Listen to this story 8:43
Jump to a section
Read aloud by an AI voice (ElevenLabs) from the story on this page, which is the full transcript. Tables and maps are summarized in the audio.
The Texas Book Festival is free, runs Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. around the Texas Capitol in downtown Austin, Texas, and the forecast says to go Saturday. According to ATX Things' read of the festival's own schedule and the National Weather Service forecast checked Nov. 11, Saturday is partly sunny with a 23% chance of showers, while Sunday carries a 56% chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Forecasts move. The NWS Austin/San Antonio forecast we read on Nov. 11 puts Sunday at 70° with showers and thunderstorms likely (56%). A second model we checked (Open-Meteo) also shows Sunday as the wetter day, and the two disagree on Saturday's high (72° vs. 64°). Check the forecast again Friday night before you commit your Sunday.
When and where is the Texas Book Festival?
Festival Weekend is Nov. 14–15, in tents on 11th Street, Colorado Street and Congress Avenue directly south of the Capitol, plus the Capitol itself and nearby buildings. Per the festival's How to Attend page, the sessions that are not in a tent are at:
- Texas State Capitol, 1100 Congress Ave. (Capitol Auditorium and House Extension rooms)
- State Theatre, 719 Congress Ave.
- First Baptist Church, 901 Trinity St.
- Central Presbyterian Church, 200 E. 8th St.
- The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center, 700 Congress Ave.
- Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 1201 Brazos St.
The festival says more than 280 authors are coming this year. The festival's online schedule lists more than 90 sessions on each day, so nobody sees more than a sliver of it. Pick three sessions you will not miss and treat the rest as wandering.
Where do you park?
The festival says free parking is available in State Lot garages on San Jacinto between 12th and 16th streets. Accessible parking is at the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage, 1201 San Jacinto Blvd.; for special accommodations the festival lists 512-477-4055 and bookfest@texasbookfestival.org.
We have not parked in those garages on a festival Saturday, and the festival does not say how fast they fill. If you want a Saturday-morning seat at a first-hour session, plan to be walking from the garage by 9:30 a.m. That is our guess, not a published fill time.
Which sessions need a ticket, and which are free?
Almost everything is free. The festival lists three ticketed sessions this year, sold through its events page:
| Session | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Colson Whitehead on Cool Machine | Sat., Nov. 14, 12:15–1 p.m. | First Baptist Church |
| Patrick Radden Keefe on London Falling | Sat., Nov. 14, 3:45–4:30 p.m. | First Baptist Church |
| Brené Brown, Adm. William McRaven, Nan McRaven and Susan Engelking on leadership | Sun., Nov. 15 (time not confirmed by us) | Not confirmed by us |
We did not read ticket prices or whether any of them have sold out, so check the festival's events page before you plan around one.
What would we put on a Saturday plan?
Everything below comes from the festival's online schedule as of Nov. 11. Sessions can change, so the festival says its online schedule is the most up-to-date version.
- 10 a.m.: "Capturing a Literary Life: Remembering Cormac McCarthy" in the Texas Tent presented by Texas Monthly, and Josh Tyrangiel on AI For Good on the Contemporary Austin's Jones Center rooftop. Ayad Akhtar talks about The Radiance at the State Theatre at 10:15.
- 10:30 a.m.: Kate DiCamillo on The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane at Central Presbyterian Church, a draw for families. The Central Market Cooking Tent opens its Saturday demos the same half hour with John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen.
- 1 p.m.: Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji demo Heartland Masala in the cooking tent.
- 2:15 p.m.: "New School Barbecue" with Evan LeRoy and Paula Forbes, also in the cooking tent.
Sunday's cooking tent has two we flagged: Reyna and Maritza Vázquez on Veracruz All Natural at 11:30 a.m., and Fermín Núñez on Vitamina T at 2 p.m. Lawrence Wright talks about Redemption in the Capitol Auditorium at 3 p.m. Wright's session is in the Capitol Auditorium, which is indoors.
Where do you buy the books?
BookPeople is the festival's official bookseller. Per the festival, its book sales tents are on 11th Street at Congress Avenue (a main tent and a children's tent), open 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Sunday. For signings, the festival says you may bring one pre-owned book, with the caveat that it cannot guarantee every author's guidelines allow it.
Exhibitor tents include University of Texas Press, Texas Folklore Society, Deep Vellum, Haymarket Books, Austin Books and Libreria J. Santos, according to the festival's exhibitor list. Eight food trucks are listed, among them Amy's Ice Creams, Roppolo's Pizzeria, Tacobaby and Wholly Cow Burgers.
What is Lit Crawl, and is it free?
Lit Crawl Austin is the festival's after-hours piece: literary readings, trivia and storytelling at three downtown bars, all free. The festival's Lit Crawl page lists Saturday, Nov. 14, 7–10 p.m. at:
- Sip Haus, 715 Red River St. (21+)
- The Side Bar, 602 E. 7th St. (21+)
- Cheer Up Charlies, 900 Red River St. (18+)
A correction on the festival's own site: its main festival page says Lit Crawl is "Saturday, November 13." Nov. 13 is a Friday. The dedicated Lit Crawl page says Saturday, Nov. 14, 7–10 p.m., and that is the date we used. Confirm at texasbookfestival.org/2026-lit-crawl if you are planning a tight evening.
What locals should know
- Sunday also has a free Netflix and Texas Book Festival screening of Guarding Stars at the State Theatre, 5–6:30 p.m., listed as RSVP on the festival's events page.
- The festival has posted a fraud warning about fake "pay to be featured" invitations to authors and vendors. It is aimed at authors and exhibitors, not attendees, but it is a reminder that the only official addresses end in @texasbookfestival.org.
- Hours are the festival's published times. We did not use Google Places for this piece, so we have not independently checked the church and theater venues' own opening hours; the session times come from the festival.
FAQ
Is the Texas Book Festival free? Yes. The festival says Festival Weekend is free and open to all, except three ticketed sessions: Colson Whitehead, Patrick Radden Keefe, and the leadership panel with Brené Brown and the McRavens.
What are the Texas Book Festival hours? Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 15, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., per the festival's How to Attend page.
Where do you park for the Texas Book Festival? The festival lists free parking in State Lot garages on San Jacinto Street between 12th and 16th streets, and accessible parking at the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage, 1201 San Jacinto Blvd.
Which day is better, Saturday or Sunday? On the forecasts we read Nov. 11, Saturday is drier (NWS: 23% chance of showers) than Sunday (56%, showers and thunderstorms likely). Saturday also has the earlier start.
Is there anything for kids? The festival lists a Children's Activity Tent, a Read Me a Story tent and Kate DiCamillo on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Check the schedule for age filters.
Planning the rest of the weekend? We covered the Austin Studio Tour, which shares the same Saturday and Sunday, and our running list of things to do in Austin. Official details: Texas Book Festival, 2026 schedule, National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio. We publish twice a day, morning and afternoon, on what is actually open and actually happening.
Related Austin Data
More Austin Guides
Share this article
