SAN FRANCISCO — The Filipino American International Book Festival returns to San Francisco's Main Library Oct. 17–18 with more than 90 writers, scholars and creatives appearing across two days of panels, readings, book signings, children's programming and marketplace activity.
FilBookFest is in its eighth iteration and is presented in partnership with San Francisco Public Library during Filipino American History Month. SFPL describes it as the largest Filipino American literary festival in the United States.
The most useful thing to know before going is that this is not a one-room, one-stage event. Programs run across Koret Auditorium, the Hormel LGBTQIA Center, the Children's Center and the Chinese Center, so checking the day-by-day schedule before arrival is more useful than simply showing up for one headline session.
What are the FilBookFest 2026 hours?
SFPL's current event listings give these public festival windows:
Saturday, Oct. 17: 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 18: noon–5:30 p.m.
Both days are at the Main Library, 100 Larkin Street in Civic Center.
Who are the keynote speakers?
Author Randy Ribay opens the festival Saturday with a 10:30 a.m. keynote in Koret Auditorium. Ribay is the author of Patron Saints of Nothing and Nest of Tongues.
On Sunday, Dr. Robyn Rodriguez gives the keynote at 12:15 p.m. in Koret Auditorium.
Those keynote times are useful anchors for planning each day because many other sessions run in parallel elsewhere in the library.
What is happening Saturday?
Saturday begins at 10 a.m., with Ribay's keynote at 10:30 a.m. SFPL's published highlights include discussions on Filipino American literature, romance fiction, women and Filipino myth, cross-cultural solidarity and other topics.
The festival also brings back Inkstorm Readings, where authors read from recent work in several sessions across the weekend.
The book and community marketplace is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Saturday.
What is happening Sunday?
Sunday's festival window begins at noon, with Dr. Robyn Rodriguez's keynote at 12:15 p.m.
Panels, readings and children's programming continue through the afternoon. The marketplace is scheduled from 12:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Because sessions take place in different rooms, visitors interested in a particular author should use SFPL's full program rather than rely only on the headline schedule.
Is FilBookFest free?
SFPL presents FilBookFest as a public library festival, and current public event listings promote the festival as free. Individual books and marketplace purchases are separate from admission to the programs.
SFPL's event pages describe the festival as suitable for families and adults, with dedicated children's programming among the scheduled spaces.
Where inside the library does it happen?
Programs are spread across several Main Library spaces, including:
- Koret Auditorium;
- the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center;
- the Children's Center;
- the Chinese Center;
- Koret Lobby and other programmed library spaces.
That multi-room setup is why arriving a few minutes early for a specific session is sensible, especially if you need to move between floors.
How do you get there?
The Main Library is at 100 Larkin Street, beside Civic Center Plaza.
SFPL identifies Civic Center as the closest accessible BART station and lists the 19 Polk as an accessible Muni route serving the library area. Numerous other Muni lines also serve Civic Center.
Accessible entrances are available on Larkin, Fulton and Grove streets. SFPL lists accessible parking at the Civic Center Plaza Garage at 355 McAllister Street. Check the SF News Today transit desk for same-day Civic Center service changes.
What should you plan first?
Pick your must-see keynote, author or panel first, then build the rest of the day around that session. With 90+ speakers and multiple simultaneous rooms, FilBookFest is better treated like a small conference than a single-stage book fair.
Saturday visitors who want the broadest amount of time at the festival have the longer window, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday starts later, at noon.