The annual Texas Book Festival (TBF) takes place November 14-15, 2026, at the Texas Capitol, in tents along 11th Street and Congress Avenue, and select nearby venues including the First Baptist Church of Austin, Central Presbyterian Church, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center. Free and open to the public, the 31st annual Festival will feature an incredible lineup of authors, engaging programming for all ages, book signings, food trucks, cooking demonstrations, and a Saturday night Lit Crawl in East Austin. There’s something for everyone!

Image of a man holding a book and walking down Congress Avenue while looking over his shoulder to smile at the camera with the Texas State Capitol in the background.
Courtesy of the Texas Book Festival. 

Founded in 1995 by Laura W. Bush, a former librarian and then First Lady of Texas, along with Mary Margaret Farabee and a dedicated group of volunteers, TBF set out to honor Texas authors, promote the joys of reading, and benefit the state’s public libraries. The first Festival took place in November 1996 and has grown into one of the nation’s premier literary events.

Featured Authors

Texas Book Festival has officially announced the complete 2026 authors list and it features an incredible 285 writers. The list covers a variety of genres with authors for all ages including writers Steve Adler, Melissa Albert, Varsha Bajaj, Emeline Atwood, Amy DuBois Barnett, Emma Brodie, Wesley Brown, Andrew Greer, Lyla Sage, Andrea Rogers, Reyna Vazquez, Jasmine Warga and many more. Visit texasbookfestival.org to view the full lineup.

Adult Program

Hear from authors across genres in free Q&As, conversations, and readings. Enjoy cooking demonstrations from authors and esteemed chefs sharing recipes from their new books. Hear from featured authors in adult fiction and nonfiction, award-winning poets, memoirists, and more.

Image of a women smiling up a women from a table while she signs a book.
Courtesy of the Texas Book Festival.

Lit Crawl

Night owls with a little more pep left on Saturday night won’t want to miss Lit Crawl. The annual event includes storytelling sessions, spoken-word performances, engaging games between featured Festival authors and audiences, and themed discussions.

Get to know your favorite authors, discover new authors, and check out the exciting Texas literary scene!

For more information on the Texas Book Festival, please visit www.texasbookfestival.org and follow along on Facebook, X and Instagram @texasbookfest.