If you live in the Charleston SC area, you may have heard of a festival called YALLFest. If not, here's what it stands for Young Adult Literature Lovers Festival.
It is one of the biggest young adult book festivals, with approximately 60 young adult authors scheduled to appear and sign books.
A common misconception about YALLFest is that it's only for fans of young adult literature.
NOT TRUE.
YALLFest is for anyone looking for fun panels, free stuff, and immersion into the world of English and Art. There are tons of signings, yes, but there are also tents with games to play and raffles to enter and talks to listen in on.
Here are some of the best parts of YALLFest and some reasons you should attend.
1. Panels
For me, one of my favorite parts about YALLFest is the panels they organize. They put together a few authors and they get together and talk on certain literary topics and how their work affects that specific topic.
You really get good tips on writing and publishing from the point of view of someone who has been through that.
There are also open Q and A sessions that you can attend and it's a good way to get advice and just generally hear an interesting side on the English world from people who've succeeded.
2. Author Signings
This one is definitely more geared towards those of you who have read books by the authors visiting, but none the less it's a very exciting part.
All of the authors who visit the Festival, for the most part, have signing times set up so you can bring your books or phone cases or whatever it is you'd like to get signed and meet them and get a photo taken. The lines can sometimes be long, and wit times seem grueling, but in Charleston in the fall?
The weather is PERFECT — and I've met some of my best friends ever in the signing lines at YALLFest by simply talking or carrying around books.
3. FREE STUFF
Wherever you look at YALLFest, I swear, there is something to be grabbed for free if you're fast enough. Sponsors at YALLFest like PenguinTeen and EpicReads have booths set up all over the place and they'll tweet out codes or words to say to the people running the booth to get free swag.
If you simply walk around and sign up for newsletters there are bags and books and sometimes even advanced copies of books to grab if you know where to look.
4. The Smackdown
At the end of every YALLFest there is a concert/ game night/ book reading that happens at Charleston Music Hall called the "YALLFest Smackdown."
It starts off with authors playing games with each other, then calling fans up on the stage, then ends with a performance by TigerBeat. It is usually hosted by two authors and they are sometimes the best part of the whole show with their humor.
Tickets are 14 dollars for the smackdown, and it is the only fee you will pay for all of YALLFest if you choose to not go to the "special panels" which are seven dollars each.
5. IT'S VIRTUALLY FREE
If you choose to skip the Smackdown, and the two special panels they have prior to it, YALLFest is 100% free! If you have a certain book in mind you want to purchase there those do cost, but the festival itself and signings and regular panels are all without cost!
It's so nice to have an outlet that costs nothing for literature and YA lovers to go to.
I fell in love with Charleston because of YALLFest and it is still my favorite event that happens here. It's my first year volunteering for this Festival and to say I'm beyond excited is such an understatement. If you yourself are interested in going or have any questions at all the YALLfest website is below!