A LITERARY FESTIVAL CELEBRATING THE ACCLAIMED NOVELIST’S LIFE AND WORK

ST. FRANCISVILLE, LA | SEPTEMBER 19 - 20, 2025

Good food, craft beer and bourbon, live music, and a great time talking about books and Southern culture under the live oaks: That's what the tenth annual Walker Percy Weekend has to offer.

Intellectually serious but delivered with a glass of bourbon and a grin, the annual festival invites fans of Southern literature to pursue appreciation of Percy’s thought and writing while attending presentations by renowned scholars, panel discussions, participatory book clubs, and spirited social and culinary events inspired by the author’s most famous works. Events take place at locations around St. Francisville’s historic district.

During this tenth (and likely final) festival, participating authors, academics, and comics will explore the theme

The Last Laugh: Wit, Wisdom, and Ten Years of the Walker Percy Weekend.

From conversations around faith, humor and philosophy in Walker Percy's South, to the comic wisdom of Southern writers past and present, the tenth annual Walker Percy Weekend considers how Percy and the Southern writers who followed him use humor and satire to find meaning in our absurd moment.

See the 2025 Speaker and Panelist lineup HERE.

Schedule Highlights

FRIDAY

• 2pm–4:30pm: Registration & check-in at The Conundrum Bookstore, 11917 Ferdinand Street.

• 5pm–6:30pm: Grand Opening Reception at the Freyhan School, 4727 Fidelity Street.

• 7pm–10pm: Live concert featuring Grammy-nominated Louisiana native Sonny Landreth Trio, presented by The Republic and Red Dragon. At the Freyhan School.

(separate $75 ticket required)

• 8pm–10pm: Pub Trivia with the Padre: Southern lit trivia with Father Brad Doyle at the Oyster Bar (cash bar)

SATURDAY

• 8:30am–11:30am: Morning Lectures and Panel Discussions on themes explored in the books of Walker Percy and other Southern writers. The Freyhan School, 4727 Fidelity Street.

• Noon–1:30 pm: Book Club Lunches: Spirited discussions of Percy works led by festival presenters. Box lunch provided. The Freyhan Center & Temple Sinai.

• 2pm–4:30pm: Afternoon Lectures and Panel Discussions on themes explored in the books of Walker Percy and other Southern writers. The Freyhan School, 4727 Fidelity Street.

• 5 pm–7 pm Saturday: The traditional, Progressive Front-Porch Tour and Bourbon Tasting with hors d'oeuvres, inspired by Percy's essay on drinking bourbon, neat. Stroll with bourbon-based-beverages in hand between several private porches in St. Francisville's historic district. Must be 21 or over to attend, obviously.

• 7pm–10:30pm Saturday: The Taste of Louisiana Southern Supper, presented with a selection of local craft beers, served under the stars on Prosperity Street in the heart of the Historic District.