Looking for book festivals to attend in 2026?

The 2026 book festival season is here, and this week Eve Laren highlights 18 upcoming book festivals happening this summer and fall worth adding to your calendar—from the Bronx Book Festival and Harlem Book Fair in New York, to the Essence Book Festival in New Orleans, Texas Book Festival in Austin, Brooklyn Book Festival, and Miami Book Fair.

Whether you're searching for book festivals 2026, free literary events, Black literature festivals, or major book fairs across the United States, this episode serves as your complete guide to the biggest and most exciting literary events of the year.

Grab a pen, get the dates and locations, and start planning your next bookish adventure.

MAIN EVENTS

1. Bronx Book Festival | June 20, 2026 | The Andrew Freedman Home, Fordham Road, Bronx, NY
2. Essence Book Festival | July 3–5, 2026 | Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA
3. National Book Club Conference | July 31–August 2, 2026 | Westin Buckhead Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
4. KPBS San Diego Book Festival | August 22, 2026 | University of San Diego, San Diego, CA
5. Harlem Book Fair | August 29, 2026 | Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, Harlem, NY
6. BIPOC Book Fest | September 19, 2026 | Houston, TX (exact location TBD)
7. Brooklyn Book Festival | September 20–28, 2026 | Brooklyn Borough Hall & venues throughout NYC
8. Mississippi Book Festival | September 26, 2026 | Mississippi State Capitol, Jackson, MS
9. Decatur Book Festival | October 2–3, 2026 | Decatur, GA
10. Morristown Festival of Books | October 9–10, 2026 | Morristown, NJ
11. Boston Book Festival | October 17, 2026 | Copley Square, Boston, MA
12. Texas Book Festival | November 14–15, 2026 | Texas State Capitol & Downtown Austin, Austin, TX
13. Miami Book Fair | November 15–22, 2026 (Street Fair: November 20–22) | Wolfson Campus, Miami Dade College, Miami, FL

HONORABLE MENTIONS

1. NYC Poetry Festival | July 18–19, 2026 | Nolan Park, Governors Island, New York, NY
2. San Diego Comic-Con | July 23–26, 2026 | San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA
3. Six Bridges Book Festival | September 27–October 4, 2026 | Arkansas (exact location TBD)
4. New York Comic Con | October 8–11, 2026 | Javits Center, New York, NY
5. Las Vegas Book Festival | October 17, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV

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