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 ninth annual Walker Percy Weekend has to offer when it returns to celebrate the acclaimed novelist's life and work, May 31–June 1, 2024 in St. Francisville, LA.

Walker Percy and the Speculative South

In the popular imagination, Southern fiction has readily been associated with the past. But what about depictions of the future? From iconic Walker Percy works such as Love in The Ruins and The Thanatos Syndrome, to contemporary Southern writers' portrayal of the speculative future, the ninth annual Walker Percy Weekend will consider where Southern fiction has been and where it is going. 

Intellectually serious but broadly accessible, the 2024 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.

Festival proceeds support the JULIUS FREYHAN FOUNDATION—an organization dedicated to restoring the historic Freyhan School building to serve as a community and cultural center for West Feliciana Parish. A note to stalwart returning attendees. We are delighted to report that as of January, 2024, restoration work on the Freyhan School building has commenced, with an expected completion date of December, 2024. FINALLY!