TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Tucson Festival of Books returns to the University of Arizona this weekend, bringing together authors, vendors and thousands of book lovers for one of the city's most anticipated events of the year.
READ MORE: What you need to know for Tucson Festival of Books
Crews and vendors have been out all Friday morning transforming the University of Arizona Mall into a celebration of books, literacy and community. Volunteers are signing in while cars and trucks line the campus as vendors unload ahead of the festival's opening day.
Bimi Huebner, volunteer operations co-chair, said the scale of setup is major.
"Oh my gosh! Today is very busy, we're loading in probably over 200 exhibitors."
Organizers say the Tucson Festival of Books is the largest volunteer-run book festival in the country, relying on thousands of community members to make it happen each year.
"We staff about 2,000 volunteer slots. We only have two full-time paid staff. If we didn't have volunteers, we wouldn't have a festival," Huebner said.
It's not just longtime volunteers preparing for the weekend. I met Tucson native Sarah Slater, owner and CEO of Bon Voyage Book Box, as she decorated her tent.
"We do travel-themed book boxes. Every other month you travel to a new destination--inside we've got a surprise novel, authentic recipes, travel guide, passport sticker, and handmade souvenirs made by my stepdad. So, everything is made by our family," Slater said.
Slater launched her business at last year's festival. This year, she and her family are celebrating one year in business at the very place that made it all possible.
"We prepped 80 boxes, which took us about two weeks just to physically pack everything, as well as my subscription boxes that I have already put out to," Slater said.
From longtime volunteers like Huebner who have been part of the festival since its first year in 2009 to small business owners who grew up attending as kids like Slater, this weekend is about more than books.
The festival kicks off Saturday morning and don't forget to bring see-through bags to the festival.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
