The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, or Book Fest, returns for its fourth annual celebration from March 27 to 29, 2025, on Tulane’s Uptown campus. Originally a children’s book festival, Book Fest has expanded into a premier literary event that attracts nationally and internationally recognized authors, journalists and thinkers. Each year, the event grows in scope and attendance, offering lively discussions, cultural experiences and a vibrant literary atmosphere.
The free, public festival features a diverse lineup of more than 150 authors, as well as live music, cooking demonstrations and interactive programming. With thought-provoking panels, book signings and engaging family-friendly activities — including more than 90 panels, a culinary conference, Family Day activities and a closing musical celebration — Book Fest has become a must-attend event for Tulanians and New Orleans locals alike.
Among the notable participants are Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chief medical adviser to the president of the United States; John Grisham, one of the most famous novelists of all time, whose legal thrillers have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide; Bob Woodward, the investigative journalist who helped uncover the Watergate scandal; and Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and author of “Team of Rivals” and “The Bully Pulpit.”
The festival lineup features bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson, journalist and former CBS and NBC anchor Connie Chung and Emmy Award-winning host W. Kamau Bell. Also attending are Michael Lewis, author of “Moneyball” and “The Blind Side,” former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu and “Educated” author Tara Westover. Other attendees include Drew Faust, former Harvard University president; Gen. David H. Petraeus, retired four-star general and former director of the Central Intelligence Agency; Ken Auletta, longtime New Yorker media critic; and David Axelrod, political strategist and former chief campaign adviser to former President Barack Obama.
The opening night event for Book Fest will take place Thursday, March 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium in collaboration with The Atlantic. The discussion, led by Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, will feature Pulitzer Prize-winner Anne Applebaum, McKay Coppins, Elaina Plott Calabro and Adam Serwer. The evening will close with a conversation with Bryan Stevenson, author of “Just Mercy” and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.
New for 2025, authors Cleo Wade and Nicole Richie will introduce The Burgundy Room, an interactive pop-up experience in the Hyatt Regency Festival Tent. The space will host coffee chats with authors and other creative engagements as a fresh way for participants to interact with literature and allow for more intimate discussions beyond the mainstage events.
Scheduled for Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Family Day will feature 22 local and national authors and interactive storytelling experiences. Through a partnership with Scholastic, each child in attendance will receive up to three free books as the event expands to the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse, giving families more opportunities to participate in the literary celebration.
The festival will conclude with a performance by Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee and New Orleans R&B legend Deacon John. Held from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m. in the Book Fest Programming Tent on the Berger Family Lawn, the celebration will also feature Louisiana crawfish, provided by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.
Attendees can access a digital guide, created in collaboration with Bloomberg Connects, to help navigate the festival’s events.
With a lineup featuring bestselling authors, political figures and cultural thinkers, Book Fest 2025 is set to be one of the most exciting and enriching literary events of the year.
For more details and the complete festival schedule, visit https://bookfest.tulane.edu/.
Editor’s note: Anne Applebaum was incorrectly identified as a cartoon editor for The New Yorker, and a correction has been made.
