All Things Bookish in the Bluegrass
A program of Kentucky Humanities, the Kentucky Book Festival celebrates reading, writing, and publishing every fall. Throughout its 44 years, the Festival has attracted national literary stars, politicians, scholars, journalists, celebrities, and athletes to the Commonwealth, in addition to celebrating the works of Kentuckians.
2025 Sponsorship Opportunities Coming Soon
Become A Sponsor
Along with a few pop-up events during spring and summer and several associated events during the week leading up to the festival’s anchor event on Saturday, November 1, 2025 in Lexington, KY. Along with the Author Signing Gallery and Children’s Authors Tent where over 150 authors sign books for fans, many authors participate in panel discussions, presentations, readings, and programs across five stages that day. Sponsor opportunities vary widely, and associated coverage begins in the summer, with hundreds of thousands of media impressions possible.
The Kentucky Book Festival catalog is published in the October edition of Kentucky Monthly magazine (36,000 print run, with readership of 126,000.
Support from Kentucky’s businesses and other organizations help us honor and share one of our state’s most cherished cultural gifts. Please contact Kentucky Book Festival Director at (859) 257-4317 or jay.mccoy@uky.edu for more information.
To give your tax-deductible gift, click the button below and choose Kentucky Book Festival.
Mail a check to:
Kentucky Humanities
ATTN: Kentucky Book Festival
206 E. Maxwell St.
Lexington, KY 40508
About Kentucky Humanities
Kentucky Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C. Kentucky Humanities is supported by the National Endowment and by private contributions. We are not a state agency, but are proud partners with Kentucky’s cultural, heritage, arts, and tourism agencies. Kentucky Humanities is dedicated to Telling Kentucky’s Story through programs and services that create a legacy of pride in the wealth of Kentucky culture, building civic engagement and supporting local humanities programs and events. We strive to enable all Kentuckians to take part in learning, sharing, and teaching each other about Kentucky’s rich heritage. We are committed to providing leadership and developing resources that support the needs of Kentuckians to examine our values, understand our common heritage, and build stronger Kentucky communities based on the knowledge, insight, and respect inherent in the humanities.
Anti-Harassment Policy
Kentucky Humanities has implemented a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, age, national origin, sex (including transgender status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, political affiliation, or status as a parent. The Kentucky Book Festival has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind, whether in person or via email/social media/other electronic means, including but not limited to: Stalking or intimidation; Offensive verbal comments; Physical assault and/or battery; Harassing or non-consensual photography or recordings; Bathroom policing; Inappropriate, unwelcome, or uninvited contact or attention.
Should someone engage in any of these harassing behaviors, Kentucky Humanities staff will alert security, who will take immediate action in whatever form they deem appropriate, including expulsion from the event. This policy applies in all venues and areas of the Festival, to all who participate: staff, volunteers, authors, exhibitors, attendees, guests, vendors, press, and others.If you have been made uncomfortable by someone’s harassing behavior, or if you see harassing behavior happening to anyone else, please contact us.