Orlando Family Stage launches Florida Children’s Book Festival, adding author events and theatre performances in February
A new three-day festival centers on children’s literature, live performance, and educator programming
Orlando Family Stage has announced the launch of the Florida Children’s Book Festival, a new event scheduled for February 20–22, 2026, at its campus and across Loch Haven Cultural Park. The festival is designed as a multi-format gathering that combines children’s book programming with stage performances for young audiences and professional development for educators.
The dates place the inaugural festival within Orlando Family Stage’s 2025–26 season, which has been framed around theatrical adaptations of children’s books and accompanies the organization’s centennial milestone. The theatre traces its origins to 1925, with the current Orlando Family Stage name adopted in 2023 following a rebranding process.
Programming: author access, family activities, and a book marketplace
Festival plans include author signings, storytime readings, hands-on activities, and a vendor and book marketplace intended to be free to attend. Some components—such as certain panels and stage performances—are expected to be ticketed as individual events.
Orlando Family Stage is producing the festival in partnership with Writer’s Block Bookstore, which is set to serve as the official bookseller and organizing partner for book sales and signing experiences.
Dates: February 20–22, 2026, with a professional development focus on Friday, February 20
Location: Orlando Family Stage campus and venues throughout Loch Haven Cultural Park
Access model: free general festival attendance, with select ticketed events
Authors and creators scheduled to appear
Organizers have released an initial lineup of more than two dozen children’s and middle grade authors and creators expected to participate in readings, panels, signings, and workshops. The list includes Jerry Craft, Kate Messner, James Ponti, Kelly Starling Lyons, Tammi Sauer, Alan Katz, Salina Yoon, and others, with a full schedule planned for release in early February.
The event’s core concept is to connect young readers directly with working authors and creators while pairing book culture with live performance and education-focused programming.
Theatre elements: book-to-stage programming anchors the weekend
Two Orlando Family Stage productions are positioned as anchors for the weekend: Lilly and the Pirates: The Musical and Tiara’s Hat Parade, both based on children’s books. The festival is also slated to include a developmental reading of The Best Halloween Ever, adapted from Barbara Robinson’s book.
In addition to literary programming, the festival has announced partnerships that expand its media and educational footprint, including collaboration with WUCF to bring additional experiences to families and educators during the weekend.
What it adds to Central Florida’s youth literacy calendar
The festival arrives amid ongoing early-literacy initiatives across Orlando, and it formalizes a new annual-style touchpoint that combines book discovery, public programming, and youth theatre in a single weekend. Organizers have indicated that festival activities will be staged in both English and Spanish, aligning the event with multilingual family audiences in Central Florida.