Times Festival of Health Draws Thousands, Continues Today

An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people swarmed onto USC’s main campus Saturday for the first day of the inaugural Los Angeles Times Festival of Health.

Sponsored by The Times, the free event--which continues today--features 45 panels and workshops on a wide range of topics, including the latest information on breast cancer, depression, yoga and meditation, alternative therapies and fitness.

“Basically, what we tried to do is bring the newspaper’s Health section to life,” said Marty Lieberman, director of consumer events for The Times.

Today, participating panels will be moderated by columnists and writers from The Times’ Health section, and keynote speeches will be presented by Magic Johnson, Edward James Olmos and Barry Sears.

In addition to the numerous workshops being held at the event, many health care organizations are offering services, including immunizations, cancer screening and blood testing.

The festival continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.

Parking at USC is $5. Shuttles will be provided from off-campus lots to the corner of Trousdale Parkway and 34th Street on the main campus.

Free tickets are distributed through Ticketmaster. Because of limited seating, tickets are necessary to attend the indoor panel and speaker sessions.

Lieberman said tickets are still available and can be obtained at the festival.

Tickets are not necessary for outdoor events.

Information on the festival is available on the Los Angeles Times’ Web site, www.latimes.com/news/health.