The Baltimore Book Festival will return to Waverly in 2026, with the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment (MOACE) as the lead organizer in collaboration with 14th District City Council member Odette Ramos’ office and area book stores.
Baltimore’s spending panel, the Board of Estimates, on Wednesday approved a request from the Mayor’s Office to approve $450,000 to help pay for the 28th annual book festival; the SAIL250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore event in June; and other cultural programs for the period from July 31, 2026, to June 30, 2028.
“The Baltimore Book Festival, previously produced by Create Baltimore and later by Waverly Main Street, will now be produced by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture, and Entertainment,” according to a briefing statement on the spending board’s agenda for April 1.
“This cultural event, held in the Waverly neighborhood in September 2026, will feature local and national authors, book signings, workshops, panel discussions and vendor booths showcasing literary arts and crafts.
“Funding will support the planning, production and implementation of the Baltimore Book Festival, as well as other MOACE-led cultural programs and civic events, including Sail250 activities and related arts and cultural initiatives, to enhance public engagement and promote Baltimore’s cultural vitality,’” the briefing statement continued. “The Baltimore Civic Fund will serve as the fiscal administrator for these funds.”
The briefing materials did not say where the book festival will be held or give a breakdown for how the $450,000 would be divided between the book festival and other events. The Sail250 extravaganza is scheduled to take place from June 24 to July 1 at several sites in Baltimore City and Baltimore County to honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, and MOACE is working on it along with other organizations.
Ramos said in an email message after the Board of Estimates meeting that the 2026 book festival will be held on the second weekend of the month, Sept. 12 and 13, in the same location as last year.
Last year’s book festival was held on Sept. 13 and 14. Its footprint included stretches of 32nd Street, 31st Street and 30th Street, between Greenmount Avenue and Barclay Street, as well as inside area book stores, the Peabody Heights Brewery and the Waverly branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. It is always free to attend.
“Yes we are hosting the Book Festival in Waverly, and my office and the Mayor’s Office along with book stores in the area are organizing,” Ramos said in her message. “The Book Festival will occur in Waverly forever and always!”
