Las Vegas Book Festival returns to Historic Fifth Street School

What to expect

The Las Vegas Book Festival returns to Historic Fifth Street School on Saturday, October 17. Nevada Humanities lists the event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free public admission.

The festival brings together panel conversations, book signings, readings, poetry, workshops and exhibitions. Programming is designed for all ages, giving adults and younger readers different ways to take part in the day.

A lineup spanning young readers and Nevada politics

The 2026 headline roster includes Tony Weaver Jr., Natalie Baszile, Ayana Gray, Clarence A. Haynes, Kimberly Lemming, Meghan Le Fay, Vanessa L. Torres and Yasmin Angoe. Rather than a single subject or genre, the list gives readers several different reasons to build a day around the festival.

Weaver is the author of Weirdo, a middle-grade graphic novel centered on self-acceptance and confidence. The festival’s speaker biography describes his work with young readers and the online community he has built around comics and other nerd culture. His appearance is a useful starting point for families choosing programming for a reader moving beyond early-childhood books.

For readers interested in Nevada’s political history, Harry Reid: Then & Now pairs author Jon Ralston with journalist Steve Sebelius. Ralston published The Game Changer, his biography of Reid, in 2026. His festival biography traces a Nevada reporting career that began in Las Vegas in 1984 and included newspapers, newsletters and television before the founding of The Nevada Independent.

The format matters: this is advertised as a conversation, rather than simply a book signing. Ralston’s decades covering Nevada politics and Sebelius’s reporting background provide the stated basis for the discussion. The festival listing does not establish a new political announcement or promise an appearance by anyone beyond the named participants.

The official website separates schedules for the auditorium, children’s activities, Discovery Tent, Downtown Tent, Empowered Tent, Inspired Tent, Library Corner and Activity Room, and Poetry Pavilion. It also provides a distinct signing schedule and an exhibitor map. Choose a few priority sessions first, then check signing times and room locations so overlapping activities do not come as a surprise.

The festival asks attendees to RSVP online. Its website also lists a Golden Nugget hotel offer with group code GRLVB26 for visitors planning an overnight stay. That accommodation offer is separate from festival admission; local readers can focus on the event’s parking map and the school-campus schedule.

Plan your visit

Nevada Humanities founded the festival in 2002 and produces it with the City of Las Vegas. This year’s gathering continues that partnership at the downtown school campus, 401 South Fourth Street.

Visitors should use the festival’s official program to choose individual sessions and signing opportunities. Free entry does not mean that every session runs throughout the day. The event page links the full festival website, where the timetable is more useful than a general calendar entry for planning an author-focused visit.