I love curling up with a good book! I also love supporting local events – so this Labor Day weekend, I’m going to check out the Decatur Book Festival.
The AJC Decatur Book Festival is the largest independent book festival in the country and one of the five largest overall. Since the festival’s launch nine years ago, more than 1,000 world-class authors and hundreds of thousands of festival-goers have crowded the historic downtown Decatur square to enjoy book signings, author readings, panel discussions, writing workshops, and more.
This year’s festival runs from August 29th through August 31st and features a full line-up of activities including:
- A children’s stage featuring interactive activities and presentations by top authors and illustrators
- Live music performed by nationally touring musicians
- Cooking demonstrations by noted cookbook authors
- Food and beer vendors, and a wine garden
- The second annual art|DBF showcase
- An opening day Children’s Parade, and a special Wizard of Oz parade on Sunday
- A Youth Poetry Slam, for kids 12–18 years old and a poetry slam for adults.
- A series on the sesquicentennial of the Civil War
- Over 160 vendors in the book market and street fair
The festival is accessible by MARTA, just take the Blue Line to the Decatur stop, and you’ll exit the station in the center of the festival! If you decide to drive, there is plenty of parking available in decks, metered spaces, and paid private lots. If you fancy a weekend bicycle trip to the festival, The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition has a free bike valet set up on N. McDonough Street, in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse.
Hope to see all my fellow book lovers this weekend!
– Amanda