FAQs

The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University will take place on March 12 – 15, 2026. The festival kicks off with an exciting opening session on the evening of Thursday, March 12, followed by two full days of programming on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New in 2026, Family Day at the Fest will move to Sunday at 10 a.m. Please note, Sunday’s programming will be exclusively dedicated to Family Day, with no additional sessions for general audiences.

The festival will be held on Tulane University’s uptown campus. All festival venues are conveniently located around the Berger Family Lawn in the center of Tulane’s uptown campus. An interactive map of the uptown campus can be found here and a printable PDF map for the festival can be found here.

The author lineup for the 2026 festival will be announced in November 2025, with the full schedule of sessions available in the weeks before the festival.

The festival kicks off with an exciting opening session on the evening of Thursday, March 12, followed by two full days of programming on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New in 2026, Family Day at the Fest will move to Sunday at 10 a.m. Please note, Sunday’s programming will be exclusively dedicated to Family Day, with no additional sessions for general audiences.

The author lineup for the 2026 festival will be announced in November 2025, with the full schedule of sessions available in the weeks before the festival. 

Registration for the New Orleans Book Festival is strongly recommended, though not required. By registering, you join a vibrant community of book lovers, help shape future programming with your insights, and stay connected through updates on author announcements, programming and year-round events.

Register today for the 2026 festival!  

We take privacy very seriously. If you sign up for our newsletter during the registration process, we will email you throughout the year with news from the festival. We're committed to providing relevant content to your inbox and only send about a dozen newsletter messages each year. If don't subscribe to our newsletter during registration, we will only send you relevant information for this year's festival, including the author lineup, schedule announcement and Know Before You Go Guide. For more information please visit the Tulane Privacy page here.

Admission to the festival is free and open to the public and seating at the festival is available on a first come, first serve basis. Register now and join us March 12-15, 2026 for a celebration of literature and community at the festival!

Tickets are not required. Registration is not mandatory, however it is encouraged so we can anticipate your visit on campus. Seating at sessions at the festival is available on a first come, first serve basis. Register now and join us March 12-15, 2026 for a celebration of literature and community at the festival!

Parking for the festival will be available in the perimeter parking lots located on Tulane University’s uptown campus.  Shuttles will be available to transport attendees from these lots to the Bruff Commons shuttle stop near the Lavin-Bernick Center. More information on parking can be found here.

All festival venues are wheelchair accessible, however some venues have limited availability of wheelchair accessible seating, as all of our venues are seated on a first come, first serve basis. Volunteers will be on hand to assist festival attendees. Please register by February 26, 2026 to request accommodations so we can plan for your visit.

Yes! Most authors will sign books, typically scheduled for 30 minutes following their on-stage event, unless otherwise noted. The full schedule of signings will be available at the festival and posted on our social accounts.

Author books can be purchased on site during the festival in the Hyatt Regency Festival tent.

Yes, books will be on sale for you to purchase and have signed by most of the authors attending the festival. We do our best to offer a wide variety of titles. Baldwin & Co, Octavia Books and Garden District Books are our official local independent bookstore partners, along with Barnes & Noble College.

While you may bring a favorite book from home for an author to sign, please understand that on-site book sales are critical to the success of the festival. By purchasing books on the day of the festival, you support our independent bookstores as well as the festival and the authors who travel from near and far to attend this event.

Many of our events are indoor, those that are outdoor will happen rain or shine! Ponchos will also be available around campus in the event of rain.

Author submissions to be considered for the 2026 festival are open through September 15, 2025. Please read through all of our application information and guidelines before submitting.  Please note that we do not offer individual author or vendor tables.