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Festival Information

The 19th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, Aug. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

NOTE: Visitors can expect enhanced safety and security measures when entering the Convention Center.

Getting Here

The National Book Festival is held at the Washington Convention Center, located at 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW, Washington, D.C. The center is conveniently located near the Mount Vernon Square Metro station on the Yellow and Green lines. For additional information and route planning, visit the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority website at www.wmata.com External.

Parking: There are more than 3,000 parking spaces in a three-block radius of the facility. These spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit the DC Convention Center site External.

Author Stages

Starting at 9:30 a.m., more than 140 authors, illustrators and poets will make presentations on stages dedicated to kids, fiction, history, biography, poetry, science and more. Many fascinating thematic programs and panel discussions will be offered throughout the festival. A Main Stage of 4,000 seats will feature seven of the most popular festival authors.

See all Introducers and Interviewers

Family-Friendly Activities

The exposition floor on the lower level of the Convention Center will also offer a wide array of fun and exciting activities and programs for festival attendees of all ages.

See more on Family-Friendly Activities

Festival App

Now available! Apple and Android users can make their plans, bookmark the authors they want to see, navigate the Festival and set up a personalized schedule with a National Book Festival app for smartphones.

The app is available for iOS External and Android External. Or use the web version of the app External.

Map of Festival

Find your way around the Convention Center and plot your course for the big day.

View and download a map of the Festival

2019 Children's Guide to the Library of Congress National Book Festival

So many places to go, so many authors to see and hear and read. Use this guide to make sure your National Book Festival adventure is a real page-turner!

  • Get insider tips and plan your festival schedule
  • Learn more about the children's and teen’s authors appearing at the festival
  • Complete fun activities
  • Use the festival map to navigate your trip on the Washington Convention Center

Download: 2019 Children's Guide to the Library of Congress National Book Festival (PDF, 2.71 MB)

Thanks to the Mensa® Foundation for collaboration in development of the 2019 Guide to the Library of Congress National Book Festival.

Food Venues

Discover food options available within the Convention Center.

Accessibility

We want the festival to be fun for everyone! ASL interpreting services will be provided at all author stages during scheduled events. If you need additional assistance, the Accessibility & Information station, located in the Grand Lobby on the Street Level, will offer access to ASL interpreters, assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs, braille programs and other special services. Please email bookfest@loc.gov with any accessibility questions or requests for accommodations.

Download the braille program and read more about available services

Follow the Festival

Keep up with the latest news on the Library of Congress National Book Festival: