Frequently Asked Questions

The festival will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.).

Yes! The festival will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Yes! A selection of presentations will be livestreamed and available online for nationwide audiences unable to attend in person at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Videos of all presentations will be made available on demand shortly after the festival.

See the Getting Here section to find more information on public transit options and parking near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. A selection of presentations will be livestreamed.

Yes! The festival is free and open to the public.

No, tickets are not required to attend the festival.

Plan your day with the filterable festival schedule on our website. The PDF version of the festival schedule will become available soon. Note that any last-minute schedule adjustments will only be updated on the website and will not be reflected in the festival program PDF.

You can build your own schedule by using the “Add to Calendar” feature to add each event that interests you to your personal calendar. Click the words “Add to Calendar” below the date and time for each event that interests you. Please note that this tool places individual events in your personal calendar and does not constitute a reservation or ticket to the event.

The Library continues to monitor COVID-19 conditions and will follow best practices regarding health and safety protocols. Masks are optional, but use is encouraged. Upon entering the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, all guests will be subject to weapons detection bag searches and walk-through magnetometers. Learn more about current safety protocols on our Safety Tips page.

Each person is allowed to bring no more than one carry item (e.g. small backpack, rolling carry-on) limited in size to 20 in x 18 in x 18 in and one personal item (e.g. purse, handbag, slim tote). Please see our Safety Tips page for more guidance on permitted items and non-permitted items. Please note that security will not hold or store any prohibited items.

Each person may bring a water bottle and food, such as lunch or small snacks, for personal consumption only.

There are a variety of dining options available within and around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit their website.

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, braille programs, tactile maps, information about the sensory-friendly Quiet Room, and other disability related services. Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) will be available for pick up at tables near the entrance to each stage. A limited number of manual wheelchairs are available from the Guest Services Desk in the Grand Lobby. Contact ADA@loc.gov for additional accessibility or accommodations inquiries.

Politics and Prose is the official bookseller for the 2025 National Book Festival and will be selling books at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Yes, but please limit the quantity of books and review our Safety Tips for guidance on bags. Also, each author may have specific book signing preferences. When possible, these preferences will be indicated in advance on the website in each book signing’s event description. When viewing the list of book signings, click the event title to see the full event description. Please note that signing preferences are subject to change.

Yes! Authors will be signing books. Each author may have specific preferences regarding signing backlist titles, the quantity of books per attendee, personalizing, signing items other than books and allowing photography. Some authors may request that attendees wear masks during signing events. When viewing the list of book signings, click the event title to see the full event description. Please note that signing preferences are subject to change.

Generally, book signing lines begin after the author’s event has concluded. Queuing will not be allowed to begin any earlier than one hour prior to the published start time of the book signing.

A limited number of printed posters will be available at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. A high-resolution PDF of the poster is available for download from the poster gallery. You may take or send the downloadable file to a printing service and print for non-commercial use. 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 2025 National Book Festival poster!” when making your donation.

A high-resolution PDF of each National Book Festival poster is available for download from the poster gallery. You may take or send the downloadable file to a printing service and print for non-commercial use.

Yes. National Book Festival merchandise items will be available for purchase from the Library of Congress Store at the festival and online.

Yes, free C-SPAN bags will be available while supplies last at the information stations located in the Grand Lobby, the L Street North Lobby, Hall A and Hall D, as well as in the Book Sales area at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

The Library of Congress National Book Festival is free and available to the public thanks to support from generous sponsors and donors. Make your gift today and help share the stories that connect and illuminate the world. With a donation of $50 or more, you become a Friend of the Library of Congress. As a Friend, you will have unique opportunities to connect with the Library firsthand. Another way to support the festival is to help introduce it to others by sharing your festival experience on social media.

The 2025 National Book Festival volunteer application has now closed. We hope to see you at the Festival as an attendee! Please contact NBFvolunteers@loc.gov with any questions.

The Library of Congress National Book Festival accepts nominations of authors with new books via the author nomination form (submissions accepted from publishing professionals only). We encourage you to take our survey during the Festival to provide input on what you want to see in future years.

No. The National Book Festival does not provide networking or professional development opportunities for writers.

Only authorized, official exhibitors may conduct promotional activities at the National Book Festival. Merchandise sales are limited to sales of books written by the presenting authors, book-themed items sold by the National Book Festival’s official contracted bookseller and by the Library of Congress Store, and other books and items sold by or under the auspices of the Library of Congress and other legislative branch agencies. Exhibitor registration for the 2026 National Book Festival will begin in January. If you’d like to explore more information about being an official exhibitor for the National Book Festival, please visit our exhibitor page.

Please be aware of scams that claim to sell you exhibit space, the opportunity to be a featured author, or the opportunity to promote and/or sell books at the National Book Festival. The Library of Congress does not charge authors to participate in the National Book Festival. If you have any concern about the legitimacy of such an offer, please contact bookfest@loc.gov.

Typos happen — but we want to make sure the website is as accurate as possible. If you believe you've found a typo, please email bookfest@loc.gov.