Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Five days of readings, panels, theatre and walking tours in late March, ending with the Stanley-and-Stella shouting contest in Jackson Square.
- When
- Usually Wednesday to Sunday in late March, the weekend closest to Williams's 26 March birthday, avoiding Easter Sunday where it can. (source, checked 2026-10-26)
- Where
- Venues in and around the French Quarter
- First held
- 1986
- Admission
- Passes and single-event tickets; some events free
- Official site
- tennesseewilliams.net/
Announced by organiser "41st Annual Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival will be March 24 – March 28, 2027" (organiser, checked 2026-10-26) · 143 days away
About Tennessee Williams Fest
Tennessee Williams lived in the French Quarter on and off for decades and wrote much of A Streetcar Named Desire there. The festival, first held in 1986, mixes literary panels and master classes with theatre, food and music, and draws writers and readers rather than party crowds.
The closing event is the Stella Shouting Contest, where contestants bellow 'STELLAAA!' at a balcony in the style of Stanley Kowalski. It is free to watch.
In 2024 the festival moved a week earlier (20–24 March) because the usual weekend would have ended on Easter Sunday.
Dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Dates | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wed–Sun 25–29 Mar | Held |
| 2027 | Wed–Sun 24–28 Mar | Announced by organiser |
| 2028 | Wed–Sun 29 Mar – 2 Apr | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2029 | Wed–Sun 28 Mar – 1 Apr | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2030 | Wed–Sun 27–31 Mar | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2031 | Wed–Sun 26–30 Mar | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2032 | Wed–Sun 24–28 Mar | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2033 | Wed–Sun 23–27 Mar | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2034 | Wed–Sun 29 Mar – 2 Apr | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2035 | Wed–Sun 28 Mar – 1 Apr | Usual pattern, not announced |
"Usual pattern" rows project the timing described above onto each year. They are not dates: organisers set them, and they sometimes break the pattern (see how often the patterns held).
Recent: 2024: 20–24 Mar 2024; 2025: 26–30 Mar 2025; 2026: 25–29 Mar 2026.
Sources
- tennesseewilliams.net/about/faq/ (timing rule; 2025 dates; checked 2026-10-26)
- tennesseewilliams.net/tw-archive-2026/ (2026 dates; first festival 1986; checked 2026-10-26)
- tennesseewilliams.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-TWF-Program-PDF.pdf (2027 dates; checked 2026-10-26)