The National Book Festival returns to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center this Saturday. Running from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., this event features more than 80 authors and a wide variety of programming hosted by the Library of Congress. Organizers require free tickets for entry this year, so attendees should secure those before arriving at the venue.
The festival schedule includes appearances from prominent figures across literature and entertainment. Astronaut Reid Wiseman, actor Kate McKinnon, director Martin Scorsese, and writer Karin Slaughter headline the main stage. The event provides an opportunity to hear from novelists like Ann Patchett and explore growing genres including romance and dark fantasy. Visitors can use the official online planning tool on the Library of Congress website to search for events by author or genre and add sessions to their personal calendars.
Beyond author talks, the festival offers interactive experiences for all age groups. Children can participate in story time, STEM experiments at the National Children’s Museum booth, and book creation workshops. The Workshop Space invites guests to learn skills such as podcast production, fiction writing, and illustration techniques. Veterans History Project contributions will include a radio play adaptation of the graphic novel The Harlem Hellfighters.
The programming also marks the upcoming American semiquincentennial with sessions covering 250 years of children’s literature and historical cookbooks. Attendees may engage directly with authors during Q&A sessions at the conclusion of most panels. For those interested in the technical side of literature, Library of Congress staff will conduct 30-minute talks regarding preservation methods, artificial intelligence, and historical research.
Politics and Prose serves as the official bookseller for the event. Guests can purchase featured titles on-site and collect festival-themed items such as posters and tote bags. Whether you plan to attend a writing class, visit the children’s activities, or listen to high-profile authors discuss their memoirs, the festival offers a full day of programming centered on literacy and creativity.