PLEASE NOTE: The NH Book Festival is being impersonated by scammers. Applications for 2026 are closed and the festival is not currently seeking authors.

Outdoor street festival with tents, vendors, and people walking along the street, American flags, in a city with mid-rise brick and white buildings under a clear blue sky.
Logo for the 2026 NH Book Festival, presented by Ledyard Bank. The logo features a stylized stack of colorful books to the left and text with the event name to the right.

OCTOBER 2-3, 2026
CONCORD, NH

FEATURING BESTSELLING AUTHORS
JODI PICOULT AND JEFF KINNEY

See All Our 2026 Authors

Welcome to the New Hampshire Book Festival — where stories come alive and community thrives.

Join us in downtown Concord, NH, October 2–3, 2026, for a vibrant celebration of books, featuring more than 50 nationally recognized authors and poets. Rain or shine!

The New Hampshire Book Festival is a free, all-day festival on Saturday, October 3, supported by ticketed keynote events for schoolchildren, adults and families.

Experience live presentations, engaging panels, and book signings that connect readers and writers in meaningful conversations.

Families are welcome! With a full roster of both children’s and adult authors, there's something for everyone at this premier literary event in New Hampshire.

Come be part of the story!

A line of people browsing books at a book fair or market inside a large tent. The tables are filled with books and the group includes people of various ages looking at the books.
Quote in an orange speech bubble saying, "Extremely well thought out and organized on all levels... Introduced me to new local authors as well as nationally known ones." - 2024 Attendee
Two individuals seated on stage at the NH Book Festival, with a backdrop displaying the event's logo. The woman on the left has white hair and is wearing a dark jacket, while the man on the right is wearing a blue fedora hat and a gray jacket. Books and a bouquet of pink flowers are on a small table in front of them.
A panel of five people sitting in front of a U-shaped table at a book festival, with books displayed on the table, and banners with the NH Book Festival logo in the background inside a white tent.
Red speech bubble with white text reading, 'This was one of my favorite things I did all year. My friend and I had a blast… We cannot wait till next year!!!!!!!' - 2024 Attendee
Two children enjoying a street festival with large soap bubbles. One boy is holding a balloon shaped like an animal, and they are smiling and reaching for the bubbles. The background shows a food truck and colorful autumn trees.

NEWS, REVIEWS, AND MORE FROM THE NH BOOK FESTIVAL

News
Come Lend a Hand at the NH Book Festival
Come Lend a Hand at the NH Book Festival

Thank you to all the volunteers who’ve signed up for a shift at the 2026 festival! And there’s still time to register–volunteers are the engine that drives the weekend event! Without our volunteers, there would be no festival. Check out these roles and choose the one that best fits your personality. Most volunteer shifts last only two to three hours, which leaves plenty of time to enjoy the free Saturday festival…

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2026 Author Roster is Here!
2026 Author Roster is Here!

The 2026 NH Book Festival is coming into focus, with a full roster of novelists, nonfiction authors, poets, picture-book authors, and more, from all over the country…

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NHBF Keynote Jodi Picoult tickets selling fast
NHBF Keynote Jodi Picoult tickets selling fast

The NH Book Festival is counting the days until Jodi Picoult, the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of 31 novels and the festival’s 2026 Keynote Author, will discuss her September 2026 release, Hollow Bones. She’ll be in conversation with NHPR’s Rebecca Lavoie at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord on Friday, October 2.

For Picoult’s fans, her well-researched, emotionally charged works of fiction are nearly impossible to put down, and Hollow Bones promises to be the same…

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Bookstores We Love: Innisfree Bookshop
Bookstores We Love: Innisfree Bookshop

We’re excited to feature New Hampshire’s independent bookstores. This month, we visited Innisfree Bookshop in Meredith.

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Volunteers Power the NH Book Festival
Volunteers Power the NH Book Festival

Each year, nearly 100 volunteers are the engine that propels the annual book festival through two days of activities. If you’d like to meet the authors, or meet bookish new friends, we would love your help!

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Meet New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss at Gibson’s Bookstore
Meet New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss at Gibson’s Bookstore

Join NHBF board members and friends at Gibson’s Bookstore on Main Street on Thursday, July 16, at 5:30 PM to meet Harry Bliss, New Yorker cartoonist and author.

This will be the final opportunity to purchase a raffle ticket to have your pet featured in a cartoon penned by Bliss, with a quip by Steve Martin (yes, THE Steve Martin). The raffle supports the New Hampshire Book Festival, helping to keep the Saturday festival free.

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The 2026 NH Book Festival is presented by:

Logo of Ledyard Bank featuring green and yellow curved lines above the text 'LEDYARD BANK' in green

And with generous sponsorship by:

Funded in part by a grant from:

Special thanks to our 2026 Partners:

Capitol Center for the Arts logo and text indicating it is a nonprofit organization with two venues in Concord, New Hampshire.
Interior of Gibson's Bookstore with colorful chairs and shelves of books, sign reading 'Gibson's Bookstore - Concord's Indie Bookstore since 1898'.
Logo of the New Hampshire State Library with text 'Center for the Book' and a stylized L shape. Adjacent to the logo is a photo of a historic stone building with arched windows and decorative architecture, set against a blue sky with some clouds.

Thank you to our 2026 Media and Community Partners: