Entertainer Application

The Tucson Festival of Books welcomes entertainers to apply to become part of the 2026 Festival, which will take place Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15, on the University of Arizona campus.  All performances must be suitable for audiences of all ages.

This 2026 application has been briely reopened for Strolling Entertainers or Buskers, who may be invited to mingle with the public and perform at the Friends and Volunteers Dining Plaza and elsewhere on the Festival grounds over the course of the weekend.  All types of family-friendly performers will be considered.  Examples could include singer/songwriters/instrumentalists (original or public domain material), jugglers, clowns, close-up magicians, etc.

The chosen performers will be assigned two-hour time slots (10:30-12:30, 12:30-2:30 or 2:30-4:30) at a designated busking spot on the UA Mall.  The festival will not be providing sound systems at these sites; buskers may perform unamplified or may bring their own battery-powered systems, but must restrict volume to avoid infringing on other Festival activities.  Acts who are not selected through this process are not permitted to busk at the festival.

Entertainment applications will be accepted through 5 pm on January 11, 2026, after which the Entertainment Committee will review all applications and select performers to be invited to the Festival.

The decision of the committee is final.  If you are invited to perform at the 2026 Festival, you will receive an Entertainment Agreement, which you must complete online by the deadline in order to confirm your participation.  The Entertainment Committee will maintain a waiting list in the event of cancellations or other unavailability of invited performers.

The Tucson Festival of Books is a benefit event to support literacy and encourage reading in Southern Arizona.  Like the 300+ authors who attend each year, entertainers are not compensated by the Festival; however, we will publish a schedule of entertainment on our website, in the Festival Guide published by The Arizona Daily Star, in the TFOB mobile apps (apple and android), and via mobile and social media applications related to the event.  Performers are encouraged to promote their appearances through their own PR and social media sites.

During your scheduled performance, you may place a tip jar and distribute promotional material.  Sales of CDs and other merchandise are subject to Arizona business licensing and sales tax/remittance regulations, which are the sole responsibility of the seller.

To apply for consideration as a performer, please complete this electronic form.  As asterisk (*) indicates a required field.  Please fill in as much information as possible to expedite the application process.  Links to recorded performances are especially important for performer evaluation and placement.  Use the additional comments block if you have any special needs or requests regarding your performance.

Difficulty submitting your application?  Contact us at help@tucsonfestivalofbooks.org