Thursday, March 21, 2025
By Aryanna Gamble
Welcome to the 2025 New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, where every page turned is a step deeper into the rich tapestry of words and imagination. Here’s everything you need to prepare for this year’s festival, launching on Thursday, March 27 and running through Saturday, March 29 on Tulane’s uptown campus.
Celebrating Mardi Gras for the Mind: Explore 2025 Festival Programming
Raising the bar, The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University launches its fourth annual fest on Thursday, March 27. This year's festival includes over 200 authors, illustrators, chefs and thought leaders in over 90 panel discussions which feature a variety of programming collaborations. Read more...
SCHEDULE
The full schedule of events is available on the festival website. All festival events are free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Please note, as is the nature of live events, some adjustments have been made to the schedule. Continue to check the updates page for a log of major changes to the schedule and author lineup.
REGISTER FOR THE FEST
The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University remains free and open to the public. While registration is not mandatory, registration provides the festival team with valuable insights into the preferences and interests of attendees, which is instrumental in shaping future programming.
Show your registration for the fest in the Welcome Center in Pedersen Lobby in the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life and get a free cotton tote bag (while supplies last). Register here.
BOOK SALES & SIGNINGS
Book sales and signings at the festival will be hosted by our local independent bookstore partners, including Baldwin & Co, Octavia Books, Garden District Books, as well as Barnes & Noble College. While you can bring your own book for signing, purchasing on-site supports the festival’s success, independent bookstores, and the attending authors.
FESTIVAL MERCH
Gear up for the 2025 festival! Apparel, posters, prints and accessories will be available at the merch store in the Hyatt Regency Festival Tent on Friday and Saturday.
GETTING TO THE FEST
We highly encourage festival attendees to consider alternate transportation options as parking and traffic around campus will likely be difficult to navigate during the festival. There are numerous construction projects along Broadway St. and throughout the surrounding neighborhood that may impact traffic flow during the festival. By choosing alternate transportation, you’ll help ease congestion and make the festival experience smoother for everyone.
Park & Ride Festival Shuttles: Convenient shuttles will run throughout the festival from University Square (200 Broadway St) to Tulane’s uptown campus and drop off near the Malkin Sacks Commons. Shuttles will leave from the shuttle stop at 200 Broadway on the hour and half hour from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Friday, March 28 and 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 29. Parking for shuttles at University Square is available on a first come, first served basis.
Bike: Bike racks are available across the university's uptown campus.
Walk or Use Public Transit: The campus is accessible by multiple RTA bus routes and streetcars. Tulane is on the St. Charles Streetcar Line (green cars). RTA bus 57-Franklin-Freret conveniently stops in the middle of Tulane’s uptown campus. Use the RTA Plan My Trip tool or visit the website for more information. Also please note, Freret Street Fest on Saturday, March 29 may impact the service route for this line--check the RTA site for the most up to date service interruptions.
Taxi or Ride Shares: Consider using Uber, Lyft, or similar services to drop off at 6801 Freret St.
Family Day Shuttles: Shuttles will provide free round-trip rides to Family Day at the Fest on Saturday, March 29 from city wide locations that are listed below. All shuttles will drop off near Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse on Freret St.
Baldwin & Co. Bookstore: 1030 Elysian Fields Avenue
Kipp Central City Academy: 2514 Third St, New Orleans, LA 70113
Community Academy of New Orleans (Esperanza Academy): 4407 South Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119
Jefferson Parish Eastbank Regional Library: 4747 W. Napoleon Avenue, Metairie
Jefferson Parish Terrytown Branch Library: 680 Heritage Avenue, Terrytown
Limited On-Campus Parking:
For those who must drive, limited parking is available on campus in surface spots and the Diboll Garage:
Parking opens at 4 p.m. on Thursday and is available through the duration of the festival.
ADA parking spaces are located beside the elevators on each floor of the Diboll Garage. A state-issued placard or license plate is required to park in these spaces. The university’s interactive campus map shows ADA spaces (check the Parking box to view).
For more information about parking and transportation at the fest, click here.
FESTIVAL MAP
All All festival venues are nestled in the center of Tulane's uptown campus. View the festival map of venue locations and the interactive campus map for a wider view of how to navigate campus.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Plenty of food options are available in and around Tulane during your time at the fest!
Campus Dining:
Our main university dining centers, The Commons and the Lavin-Bernick Center will be open during the festival. A full list of dining options around Tulane’s campus can be found here.
Food Trucks:
Bonafried and Diva Dog food trucks will be stationed along McAlister Place near the ROTC Building on Friday and Saturday of the festival. Crepes a la Cart will be located across from McAlister Auditorium on Friday.
Grab & Go Sandwiches with Francolini's:
Visit the fest cafe inside the Hyatt Regency Festival Tent on Friday and Saturday for grab and go sandwiches available from Francolini's. starting at 11 a.m., while supplies last.
Coffee:
Free PJ’s Coffee will be available in the Welcome Center in Pedersen Lobby on Friday and Saturday, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., while supplies last.
Free French Truck Coffee and special edition festival cups will be available in the Hyatt Regency Festival Tent on Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., while supplies last.
SIGN UP FOR TEXT ALERTS
Sign up for emergency text alerts and stay informed about any unexpected developments during the event.
Text BOOKFESTTU to 888777 to opt-in to emergency notifications about the festival.
ACCESSIBILITY:
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully.
To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances.
Accessibility Notice: The elevator between the first and second floors of the Lavin-Bernick Center is currently out of order. To access the second-floor festival venues (Kendall Cram Lecture Hall and Stibbs), guests who require an elevator should enter through the Malkin Sacks Commons and proceed to the second floor via the elevator there. Follow the hallway that connects the two buildings to reach the venues.
For more information about accessibility at the fest visit the website.
