Calling all book lovers in the ATL! If you’re looking for the perfect way to spend your weekend, enjoy some amazing books, AND get out in the community… we’ve got just the event for you. Mark your calendars for October 2nd – 3rd, because the Decatur Book Festival is coming back into town! Keep scrolling for all the details.
What is the Decatur Book Festival?
From its humble beginnings over 2 decades ago, back in 2005, the Decatur Book Festival has been a celebrated community gathering of readers, authors, and literary enthusiasts in the heart of Decatur, Georgia!
The festival hosts tons of amazing events, along with a huge street fair. It’s a book lover’s dream come true!
The festival’s mission is
… to encourage a love of reading, inquiry, and conversation in people of all ages, and to build an enthusiastic and inclusive community of readers and writers, sparking social, creative, and intellectual engagement.
And from its start in 2005, the Decatur Book Festival has become not only a staple of the local community, but one of the most beloved independent book festivals in the country.
What can festival-goers expect at the Decatur Book Festival?
The Decatur Book Festival features tons of incredible events, activities, and book-centric happenings. Some of these awesome events include:
- panels with award-winning and best-selling national, regional, and local authors
- book signings
- cooking demonstrations
- kids’ activities
- live music
- delicious local & national food
- exhibitors & merch vendors
And of course, booksellers! The festival partners with several local independent bookstores, including:
- Brave + Kind Book Shop
- Charis Books & More
- Eagle Eye Book Shop
- Little Shop of Stories
The biggest part of the Decatur Book Festival is definitely the Decatur Book Festival Street Fair, which takes place on Saturday of the fest only.
The Street Fair features a wide variety of exhibitors, including authors, poets, publishers, booksellers, writing groups, artists, nonprofits, and small businesses. You can peruse thousands of books & learn more about the writing and reading communities in Atlanta.
And it’s HUGE too! In 2025, the festival welcomed an estimated 20,000 engaged book lovers from across the region.
Okay, okay! I’ve gotta check this out! Details, please!
Where: Multiple locations in Decatur; the Book Fair will be in Decatur Square
When: October 2nd – 3rd
*keynote event on Friday, October 2nd
*full day festival on October 3rd
You can learn more & stay up to date with all the Book Fest happenings on their website, here!
Don’t miss out on all the fun, Atlanta! See you at the Decatur Book Festival this October!