SBF@Schools
SBF promotes literacy through author visits to classrooms.
SBF COUNTDOWN
ABOUT the
SAVANNAH BOOK FESTIVAL
The Savannah Book Festival is a 4-day event with a ticketed opening address on Thursday evening, a ticketed keynote address on Friday evening, a full day of free author talks on Festival Saturday, and a ticketed closing address on Sunday afternoon.
EVENTS
The four-day Savannah Book Festival centers around three main components: three ticketed Headliner Events, Free Festival Saturday, and our renowned SBF@Schools program. Drawing over 9,000 attendees annually, SBF strives to promotes reading, writing and civil conversation within each unique event. Read below to learn more about SBF offerings and how you can get involved for the 2027 Festival!
Headliner Events
Headliner Addresses are ticketed events presented in the Lucas Theater in Downtown Savannah. Headliners give a 45-minute presentation on their creative process and life as a writer, followed by a Q&A and book signing. The lineup for the 2026 Festival consisted of Sean Dietrich to provide the Opening Address, Brad Thor with Ward Larsen to provide the Keynote Address, and Leigh Bardugo to deliver the Closing Address.
Festival Saturday
Our lineup of nationally-recognized authors from wide-ranging genres provide 30-minute solo presentations on their creative process, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Presentations take place in museums, churches and theaters in the heart of Downtown Savannah. Food trucks will provide delicious refreshments between presentations.
SBF@Schools
Each year, SBF authors can choose to arrive a day early to the Festival to discuss their creative process, early educational experiences, and influences and successes in their writing lives with local middle-school, high-school, and college students. The SBF@Schools program brings both fiction and non-fiction authors writing about a vast array of subject matters to inspire and impassion students.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Every year, the Savannah Book Festival seeks to showcase over 40 nationally recognized and award-winning authors in the historic city of Savannah. Authors with a book published within a calendar year of the Festival are invited to give 30-minute solo presentations and host book signings.
FESTIVAL INFO
The 2026 Savannah Book Festival takes place February 5ā8 in Savannahās Historic District. Each year, more than 9,000 people attend three ticketed Headliner Address events and our free Festival Saturday. Festival Saturday showcases nationally recognized authors across genres in Savannahās historic squares, with 30-minute talks, Q&A, and book signings. Headliner Addresses are held at the Historic Lucas Theater, featuring 45-minute presentations followed by Q&A and signings.
DONATE
Please consider a one-time gift today or join our community of committed supporters by making a recurring monthly donation. Your sustained support provides us with a reliable foundation, allowing us to plan for the future and expand our mission in Savannah.
VOLUNTEER
Be part of our success story. Our four-day literary celebration brings together some of the finest authors and most passionate readers in the country. This event is made possible by the dedication of over 200 volunteers. We canāt do it without you. This is your opportunity to connect with fellow book lovers, authors, and community leaders. Join our team and make a lasting impact on our Festival and our city.
NEWS & UPDATES
Trinity United Methodist Church Sessions Airing on C-SPAN
The 19th Annual Savannah Book Festival Is in the Books!
Author Update: Tom Piazza Appearance Canceled
FOLLOW US @savbookfestival
And with that, the 2026 Savannah Book Festival comes to a close with our final Headliner, Leigh Bardugo, on Sunday, February 8th. Leigh blew us away with her talent, expertise on process, her clear dedication to craft, and captivating conversation, and weāre so grateful that she was able to be a part of this yearās Festival.
Thank you to everyone who came out to support us, all those who donated, the wonderfully talented and vibrant authors we had in attendance this year, every volunteer, and all our board and staff members for making the 2026 Savannah Book Festival one to remember. Weāre so grateful and are walking away from this Closing Address event feeling so inspired and energized. Thank you, Savannah. Thank you all!
#sbf #savannahbookfestival #exploresavannah #authortalk #bookstagram
Free Festival Saturday is underway! We hope to see you there! šš¤©
We encourage you to download our SBF app if you havenāt already; that way, you can receive notifications when venues are reaching capacity and stay in the loop about all things Book Festival. Thank you!
#sbf #savannahbookfestival #authortalk #exploresavannah #bookstagram
Taking the crowd by storm! Brad Thor and Ward Larsen shared their genius, process, and talent with us last night for the Headlining Keynote Address of the 2026 Savannah Book Festival. Talk about a dynamic duo, and what a treat it was to hear about this thrilling tale before the official release of the book, Cold Zero! Thank you, Brad and Ward, for sharing your talent and passion with us. That was a night to never forget! āļøšØļø
#sbf #savannahbookfestival #exploresavannah #authortalk #bookstagram
What a hit! Sean Dietrich kicked us off with the Opening Address for the 2026 Savannah Book Festival, and itās safe to say he had the whole house laughing, inspired, and in love with him. Sean, you are a star. Thank you for sharing your gift with us! š»š
#sbf #savannahbookfestival #exploresavannah #authortalk #bookstagram
Spotted: our Opening Address authorās name shining bright on the billboard sign at SCADās Trustees Theater! āØāØāØ
Get ready for Thursday, February 5th, where Sean Dietrich will be lighting the way and kicking off our 2026 Festival with a spectacular Opening event. We can hardly wait!
Tickets for Sean Dietrich are selling fast! Whoās going to be in attendance?
#savavannahbookfestival #sbf #authortalk #seandietrich #bookstagram
Whoās excited to meet our 2026 Headliners? We know that we are! We canāt wait to see you all there. šāļøš£ļø
#savannahbookfestival #sbf #exploresavannah #authortalk #bookstagram
And last but certainly not least, we cannot wait to have Kate Fagan, author of The Three Lives of Cate Kay, here at our Free Festival Saturday on February 7th, 2026! In this propulsive, dual-timeline novel, main character Cate Kay is a famous author who has spent her life running under different aliases after a tragic incident in her youth. The story follows her journey from her troubled past to her current hidden life as a literary sensation where she finally attempts to confront the truth and reclaim her identity.Ā Donāt miss this conversation with author, Kate Fagan! šŖŖšāāļø
#KateFagan #TheThreeLivesOfCateKay #Fiction #AuthorTalk #ExploreSavannah SBF Books Author SavannahBookFestival bookstagram
Only one more week until we welcome Christopher C. Gorham on Free Festival Saturday! Heās bringing his book, Matisse at War, which is about Henri Matisseās life during WWII. Despite illness and family turmoil, Matisse stayed, producing revolutionary paper cut-outs as a form of defiance. The book reveals how he and his familyāincluding his resistance-active daughter Margueriteāresisted the Nazi occupation through art and clandestine actions.Ā Donāt miss this fascinating conversation next weekend! š¼ļøš
#ChristopherCGorham #MatisseAtWar #SBF #Books #AuthorTalk ExploreSavannah SavannahBookFestival Bookstagram
Thank You
to Our SBF Sponsors
