The summertime festival dedicated to Southern literature, culture and thought, and fortified with fine food, live music, walking tours, craft beer and bourbon, returns to one of Louisiana's loveliest small towns.

Back after a two-year Covid-enforced hiatus, the seventh annual Walker Percy Weekend festival returns to St. Francisville. Featuring respected writers and commentators from across the country and fortified with fine food, live music, walking tours, craft beer and bourbon, the annual festival dedicated to Southern literature, culture and thought guarantees a unique and charming weekend in one of Louisiana's loveliest small towns.

Schedule Highlights

• A Friday evening Bubbles, Beer, and Barbecue Feast hosted by "Eminence Grease" John Shelton Reed and staged under majestic oaks. 7 pm to 10 pm at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. $75

• A Saturday series of Lectures and Panel Discussions on themes explored in the books of Walker Percy. $75

• A Saturday-afternoon Progressive Front-Porch Tour and Bourbon Tasting with tastings, inspired by Percy's essay on drinking Bourbon, Neat. 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm Stroll with bourbon in hand between several private porches in St. Francisville's historic district. $75. Must be 21 or over to attend.

• The Saturday evening Crawfish Boil: Back by popular demand! The authentic Louisiana crawfish boil including cash bar with selection of local craft beers, returns. 7:30 pm–10:30 pm on Prosperity Street. $50.

"Walker Percy at the Lake," by Bryan Bustard

Registration & Tickets

Registration begins at 3 pm Friday at the Conundrum Bookstore, located at 11917 Ferdinand Street. Come to the bookstore to register, receive tickets and wristbands, and gather information on area dining, accommodation, and attractions.

Access All Events: Admission to all events. $ 245.00.

Parties & Porches: Access to all social events—the Friday night Bubbles & Barbecue dinner, Saturday Bourbon Tour and Saturday Crawfish Boil events. No panels included. $ 180.00.

Individual Tickets:

Friday Night Barbecue Dinner: $75
Saturday Lectures & Panels: $75*
Saturday Afternoon Bourbon Tour: $75
Saturday Crawfish and Craft Beer: $50

*Space at lectures is limited. Arrive early to secure a seat.

2022 Presenters

• DR CHRIS BAGLOW directs the Science & Religion Initiative at McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame. A native of New Orleans, he regularly works Walker Percy‘s thoughts and ideas and literature into his teaching of the connection between faith and reason.

• JODEE BLANCO is a co-author of I, John Kennedy Toole, a rich, new novel that traces the origins of A Confederacy of Dunces, and explores the brief, remarkable life of its creator, the New Orleans writer John Kennedy Toole. In her presentation, Blanco will discuss how, after a decade of rebuke and dismissal, Toole's manuscript came to the attention of Walker Percy and a young publisher named Kent Carroll. Recognizing its brilliance, Percy and Carroll dedicated themselves to the publication of A Confederacy of Dunces—the novel that went on to win a Pulitzer Prize and sell more than two million copies.

• JOHN SHELTON REED is an American sociologist, essayist, and author or editor of twenty-two books, most dealing with the contemporary American South. He taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1969 until his retirement, helped to found the Center for the Study of the American South, and was a founding co-editor of the quarterly Southern Cultures. Among his many books is Barbecue, which traces the history of Southern barbecue from its roots in the 16th century Caribbean.

• READ MERCER SCHUCHARDT (PhD, New York University) is associate professor of communication at Wheaton College. He earned his doctorate under the invitation of the late Neil Postman at NYU’s Media Ecology program. He is also a member of the Media Ecology Association and the International Jacques Ellul Society. Read will deliver an audiovisual presentation touching on each of the films mentioned in Percy's 1961 novel and National Book Award-winner The Moviegoer.

The 2022 Walker Percy Weekend is presented with generous support from

FAQs & More Info

• For local accommodation options and to make reservations, visit explorewestfeliciana.com/stay.html

• The closest airport, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR), is approximately 30 minutes drive from St. Francisville. New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is about 90 minutes drive.

• Getting around: For getting to and from the airport, renting a car is your best bet. Car rental is available from BTR or MSY airports. In St. Francisville, all festival activities take place within the (very walkable) historic district. Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft are not reliably available in St. Francisville, although a few drivers do operate during festival weekends.

• Cancellations & Refunds: There will be a $25 (per order) cancellation fee charged on refunds issued between May 1 and May 22, 2022. No refunds will be issued after May 22, 2022.

• Kids. We love 'em! We have 'em! But since the Walker Percy Weekend program consists of seated lectures and social events amply supplied with adult beverages, it really isn't designed with young children in mind. If you do need to bring your kids, please know that we cannot make special accommodations for them, or provide exceptions from the ticketing fees. We do hope you understand.

• For more information on individual events please visit www.walkerpercyweekend.org or email [email protected].