The saying “so many books, so little time” really applies to the National Book Festival. This annual event from the Library of Congress takes over the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., bringing in more than 80 authors for a jam-packed day of literary programming. Here’s what to know before you go:
Organize your day
If you want to head to the convention center with a plan as opposed to wandering aimlessly, open the Library of Congress’s nifty online planning tool, peruse the online schedule and use the “Add to calendar” button to organize all of your must-see events. You can search by genre, author, event type and more. Free tickets are required for the first time this year, so make sure you snag those before you arrive, as well.
Head to the main stage
Astronauts, movie stars and more will grace the largest stage of the festival, which seats 2,200 people. This year’s main stage headliners include Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman — fresh off this spring’s lunar flyby — as well as “Saturday Night Live” alum (and children’s author) Kate McKinnon and thriller writer Karin Slaughter. Douglas Brinkley and Annette Gordon-Reed, contributors to National Geographic’s “1,000 Days in America,” are also set to break down that illustrated history. Hollywood royalty such as director Martin Scorsese and “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo will take the stage, as well, and “Sin City” author Frank Miller will discuss his new memoir.
Explore the unknown
The festival is known for enlisting popular literary fiction and nonfiction authors; this year’s roster of novelists includes Ann Patchett, Tom Perrotta and Andrew Sean Greer, while Patrick Radden Keefe and Annie Lowrey are appearing on the nonfiction side. But the festival has increased its genre programming over the past few years, and this might be the perfect opportunity to expand your literary horizons.
For example, the booming romance genre is well represented. Tia Williams, author of “The Perfect Find” and now the “The Missed Connection,” makes her festival debut this year. Later, you can enjoy back-to-back romance discussions: YA bestsellers Roshani Chokshi and I.V. Marie are going to talk through their dark fantasy novels before novelist Jennifer Lynn Barnes discusses the trope of teen protagonists in love with love.
Interact with the authors
Almost every session ends with a Q&A where anyone can take the mic and contribute to the discussion. “That’s part of the reason we put on this festival, is so that people can engage with these ideas and ask what they want to know,” says Library of Congress literary director Clay Smith. Getting a book signed is another way to engage with an author, and volunteers from the Junior League of Washington help facilitate the plethora of on-site signings.
Embrace kid-friendly activities
Youngsters who can’t get enough of Meg Cabot’s “The Princess Diaries” graphic novels or Lauren Tarshis’s “I Survived” nonfiction series will want to meet the authors in person. But there’s far more programming for families beyond lectures and signings.
Little ones will love story time at the Story District, while the STEM District focuses on scientific experiments and demos from the likes of the National Children’s Museum and Maryland Language Science Center. Kids can create their own story book with the children’s literacy nonprofit Reading is Fundamental, design a bead bracelet as part of a Fashion at the Library activity, or collect stamps at Roadmap to Reading tables representing American states and territories.
Have a good laugh
In addition to McKinnon’s main-stage talk, visitors can look forward to more comedic moments. “PBS NewsHour” broadcaster Geoff Bennett is surely going to crack a joke or two while discussing his debut book, “Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy From Vaudeville to ’90s Sitcoms.” Meanwhile, “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” author Maria Semple partners with “The Bloggess” humorist Jenny Lawson for a panel titled “Mostly Okay and Only Crying a Little.”
Watch a multimedia program
For something more dramatic, the Library of Congress Veterans History Project is working with author Max Brooks to present a version of his graphic novel “The Harlem Hellfighters” — about the 369th Infantry Regiment in World War I — as a radio play.
Celebrate America’s 250th birthday
The festival is trying to put a creative spin on its semiquincentennial-themed programming, whether that’s surveying 250 years of American children’s books or diving into cookbooks published in 1876 to celebrate the U.S. centennial. There’s also a panel themed around the Lewis and Clark expedition that unites Craig Fehrman (author of “This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark”) with Elizabeth Adelman (who penned “Chasing Lewis’s Monkeyflower” about the plant specimens gathered by the explorers).
Attend a workshop
The Workshop Space, an interactive festival stage that debuted last year, returns for 2026. Visitors can use the space to learn a new skill, whether that’s creating your own podcast with the Kitchen Sisters from NPR, taking a fiction writing class with novelist Angie Kim, or learning how to draw Native American pictographs with Standing Rock Sioux author-illustrator S.D. Nelson. “This expands the world of books beyond just listening to two writers speak with a moderator,” Smith says.
Learn to research like a librarian
The librarians take center stage at this special corner of the festival, where LOC staff give 30-minute talks all day about a variety of topics. Among them: how fragile tomes are preserved; the library’s use of artificial intelligence; and its new experiential gallery, the Source.
Shop the festival gift store
Politics and Prose is the festival’s official bookseller, and every book featured during the festivities will be on sale at the local literary chain’s on-site shop. You’ll also be able to pick up freebies (while supplies last), such as a colorful festival poster and a tote bag to carry home all of your newest reads.
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