LéaLA is a cultural festival designed to encourage reading, promote Spanish literature and foster recognition of the Latino population and their customs.

This extraordinary Book Fair is an opportunity for Latinos from all walks of life to rediscover their roots and culture as well as share that pride with new generations.

Top authors, including Sergio Ramirez and Paco Ignacio Taibo, will be presenting their books and talking about literature as well cooking, self-help, sports and current affairs. There will also be celebrities reading to children in Spanish – a program favorite! I attended last year, and it was a culturally rich experience filled with workshops, panel sessions, seminars, concerts and tons of activities for the kids! The festival was attended by over 36,000 people and promises to be even bigger this time around. There will be more than 130 authors and 180 publishing houses from all of Latin America.

The concert portion of this event is a must. We got to see Latin Grammy-nominated funk band Kinky last year at Nokia Theater – and it was a show to remember. This year Gloria Trevi, Tigeres Del Norte and my personal favorite Calle 13 are part of the line-up. For more information about the event, please visit the LéaLA site or follow them on Twitter.

Dates: May 11 – May 13
Admission is free and open to everyone.

Rachel Matos is a museum professional and founder of the lifestyle blog The Art Muse. For more information you can visit her site RachelMatos.com or follow her on Twitter.

Photos by Dariela Cruz who is giving away tickets to the Calle 13 show!