The Louisiana Book Festival takes place on Saturday, October 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Baton Rouge, at the State Library of Louisiana and the surrounding Capitol Park area. The Festival's Young Readers Pavilion will feature appearances by storybook characters, award-winning authors, musical performances, face painting, balloon artists, and crafts.
More than 25 highlighted authors will interact with young readers on the front lawn of the State Library beginning at 9 a.m. Headlining the 2026 festival’s youth programming will be the all-ages panel discussion “Little Books, Big Lives: Picture Book Biographies” featuring seven award-winning writers and illustrators. A panel for middle-grade readers on Realistic Fiction, and Sci-Fi, Romance, Suspense, and Fantasy panels within the Young Adult genre are also part of this year’s program.
The festival’s lineup of celebrated children’s, middle-grade, and young adult authors includes Carlotta Wells Lanier and Lisa Frazier Page (Carlotta's Special Dress: How a Walk to School Changed Civil Rights History), Andrea Beatriz Arango, Artie Bennett, Pamela Courtney, Callie Dean, Johnette Downing, Leslie Helakowski, Jason Peterson, Kirk Reedstrom, Misako Rocks!, T.L. Simpson, and others.
All winning authors from the latest Louisiana Readers’ Choice Awards will also be in attendance, including Tadgh Bentley (One Chicken Nugget), Frank Murphy, Charnaie Gordon, and Anastasia Magloire Williams (Heroic Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Joe Delaney); Kelly J. Baptist (Eb & Flow); Deya Muniz (The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich); along with teen honor book selection author Nicki Pau Preto (Bonesmith). The 2025-2026 Young Readers’ and Teen Readers’ Choice Awards honorees will be recognized at special ceremonies on the day of the festival.
Activities for tween and teen readers include a variety of games and arts and crafts. The papermaking tent, balloon artists, and face painting return this year. Halloween costume contests are scheduled for both children (1:00 p.m.) and teens (3:00 p.m.) The East Baton Rouge Parish Library and Kids Orchestra conduct their popular “Books & Music” program at 3:15 p.m., and costumed book characters in attendance will be Elephant and Piggie from the Mo Willems children’s series.
More information about the Louisiana Book Festival is available at LouisianaBookFestival.org
