Festival Information
The 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.). The event is free and open to the public. 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.
Use this virtual attendee guide to curate your 2024 National Book Festival online experience from a variety of programs and activities.
Before the Festival
Discover the Authors
The 2024 National Book Festival is hosting over 90 authors to participate in conversations and signings. Get to know these authors and their books by exploring the Festival’s authors page.
Watch Interviews with PBS
Between July 10 and August 14, once a week at 8 p.m. EDT, you can watch interviews with some of the Festival’s featured authors—including Sandra Cisneros, Max Greenfield, Susan and Lexi Haas, James McBride, Abby Jimenez, Tiya Miles and Renée Fleming—hosted by PBS Books in partnership with PBS stations. Excerpts of these interviews will be released after the Festival as well.
Plan Your Day
To get started, find out which Festival events are available online by following these steps:
- Visit the Festival Events page.
- Under the “Search for Events” filter, check the box that says “Livestream Available or Online Only.”
- Hit the “Apply” button.
- Scroll down to the schedule; all events available for online audiences will be displayed there.
- Filter the schedule further by selecting authors, times, genres or event types that interest you.
You can also build out your own personal schedule by taking these steps:
- Find an event you’d like to attend on the Festival Events page.
- Open the “Add to calendar” dropdown below the date and time of the event.
- Pick the calendar to which you’d like to add the event (Apple/Outlook or Google).
Please note that this tool places individual events into your personal calendar and does not constitute a reservation or ticket to the event.
During the Festival
Share Your Story
The 2024 Festival’s theme is “Books Build Us Up.” Share how this theme resonates with you and join in conversations using the hashtag #NatBookFest. You can also connect with the Library of Congress on social media.
Watch the Festival Livestreams
All livestream information is located on the Watch the Festival page. A few highlights include:
- An opening ceremony featuring special presentations by six Festival authors.
- A livestream of the Main Stage.
- C-SPAN2’s livestream of select events and exclusive interviews.
View all events that will be livestreamed on August 24 in the Festival schedule
After the Festival
Stay Tuned for Video Recordings
Video recordings of all Festival events—including those that were not livestreamed—will be released shortly after the Festival, complete with closed captioning. Subscribe to the “Bookmarked” blog to be notified when videos of all events become available.
Take Our Survey
Your feedback is important! Please take a moment and tell us about your experience with the 2024 National Book Festival by completing our survey. The survey closes September 13.