The 2023 Texas Book Festival will take place on November 11 and 12! At this annual event, authors and book lovers take over the grounds of the Texas State Capitol and along Congress Avenue to share the joy of reading. These two days are packed with hands-on kids’ activities, entertainment, food trucks, book signings, story times, author sessions, cooking demos, book vendors, and more. Plus, attending the fest is FREE and open to the public. While it’s certainly a great event for kids, the Festival features a wide range of topics, from politics to history, sports, music, and food — so there’s something to appeal to everyone in the family.

Young readers have their books signed by Divya Srinivasan at the 2018 Texas Book Festival.

Meet amazing children’s authors, including Andy J. Pizza, Angie Thomas, Roda Ahmed, Chris Barton, and so many more. See all of this year’s Festival authors!

Where to Start? The event is so big it can be intimidating to navigate, but navigationally, Congress Avenue is the designated thoroughfare for kids. There you’ll find authors and activities for picture book lovers, YA fanatics, and chapter book readers. You can browse the entire Texas Book Festival Schedule on the Texas Book Festival website, but below we’re sharing some kid-focused highlights for you to check out.

Children’s Activity Tent
The Children’s Activity Tent will offer activities throughout the festival in collaboration with the Austin Allies Book Club, Austin Parks Foundation, and GirlStart. Additionally, there will be illustration demonstrations by Kaz Windness, Vashti Harrison, and Nikkolas Smith.

Read Me A Story Tent
For the youngest readers, the Read Me A Story Tent will host sessions with esteemed authors and illustrators like Shadra Strickland, Vashti Harrison, Andy J. Pizza, Derrick Barnes, Minh Lê, and more.

Next Chapter Tent
The Next Chapter Tent will showcase notable middle-grade chapter book authors in engaging panels, including Carmen Tafolla, Jasminne Mendez & Andrea Beatriz Arango, Sara Goetter, Natalie Riess, Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey, and more. Young readers can also attend sessions like “Graphic Novels for Curious Readers: Comics, War, and Astrophysics” with Max Brallier, Jorge Cham, and Nathan Hale, as well as “Ooh La La! Dork Diaries in Paris” with Rachel Renée Russell & Nikki Russell at Central Presbyterian Church. Additionally, bestselling authors Jacqueline Woodson and Angie Thomas will discuss their latest middle-grade books in “We Are the Future: Centering Black Youth in Fiction” at First Baptist Church.

Camp TTBF (Teen Texas Book Festival) will host an array of crafts and activities for all to enjoy, including “Banned Camp with BookPeople & Austin Public Library” and “Literary Trivia with Austin Public Library,” among others.

via Texas Book Festival

So Much More: This is just a small sample of what awaits at Texas Book Fest! Be sure to check out the official website for the full schedule of events as well as information about getting to the festival, parking, maps, food vendors, and more. You can also follow the Book Fest on Facebook and Twitter for news and updates.

We can’t wait!