#NatBookFest Must-Have: The In-Person Attendee Guide

This is a guest post by 2024 Junior Fellow Kumari Pacheco.

We hope you’re getting ready for the National Book Festival, taking place on Saturday, August 24 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. With so much to see in such a large space, it helps to come prepared—and we’ve got a brand-new tool to aid in that: the In-Person Attendee Guide.

This guide is useful to anyone attending in-person, whether it’s your first Festival or your fourteenth. Virtual attendees are encouraged to review our recently revamped Virtual Attendee Guide for pointers on how to maximize an online experience of the Festival.

A highlight this year is the Festival schedule’s “Add to Calendar” feature, which allows you to place specific Festival events into your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar. You can find step-by-step instructions on how to use this feature in both the In-Person and Virtual Attendee Guides. (Note that this feature is currently only functional in the individual session pages, so please make sure to click on the individual sessions you’re interested in to add to your own calendar.)

Additionally, the In-Person Attendee Guide provides:

• A suggested list of what to bring with you
• Directions for arriving at the Convention Center
• An overview of the Convention Center, including a map
• Recommendations for making the most of your Festival experience

The best part? The In-Person Attendee Guide is a mobile-friendly PDF—meaning you can look at it on the go on-the-go without needing to rely on Wi-Fi. You’re encouraged to download the guide before arriving at the Convention Center; that way, you’ll have all this information on hand the moment you walk in. Visit the 2024 National Book Festival website to download the In-Person Attendee Guide, and be sure to mark your calendar.

We’d love for you to share your experience with us. Connect with the Library via our social media, and use #NatBookFest to join the festival conversation on Instagram or Twitter/X. Tell us:

• The theme of this year’s festival is “Books Build Us Up.” How do books build you up? How does reading connect you with others and inform your life? Share on social media and use #NatBookFest.
• What part of the festival are you most looking forward to seeing? Share on social media and use #NatBookFest.

 Bookish fun awaits you at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, August 24!