The Gold Coast Book Fair will return to downtown Oyster Bay this month with a major expansion, bringing two full days of literary programming, more than 150 authors and a broader slate of family activities to Long Island’s largest literary event.
The festival, organized by the Gold Coast Forum in partnership with the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, is scheduled for May 16 and 17, and will feature author panels, book signings, a vendors market, children’s programming, food trucks and interactive exhibits spread across 11 venues throughout the hamlet.
Former U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, owner of Theodore’s Books and founder of the fair, said this year marks the first time the entire festival will be held in downtown Oyster Bay. In the past, programming has been divided between the downtown and the Long Island University Post campus in Brookville, but attendees have expressed a preference for the events in the hamlet, Israel said, where they have had access to its stores and restaurants in addition to festival offerings.
“LIU has been extremely wonderful, a great partner,” Israel said. “But the feedback we got from festivalgoers is they enjoy the experience of being downtown and shopping local.”
He added that the consolidated layout will make the experience easier for both attendees and organizers. “In the past, people would have to drive to LIU and then Oyster Bay,” Israel said. “Now it’s really one-stop shopping. Also, we don’t need to move books back and forth from the university back to the hamlet, so everything is much more user-friendly for participants.”
The fair has also doubled its author lineup from previous years, according to Israel, with a total of 150 writers in a wider range of genres than ever before. He attributed the growth to increasing national recognition of the event and audience demand for more genres and programming.
“We have more authors and more publishers calling us, asking to be included,” Israel said. “The second reason is popular demand. People have asked for more options in literary genre, more children’s books, young readers’ books and other offerings.”
This year’s festival will feature expanded programming for children and young readers. According to Israel, this year the event is introducing a dedicated children’s stage with readings and signings by more than a dozen authors and illustrators.
“There’s going to be all sorts of children’s crafts, vendors, play,” he said. “We’re going to do a children’s story-time stage, and we’ve got over a dozen authors and illustrators reading to kids and signing their books.”
Jacqueline Cipolla, executive director of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, said the expanded event is expected to bring significant foot traffic downtown and expose new visitors to local businesses.
“We’d love this to be a destination event that people come to from all around the area,” Cipolla said. “We feel like the fair is such a good way to boost the economic vitality of the downtown, to get more people here who maybe have not come to Oyster Bay.”
The association, which in previous years has helped with permits and coordination, is taking on a larger operational role this year, according to Cipolla. The nonprofit is overseeing the logistical operations for the event, coordinating with vendors and organizing the layout of their tents, along with other responsibilities.
The festival will feature interactive exhibits from local libraries and media organizations. “There also is this big story-time tent we’re doing,” Cipolla said. “So during both days, there’ll be children’s authors coming and sharing and doing a story time for the kids.”
FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, the festival’s lead sponsor, wrote in a statement that its involvement reflects its commitment to literacy and education initiatives across Long Island.
“Events such as the Gold Coast Book Festival align closely with FourLeaf’s broader commitment to literacy, education, and community enrichment,” Morgan Ford, the credit union’s public relations and crisis content specialist, stated. “We are always looking for meaningful ways to support organizations that advance literacy efforts within the communities we serve.”
A complete list of authors and event schedules, along with other information, is available at the Gold Coast Forum website, GoldCoastForum.org.
