Get Ready for BBF 2016

Perhaps you’re the type who’s already planned your BBF schedule down to the minute, or maybe you’re planning on just showing up in Copley Square on October 15 and making it up as you go along. Either way, we’ve put together some key hints and tips to help you have a great day at BBF 2016!

Download our app.
You might have noticed our newly redesigned website (thanks, Corey McPherson Nash!). Along with our new look comes a host of new tools for planning and sharing your BBF schedule, including mobile apps that work for both iOS and Android devices. Download the app in advance and keep the BBF in your pocket all day! Or, if you prefer a lower-tech approach to planning, you can print out a PDF of the entire schedule.

Take the T or drive—it’s up to you!
The BBF is conveniently located right near the Copley and Back Bay MBTA stations, meaning that whether you’re arriving by Green Line, Orange Line, bus, commuter rail, or even Amtrak, public transit is your friend. If you need to drive, however, your best bet is checking out Best Parking before you start your drive. As of this writing, parking deals near Copley Square can be had for as little as $14 for the whole day.

Win a Vespa!
Thanks to a generous donation from Piaggio Fast Forward, we’re giving away a brand-new Vespa at BBF 2016. Raffle tickets (available only at the festival) are $10 each, with discounts for higher quantities. Proceeds go to support the BBF—we’ll be announcing the winner from the outdoor stage at 5:15, but you don’t need to be present to win. Tickets can be purchased at our merchandise booths or from roving volunteers (look for their red aprons and Vespa tees). Thanks, and good luck!

We’re back in the BPL!
After a couple of years of construction, we’re back in the Boston Public Library in a big way, and we couldn’t be happier. Be sure to stop in to see our programming in their beautifully renovated spaces (and maybe get a library card while you’re at it). Check out their newly opened world-class Shakespeare exhibit, grab a bite to eat at their restaurants and cafes, and don’t forget to stop by the Civic Table outside on Boylston Street for a custom poem or free Boston By Foot walking tour!

Channel your inner fangirl or fanboy
If what drives you to the BBF is the opportunity to meet favorite authors up close, you’re in luck! Presenters’ books are available for sale in all venues, and signings follow all sessions on-site. Thanks to our partner booksellers for facilitating book sales at the BBF!

Tickets, schmickets
With the exception of one sold-out event (the Lore live show), all sessions at the BBF are entirely free, tickets are not required, and admission is first-come, first-served. A handful of small writing workshops offered a preregistration option; although those guaranteed seats are now full, walk-up spots are available—just show up early for your best shot! A huge THANK YOU to our sponsors and donors for helping to keep the BBF free to all.

Get social
Have you been participating in our #whatareyoureadingboston project on social media this summer and fall? Show your post at our merch tables and get a free button! If you’re a Snapchat user, send your long-distance BFFs special BBF snaps from Copley Square. And if your idea of social networking runs more toward the face-to-face, pick up an “Ask Me What I’m Reading” button at the merchandise booth, wear it, and strike up a conversation with a fellow booklover. Who knows where it might lead?

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