31st Annual Texas Book Festival Happening Nov. 14-15

Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Texas Capitol and nearby venues
Tickets: The event is free and open to the public
Event Website: https://texasbookfestival.org/festival/

Join the City of Austin and Texas Book Festival for the 31st annual Texas Book Festival from Saturday through Sunday, Nov. 14-15. The festival takes place in downtown Austin, in and around the Texas State Capitol building and nearby venues. The event is free to attend, but a few headliner sessions will require a ticket purchase that will include a book.

Texas Book Festival is the largest book event in Texas and one of the foremost literary celebrations in the country. Attendees can once again expect an all-star author lineup, programming for all ages in both English and Spanish, book signings, cooking demonstrations, family and teen-focused activities, hundreds of bookish exhibitors, food trucks, a Saturday night Lit Crawl and more.

Transportation and Road Closures Around the Event 
Road closures are planned downtown for Texas Book Festival starting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12. A detailed road closure map can be found on the City’s event page. Event attendees are encouraged to carpool or use one of the following transportation options: CapMetro, bicycling or dockless devices. 

For downtown parking information visit: austintexas.gov/paidparking

Health and Safety at Texas Book Festival
Austin Police, Austin Fire and Austin-Travis County EMS work in partnership to create a safe environment in which everyone can enjoy the festival and encourage attendees to:

•    Remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to 9-1-1.
•    Plan for the weather forecast.
•    Stay with your group and have a pre-planned meeting location in case of separation.
•    Be mindful of pedestrians, scooter riders, bicyclists and other vulnerable road users when traveling.
•    Keep your phone fully charged.
•    Download the what3words app to pinpoint and share your location.

Austin Public Health recommends attendees be up to date on vaccinations, wash hands often, use hand sanitizer and stay home if you are sick. Vaccines are available at doctors' offices, pharmacies and Austin Public Health.

About Texas Book Festival
With a vision to inspire Texans of all ages to love reading, Texas Book Festival connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas and imagination. Founded in 1995 by former First Lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit Texas Book Festival promotes the joys of reading and writing through the annual Texas Book Festival, the Reading Rock Stars Title I elementary school program, the Real Reads Title I middle and high school program, grants to Texas public libraries and year-round literary programming. Learn more at texasbookfestival.org.

About Austin Center for Events
The Austin Center for Events (ACE) is a collaborative assembly of City of Austin departments and agencies designed to streamline special event permitting. ACE is anchored by teams from Austin Arts, Music, Culture and Entertainment, Austin Fire, Austin Police, Austin-Travis County EMS, Austin Transportation and Public Works, Austin Parks and Recreation, Austin Public Health, Austin Resource Recovery, and partner agencies. ACE works closely with event organizers to guide them through the special event permitting process.

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