Festival Information

The 22nd annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Sept. 3, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.). The event is free and open to the public. This year's theme is "Books Bring Us Together." A selection of programs will be livestreamed online and videos of all programs will be available shortly after the Festival. Attendees may expect enhanced safety and security measures when entering the Convention Center.
Getting Here
The National Book Festival is held at the Walter E. 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.
Parking: Multiple parking garages are located around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center with hourly and daily rates. For more information, visit the Walter E. Washington Convention Center site.
Plan Your Day
Find your way around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center by viewing or downloading the Festival map. Plan your day with the filterable Festival schedule on our website, or by viewing and downloading the Festival program. Note that any last-minute schedule adjustments will only be updated on the website and will not be reflected in the Festival program PDF.
Book Sales and Festival Merchandise
Politics & Prose is the official bookseller for the 2022 National Book Festival, and will be selling books at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and on its website. Visit the Library of Congress Shop at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center or online to purchase National Book Festival t-shirts and other items.
National Book Festival Poster
The 2022 National Book Festival poster was designed by artist, writer and educator Gail Anderson. Learn more about her inspiration for the poster on the Festival blog.
A high-resolution PDF of the poster is available for download from the National Book Festival Poster Gallery. You may take or send the downloadable file to a printing service and print for non-commercial use. A limited number of printed posters will be available at the information booths on the street level and lower level of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and at Gail Anderson’s poster signing. Also, you may request to have a printed poster shipped to you with a donation of $25 or more to support the National Book Festival by selecting “I’d like to receive a 2022 National Book Festival poster!” when making your donation.
Explore the History of the Festival
Since the first National Book Festival on Sept. 8, 2001, the Festival has become one of the most prominent literary events in the United States. Learn more
Discover many of the books featured at the National Book Festival with the story map, “Around the World in National Book Festival Books.” This story map brings you on a journey across the globe through a selection of featured books from 2012 to 2021.
Accessibility
We want the festival to be fun for everyone! ASL interpreting services and CART services will be provided during scheduled presentations. If you need additional assistance, the Accessibility & Information station will offer access to ASL interpreters, assistive listening devices (ALDs), braille programs and other special services. Contact ADA@loc.gov for additional accessibility or accommodations inquiries.
Download the braille program and read more about available services
FAQ & Contact Us
Questions? Check out our FAQ page for answers to some of the most common questions.
To submit author nominations for the next National Book Festival, please complete the author nomination form.
For general questions and comments about the National Book Festival, please use the Contact Us form.
Participate in Your Festival
Create your National Book Festival experience through social media and timely alerts:
- Subscribe to the National Book Festival email alerts
- Follow the National Book Festival Blog
- Follow the Library on Twitter @LibraryCongress
- Follow the hashtag: #NatBookFest
- Find us on Facebook
- Find us on Instagram