This one day event, running from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, is FREE to the public, including parking, and features popular and diverse children's authors, illustrators, and storytellers. 

Since our first festival in 2004, we have earned the reputation of bringing in professional family-friendly entertainment and fun activities for all to enjoy.

The Orange County Children’s Book Festival is held on the campus of Orange Coast College at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, California 92626.

You can find this year's current pricing for exhibitors and vendors on the homepage.

To receive festival updates, join our mailing list if you haven't already.

• The booth has a cover, full back wall plus two half side walls
• Banner with your name 
• One 6-foot table for a 10'x10' booth or two 6-foot tables for the larger booth
• Two folding chairs per table
• Ability to request extra tables and chairs 
• A wastebasket 
• Freedom to set up and decorate your booth for greater engagement with the attendees
• Listing on our website and in the Festival Guide 
• The opportunity to network with other vendors 
• Exposure to over 7,000 families that care about books, reading, and education 

Author's Corner tables are housed in a 10'x40' booth. The booth has a cover, full back wall and holds 5 authors. Each author receives the following setup and opportunities:

• One 6-foot table 
• Two folding chairs 
• A wastebasket 
• Freedom to set up and decorate your 8-foot space for greater engagement with the crowds 
• Listing on our website and in the Festival Guide 
• The opportunity to network with other vendors 
• Exposure to over 7,000 families that care about books, reading, and education 

Please note: Author's Corner tables are limited and sell out quickly.  

Yes, you have space behind your table to set up banners, posters, and other material against the back wall. We ask that you are mindful of your neighbor and don't encroach upon their limited space.

Yes! This is one of the main reasons we put on the Festival. 

That is up to you. The authors that have had great success selling their books have some kind of engagement with the attendees. 

At the Festival, there are many opportunities for families to purchase books, so we recommend making your presence fun, engaging, and attention-getting. Another factor is the price of your books. The lower the price or any Buy One Get One Free specials generally mean greater sales. 

No, every booth comes with at least one table but you may bring your own if you need an extra one. If you would like the festival to provide you with extra tables or chairs, the fee is $10 per six foot table and $2 per folding chair. (Author's Corner tables may not have extra tables or chairs.) 

We recommend bringing your own tablecloth.

All festival Exhibitors and Author's Corner participants are seated in tents with a cover. 

As the sun moves throughout the day, there may be times when the sun is directly facing the booth, so we recommend having a visor or hat and sunscreen. 

Access to electricity is limited and must be requested on your application. As this is an outdoor event, we recommend bringing at least a 100-foot extension cord to reach the spider boxes located in your area. 

Please note, electricity is not available with Author's Corner tables.

Yes, Orange Coast College has an unsecured guest network available. We cannot guarantee connectivity and therefore recommend using your own secure mobile network.

We're so glad to have you! 

All you have to do is fill out the Exhibitor application, choose which booth size works for you, then send in your payment and completed application. 

Everyone fills out the same application, no matter if you're a food vendor, author, publisher, or company. 

Make sure you also sign the Terms & Conditions Form and submit it with your application and payment.

We will not assign any shared booths, but we do allow for booth sharing. Please note, we do not allow sharing of Author's Corner tables. 

If you would like to find others to share the cost of a booth space, you may do so as long as you follow these guidelines: 

1) Everyone who is participating needs to fill out their own application with a note saying who they're sharing a booth with so everyone can be properly listed on our website and in the Festival Guide. 

2) We will accept either a single payment for the full cost or separate payments from each participant so long as they note who they're sharing a booth with. YOUR BOOTH WILL NOT BE CONFIRMED UNTIL RECEIPT OF FULL PAYMENT. 

3) Each 10'x10' booth comes with one (1) identifying banner, one (1) six-foot table, and two (2) chairs, but you may request additional tables and chairs. Only one banner will be printed, so YOU will need to decide how it reads. Additional banners may be brought and hung within your booth. 

4) Booth sharing is permitted; however, if you choose to share your booth with others, you agree to not hold the Orange County Children's Book Festival liable for any problems that arise from sharing the space. 

Yes, you may host as many authors as you would like in your booth. If you would like us to promote them on our website we ask that you send an email to occbf@cccd.edu with their names.

Details such as when and where to show up, parking, volunteer helpers, and more will be emailed to you 2-4 weeks before the event. 

There is no need to submit a request, as every participating author or illustrator at the festival will be considered for stage presentations. 

Presentations are selected by July 1st based on theme relevance to one of our six stages. Our committee reviews everyone’s book(s) and ability to deliver meaningful content and entertainment value for our attendees. 

If you would like to submit a video showcasing yourself doing a presentation or author reading, feel free to email it to occbf@cccd.edu. 

Stage presenters are contacted individually by email. In order to meet publication deadlines, announcements are made before August 1.

No, the event will continue even if it rains.