2nd Annual Literary Festival Returns to Downtown Belmont
- Brandon Black
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Belmont Bookshop’s 2nd Annual Literary Festival returns Labor Day Weekend 2026, bringing families and readers to downtown Belmont for a day full of award-winning authors, stories, and community happenings.
“We opened Belmont Bookshop because we believe that independent bookshops serve a civic purpose, with the unique ability to transform the communities they serve… This festival is a perfect example of the economic and cultural vitality that independent bookshops can inject into a community.” said Brian Frederick, co-owner of Belmont Bookshop.
More than 50 local and nationally recognized authors will be in attendance, including keynote conversations from Mona Awad, Steve Sheinkin, Chuck Wendig, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Nat Cassidy, Abigail Owen, Tracy Wolff, and Madeline Martin. The full program features book signings, author-led family storytimes, dinosaur races in the Schiele Museum’s Family Zone, a live musical storytime production by Blackstar Theater with The Gruffalo, and both free as well as ticketed panel discussions with New York Times bestselling authors.
In addition, the Gaston County Chess Club will offer beginner lessons and an all-ages tournament led by World Chess Hall of Fame inductee and opening keynote authors Maurice Ashley and Steve Sheinkin.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to shop a selection of independent and artisan vendors from across the Carolinas. But make sure to visit Belmont Bookshop, the festival’s home base in the heart of downtown Belmont, NC, which continues to serve as a gathering place for Gaston County with regular author visits, monthly book clubs, children’s events, and carefully curated shelves.
“The Literary Festival is such a boost for downtown Belmont, bringing new visitors to our local businesses and restaurants, especially on a holiday weekend that often leaves our Main Street a bit slower. Thanks to the partnership with the Belmont Bookshop, the festival highlights the character of our downtown and the growing literary community that calls it home” said Cassidy Lackey, Community Development Director for the City of Belmont.
Make It a Weekend
“For all the Belmont Bookshop’s Annual Literary Festival offers, at the core, it is a community event, and the perfect reason to explore one of Gaston County's most charming downtowns” said Kristina Bulovic, co-owner of Belmont Bookshop.
Start the day like a local, with coffee and a pastry at The Everyday Market or The Wandering Cup. Between sessions, browse shops such as Belletique and Catawba River Outfitters, grab a meal at one of Belmont’s locally owned restaurants, or take a short trip to see Daniel Stowe Conservancy and the Catawba River.
After the festival ends, we encourage you to stay for dinner and a drink, and book a nearby hotel and stretch the trip into a full weekend.
Mark your calendar for Belmont Bookshop’s second annual literary festival, and enjoy a day of stories, authors, and downtown Belmont’s southern hospitality.
