Saratoga Book Festival to return for fifth year in October

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Saratoga Book Festival will be returning to downtown Saratoga Springs this October. The four-day event will kick off on October 2.

This year will mark the fifth rendition of the Saratoga Book Festival. Over 40 authors will be in attendance to host presentations, workshops, readings and keynote panels, including five headliners, who will talk about their most recent literary works:

2025 Saratoga Book Festival headliners

• Sophie Blackall, illustrator of over 50 children's books, including the "Ivy and Bean" series, "Finding Winnie" and "Lost Evangeline"
• Kate DiCamillo, author of "Because of Winn Dixie," "The Tale of Despereaux" and "Lost Evangeline"
• Chris Bohjalian, author of "The Flight Attendant," "The Princess of Las Vegas" and "The Jackal's Mistress"
• Amity Gaige, author of "O My Darling," "The Folded World" and "Heartwood"
• Ruth Reichl, author of five memoirs, a cookbook and "The Paris Novel"
• Gary Rivlin, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist who will engage in a discussion about the developments and future of artificial intelligence

The festival will feature 30 events across several downtown venues, including the Saratoga Springs City Center, Saratoga Springs Public Library, Universal Preservation Hall and more. This year's schedule also includes two new additions -- the Literary Night Market and the KidZone.

Taking place on October 3 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Literary Night Market will bring live music, light fare, a cash bar and over 90 local authors of various genres. Several literary-themed vendors will also be at the free program, including Amoreena Ceramics, the 518 Publishing Company, CLASH Books and more.

The KidZone literary market will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on October 5. Children's authors, publishers and other book-related vendors will be in attendance to connect with young readers.

While the Saratoga Book Festival will be full of literary fanatics, those who may not read as often are still invited to attend. According to the festival's co-chair and program director, Ellen Beal, several events will combine literature with other art forms in an effort to make everyone feel welcome.

On October 4, Caffe Lena will host "John Prine: A Night of Song and Stories," where biographical author Tom Piazza will honor the stories and music of the late country-blues musician John Prine. Another event will feature a screening of a television pilot series called "BOOKS," described as "Cheers set in a bookstore." HGTV couples Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein and Chloe Barcelou and Brandon Batchelder will also discussion together.

The Saratoga Book Festival will kick off on October 2 with a performance by banjo player Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Edmar Castañeda at the Universal Preservation Hall. It will wrap up on October 5, with over 1,500 total people expected to attend over the course of the event, according to Beal.

Funds will benefit the Saratoga Springs Public Library. Last year, the festival raised about $25,000.

A full programming scheduled will be released on the Saratoga Book Festival website at a later date. Most events are free but some will require tickets or a small fee. All tickets, parking information and more can be found online.