Double Dose of Cultural Heritage : Times book festival and Santa Monica event will be this weekend

This weekend, Southern California will have a double opportunity to revel in the ideas, traditions, dances, music and books that best define its cosmopolitan character.

The Los Angeles Times celebrates the written word with a major book festival, one that reflects the enthusiasm of readers who last year spent more than $550 million on books in the Los Angeles metropolitan market, making it No. 1 in the country. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, to be held Saturday and Sunday at UCLA, features author panels and readings, children’s events and exhibits by booksellers and publishers.

Top-rank authors will share their passion for literature. Classic science fiction writer Ray Bradbury and best-selling author Judith Krantz will be there. Ultra-hipster novelist David Foster Wallace, poet Quincy Troupe, Chicana writer Helena Maria Viramontes, actor, producer, musician and activist Russell Means and many more will also take part. Join them in celebrating exciting literature.

Children will have their own corner. They can, for instance, listen to Belle, from Disney’s weekly television series “Sing Me a Story: With Belle,” or Kino and Lucy, the stars of KCET’s “Storytime,” which introduces small children to the world of books.

South of the UCLA campus there is another event that deserves a weekend visit. The Santa Monica Festival opens its fifth annual edition on Saturday at Clover Park. Staged as “A Celebration of Our Community Roots,” the Santa Monica Festival has broadened its multicultural horizon to include performances by African American, British, Irish, Japanese, Jewish, Latino and Native American communities.

Listen to the Japanese drumming of the Kinnara Taiko group at noon, and then, for a change of mood, catch the salsa sound of Albert Torres beginning at 3 p.m. See the Shaluza Boot Dancers performing steps originally created by South African mine workers or the traditional music of Eastern European Jews as performed by the Ellis Island Klezmer Band.

If dancing is your thing, you can learn some Irish numbers or step dancing. If you sing, you can join a chorus from the British Isles or stroll with the mariachis.

The Santa Monica festival also offers arts and crafts workshops, storytelling and food booths. The festival will continue throughout the week with community events celebrating Santa Monica’s multicultural heritage.

Admission to both festivals is free.