Despite the pandemic, book festivals and events around the world continue to be held, though all of them in the next two months in the U.S. will be virtual. The big question for book lovers is when authors, publishers, booksellers, and fans will once again be able to mingle in real life—or, as some fear, whether the virtual world is here to stay.
Last week, U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson gave hope that the London Book Fair, scheduled June 29–July 1, might be held in person when he announced that the country will end restrictions on large gatherings by June 21. The Bologna Children’s Book Fair, scheduled for June 14–17, is also still planning to hold live events, in conjunction with a virtual program. The question surrounding both fairs is whether travel restrictions will ease enough for international visitors to attend.
Farther abroad, the Bangkok Book Fair, the Eurasian International Book Fair, and the Moscow Non/Fiction Book Fair are all planning for in-person festivals with exhibitor booths as well as live panels and presentations.
Please note, the following information was up-to-date at the time of publication and is subject to change. All events are virtual unless otherwise noted.
March
AWP Conference & Bookfair, March 3–7
Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago, ongoing
Left Coast Crime, San Diego, Calif., postponed to 2022
Lehigh Valley Book Festival, Lehigh Valley, Pa., March 26–May 1
Moscow Non/Fiction Book Fair, Moscow, March 24–28 (in-person)
New Delhi World Book Fair, New Delhi, March 6–9
North Texas Teen Book Festival, Irving, Tex., March 6
Palm Beach Book Festival, Palm Beach, Fla., March 19–20
SleuthFest, Boca Raton, Fla., March 19–21
South by Southwest, Austin, Tex., March 16–20
Southern Kentucky Book Fest, Bowling Green, Ky., postponed to 2022
Tech Forum and E-bookcraft, Toronto (events in March and April)
Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, New Orleans, March 24–28
Tucson Festival of Books, Tucson, Ariz., March 6–7
Virginia Festival of the Book, Charlottesville, Va., March 13–26
WonderCon, Los Angeles, March 26–28
The Write Stuff Writers Conference, Bethlehem, Pa., March 25–28
April
Alabama Book Festival, Montgomery, Ala., dates to be announced
Bangkok Book Fair, Bangkok, April 17–22 (in-person)
Book Lovers Con, Nashville, postponed to December
Eurasian International Book Fair, Astana, Kazakhstan, April 21–25 (in-person)
Geneva Book and Press Fair, Geneva, Switzerland, April 28–May 2 (canceled)
IBPA Publishing University, Redondo Beach, Calif., April 7–10
L.A. Times Festival of Books, Los Angeles, April 17–23
Malice Domestic, Bethesda, Md., postponed to July 14–17
Newburyport Literary Festival, Newburyport, Mass., April 23–25
Norwescon, SeaTac, Wash., April 1–4
Quebec International Book Fair, Quebec City, Canada, April 7–11
San Antonio Book Festival, San Antonio, Tex., April 9–11
Texas Library Association Conference, Houston, April 22–24
YALLWest Book Festival, Santa Monica, Calif., April 24
