Written by Becky Gipson

What do Bon Bon Quixote, The Crepes of Wrath, and Grape Expectations have in common? They're all delicious, literally. On April Fools' Day 2026, Tulane University Libraries invites students, faculty, staff, and the broader New Orleans community to take part in one of the library world's most beloved (and most delectable) traditions: the Edible Book Festival.

What Is the Edible Book Festival?

The Edible Book Festival (EBF) is an international celebration held on or around April 1st each year, where participants create food-based tributes to books, authors, and literary characters. The only real rule? Your entry must be "bookish,” whether through a title, a literary reference, or the simple form of a book, and some part of it must be edible.

Libraries, schools, and cultural institutions around the world host their own versions of this event, and now Tulane is joining the fun, thanks to one librarian who's been hooked since the very beginning. At its heart, EBF is a celebration of creativity, community, and the joy of books with a generous helping of puns on the side.

How It Works

The festival runs Wednesday, April 1st from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the Howard Tilton Memorial Library first floor lobby.

Here's the schedule:

• 12:30 – 1:00 PM: Participants drop off their edible book entries
• 1:00 – 2:30 PM: Viewing and voting — browse the entries, admire the craftsmanship, and cast your ballot
• 2:30 – 3:00 PM: Winners announced and prizes distributed

Voting is by paper ballot, and categories include Best in Show, Wittiest Wordplay, and Most and Least Appetizing. Winners take home prizes including prizes and Tulane Libraries swag.

Please note that while the edible books will be on full display for viewing and judging, they will not be consumed at the event out of an abundance of caution for food safety.

How to Participate

Creating an entry is easier than you might think and you absolutely do not need cooking or baking skills, just creativity. Eric Cartier, Tulane's Digital Preservation Librarian and the driving force behind this year's festival, has a simple piece of advice: scan your own bookshelf and look for a title with a food rhyme or slant rhyme that can work. The pun is key to the whole entry.

Need inspiration? Past fan favorites have included:

• The Pound and the Curry — made of pound cake with curry sauce
• BanAnna Karenina — featuring a smashed banana
• Selected Pommes — six apples arranged in a rectangle, proof that simplicity is its own genius
• Frank in Stein — a raw hot dog in a glass stein, created by Mary Stein of East Baton Rouge Parish Library

That last one perfectly captures what Eric loves most about EBF: "Every year, despite the many I've seen, there are always new ones that surprise me."

The Librarian Behind the Festival

Eric Cartier, Tulane's Digital Preservation Librarian, first encountered the Edible Book Festival in 2010 as a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, when a friend invited him to one. He was immediately charmed. Over the fifteen years since, Eric has participated in 11 Edible Book Festivals, co-producing the event twice at UT Austin, five times at the University of Maryland Libraries, and helping bring it to the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, which is preparing to host its fifth annual EBF in 2026. Now, Eric is bringing the tradition to Tulane and he's hoping the campus community brings the same energy, ingenuity, and appetite he's witnessed at every fest before this one.

Whether you come to compete, to vote, or simply to marvel at what your fellow Tulanians or New Orleanians have concocted, the Edible Book Festival is not to be missed. Follow Tulane University Libraries on social media for updates, entry tips, and a post-event photo gallery.