readers connect with others who share their reading interests, and volunteers make new friends. It’s really beautiful to see how this event can benefit everyone involved.”
A noteworthy highlight of this year’s festival will be the unveiling of the new custom wrap for the Burbank Public Library Bookmobile, organizers said. Since 2026, the Bookmobile brings library materials, technology and programs directly to neighborhoods and community events throughout Burbank.
Los Angeles-based designer Adam Dalton Blake was selected to create the final design. He will be at the festival from 10 a.m. to noon to sign special commemorative posters featuring the design, while supplies last.
The 2026 Burbank Book Festival is free and open to the public, according to organizers. Parking at Buena Vista Branch Library is limited, so attendees were encouraged to walk, bike, carpool or use alternative transportation when possible.
For more information including the full event schedule and list of participating authors, vendors and booksellers, visit burbankbookfestival.com.
