We’re doing things by the book this weekend — at the Texas Book Festival, that is.
The Texas Book Festival will take over Downtown Austin this Saturday, Nov. 16 + Sunday, Nov. 17 with panels, book sales, and author signings, and it’s nearly completely free to attend.
You’ll want to read up on the event before you go — here’s our guide to the festival.
When
Head over from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16 and from 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Where
Booths and buildings in Downtown Austin will host festival events, largely congregated around the Texas State Capitol, in addition to vendor booths down Congress Avenue. Check out a full map here.
What
Now is not the time for shelf control — you’ll be able to find books from all of the festival’s featured authors at the Main Book Sales Tent on 11th Street and Congress Avenue.
You can also buy from these booksellers and vendors. Books you buy or bring from home can be signed at the adjacent signing tent.
But wait, there’s more. There are 100+ panels and readings on the schedule across the festival grounds. FYI — some events are for Book Ticket holders only.
You can check out the full lineup yourself, but here are a few we have our eyes on:
Saturday:
- 10:45 a.m. — The Turkey Book: Cooking Demo with Jesse Griffiths
- 12 p.m. — Buzzy Thrillers: Secrets, Lies, and Smart Women
- 1:15 p.m. — Texas Roots, Hidden Truths: Uncovering Family Histories and Lost Legacies
- 2:15 p.m. — Writers’ League of Texas Presents: Debut Texas Novelists
- 3:30 p.m. — The Chosen Ones: Celebrity Book Club Picks
Sunday:
- 12 p.m. — Exploring Cross-Cultural Identities in Short Story Collections
- 1:15 p.m. — Austin Novelists Writing Contemporary Fiction
- 1:30 p.m. — The Stories We Tell: Magical Realism as a Vehicle to Explore Identity
- 2 p.m. — Latin-ish: Cooking Demo with Marisel Salazar
- 3:15 p.m. — How Infrastructure Supports & Separates Us
If that’s not enough content for you, the annual Lit Crawl will also take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday at Speakeasy Austin, marking the first time the event will be held under one roof. Tune in for comedy, speakers, trivia, workshops, and a “literary death match.” The Lit Crawl is also free, but guests must be 21+ to attend.
Who
More than 270 authors are participating in this year’s festival, including:
- Matthew McConaughey
- Malcolm Gladwell
- Ernest Cline
- Rumaan Alam
- Ashley Elston
Looking for some Austin-based books and authors at the fest? Check these out:
- “The Squish” author Breanna Carzoo
- “An Authentic Life” author Jennifer Chang
- “The Hollywood Assistant” author May Cobb
- “By Any Other Name” author Erin Cotter
- “The Strange Wonders of Roots” author Evan Griffith
- “House of Bone and Rain” author Gambino Iglesias
- “Mamá’s Magnificent Dancing Plantitas” author Eliza Kinkz
How
This is the easy part. Just request a free day pass from CapMetro or find some parking (okay, that’s not as easy as it sounds, but here’s a map) and show up.