Y'all come west now, to hear a bunch of great YA authors and more.

YALLWEST celebrates books, film, TV, and art related to young adult literature. Attendees often go home with an armload of free books!

Represented at the Fest are New York Times bestsellers as well as local and acclaimed authors and artists, plus some notable Hollywood directors and creators.

On Friday, a preview event is usually held from 4pm-6pm at the Santa Monica Main Library get the festivities started: Fierce Friday typically offers author signings, along with assorted tomfoolery and swag giveaways. Details on the 2025 event to come!

The main event is on Saturday at Santa Monica High School 10am – 6pm.  A variety of panels, author keynotes, signings and more are scheduled. 

No registration or ticket to get into the festival itself, panels, or signings. Tickets are needed for author keynotes and the end-of-day smackdown, (described as "author shenanigans").

Ticketed Saturday events:

• 10am: Opening Keynote:  with Tricia Levenseller, Melissa de la Cruz, and Hayley Dennings ($16)
• 2pm: Afternoon Keynote  with Tahereh Mafi and Adam Silver  ($13)
• 5pm: YALLWEST Smackdown ($16)