Make your plans to attend the 2026 Louisiana Book Festival!

The 22nd Louisiana Book Festival will be held on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Baton Rouge at the State Library of Louisiana, Capitol Park Museum, and the surrounding Capitol Park area. With approximately 20,000 book lovers from across the state and nation attending each year, the Louisiana Book Festival is one of the region’s premier events celebrating writers, readers, and the books that connect them.

"Every reader can find something to love at the Louisiana Book Festival," said Executive Director Robert Wilson. "But the real magic is the access. It’s not every day you get to chat face-to-face with a favorite writer or get a book signed. We can’t wait to welcome book lovers from all over the country back to the streets of downtown Baton Rouge this Halloween."

This year’s event will welcome approximately 150 featured writers representing a multitude of genres including biography, action & adventure, thriller & suspense, politics, science fiction, fantasy, history, true crime, mystery, cookbooks, and much more. Featured writers will participate in book talks, panels, and signings throughout the day, sharing insight about their work and process with festival attendees. The event will also feature over 100 exhibitors including publishers, authors, libraries, and related vendors.

2026 official artwork highlights power of books as pathway to enlightenment

Each year the Louisiana Book Festival commissions a Louisiana artist to provide the official artwork for the event. This year, visual artist and writer Malaika Favorite created the 2026 festival’s signature piece, titled Path to Enlightenment, which incorporates the first major work of each Louisiana Writer Award recipient in its design.

“My vision for the cover design was to create a scene of enlightenment, emphasizing the idea that books lead us to knowledge about ourselves and our world,” said Malaika Favorite. “I believe that events like the Louisiana Book Festival offer a break from the mundane and invite visitors to experience paths to illumination and discovery.”

“I placed several of the books on floating islands that steer the reader towards adventure. Some of the books are placed in trees that float up to accentuate mental and spiritual growth. The central image is an open portal with stairs leading to a tree of knowledge with an open door at the base. This is the place we seek when we enter the world of books. We hope to be invited into that magical place inside our mind that helps us to become that special person we believe lives deep inside our inner being,” added Favorite.

Favorite, who is also a past featured author at the festival, joins the ranks of other influential Louisiana artists whose works have represented the event. Path to Enlightenment will be featured on a special commemorative poster as well as promotional materials.

Farrah Rochon to receive Louisiana Writer Award

The Louisiana Center for the Book recently announced Farrah Rochon as the recipient of the 27th Louisiana Writer Award. The Center gives the award annually to recognize outstanding contributions to Louisiana’s literary and intellectual life exemplified by a contemporary Louisiana writer’s body of work.

Rochon is the first romance writer to receive the honor. A native of Edgard, Louisiana, the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author has penned 40+ books, including her popular Boyfriend Project series, which have been seen in Cosmopolitan, O: The Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and more.

“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that those stories I used to spin in my head would lead to me receiving such a prestigious honor,” said Rochon about receiving the award. “Louisiana has a rich history of amazing writers, and it is beyond humbling to be recognized as one of them.”

Rochon has become one to watch in the romance genre. She was named Shades of Romance Magazine’s (SORMAG) Best New Author of 2007 and was nominated for an Emma Award for best debut author the same year. Her debut novel, Deliver Me, garnered rave reviews, earning her several SORMAG Readers’ Choice Awards. She was a two-time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s vaunted RITA Award and was a Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award nominee. In 2015, she won the Emma Award for Author of the Year. Her work has earned numerous industry accolades, and her Boyfriend Project trilogy has been optioned for film by Muse Entertainment.

The Louisiana Writer Award will be presented to Rochon on October 31 at the Louisiana Book Festival. Visit our Louisiana Writer Award webpage for more information about this talented author and her work.

Recently confirmed authors and titles featured at LBF 2026

As our staff fills out the roster of featured authors, presenters, and titles for this year’s Louisiana Book Festival, we’ll highlight some of the recently booked participants here. Bookmark and stay tuned to LouisianaBookFestival.org for news and updates – in early fall we’ll be posting the complete lineup of featured authors and programs.

Gaines Award recipient Franklin featured at LBF

New York writer Rob Franklin has been named the recipient of the 19th annual Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for his debut novel Great Black Hope. The Gaines Award is presented annually by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) to a black fiction writer whose work is recognized on a national level, with a goal of increasing visibility for the work and genre. The honoree is recognized in a ceremony and participates in educational activities in area schools adjacent to the event.

The Louisiana Book Festival congratulates Rob Franklin on this prestigious honor. We have partnered with BRAF to coordinate activities related to the annual Gaines Award event, scheduled for October 30, and the festival. A session featuring Franklin will be part of this year's book festival programming. Learn more about his award-winning work here.

Support the festival as a sponsor!

Each year the Louisiana Book Festival is supported by the generous support of sponsors who share our commitment to reading, literacy, and delivering a fun and memorable experience for our attendees. We offer a number of participation levels that deliver a range of visibility, benefits, and customer engagement possibilities designed to fit your marketing budget.

If your business or organization is interested in supporting Louisiana’s flagship book event in 2026, check out the selection of sponsor levels and benefits here or contact Kevin Calbert at kcalbert@library.la.gov for more details.

The 2026 Louisiana Book Festival is October 31!

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