Southern Festival of Books 2026

The Southern Festival of Books returns to Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park on October 17 and 18, 2026. It's one of the oldest literary festivals in the country, presented by Vanderbilt University as a program of Humanities Tennessee. It's been running for 38 years, and every October it brings hundreds of authors and thousands of visitors to downtown Nashville.

The main draw is the lineup: nearly 200 regionally and nationally recognized authors, including Jayne Anne Phillips, Ayad Akhtar, David George Haskell, and Ann Patchett. They're spread across many genres, so you can spend your weekend jumping from one session to the next. Beyond the talks, there are more than 100 vendors, food trucks, performance stages, and an all-ages creative space. The festival artwork this year is by Imgrnt.

If you're looking for something more formal, the festival's signature fundraiser, the Authors in the Round Dinner, is a ticketed event on October 16 at Marathon Music Works. The rest of the weekend is free. The festival is also complemented by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries' fall author series, run in collaboration with Parnassus Books and Dialogue Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt University Press will have a booth all weekend and is highlighting seven of its own titles.

On Saturday, October 17, the festival runs from 9 AM to 6 PM; on Sunday, October 18, it's 10 AM to 5 PM. You'll find it at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, 615 Main St, Nashville, TN 37206. Admission is free.