Charlotte is turning a Saturday into a celebration of stories. EpicFest, the free literary festival of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, returns to ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center on Saturday, November 7, 2026, inviting children and families to spend the day surrounded by books and the people who create them.
EpicFest joyfully connects young readers with nationally recognized authors and illustrators, who spend two days in Charlotte sharing their newest books, their experiences and their passion for libraries with kids of all ages. It is a festival built around a simple, happy idea: when children meet the makers of the stories they love, reading stops feeling like homework and starts feeling like an adventure.
The day at ImaginOn is designed for little hands and big imaginations. The library’s own festival listings include morning literacy activities and, in the afternoon, a roaming visit from Clifford the Big Red Dog. The festival’s program also features early learning stations, gaming, face painting, a scavenger hunt, book giveaways and signings — plenty of ways for every young reader to find a new favorite story.
ImaginOn, at 300 East 7th Street in Uptown, is a beloved Charlotte home for stories, created by the Library together with the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. Admission to EpicFest is free. Families can check the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s EpicFest page for the day’s schedule before heading out — and arrive ready to leave with a taller stack of books than they came with.
Photo: Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation
