Register to Attend

Festival registration includes access to all programming: concurrent sessions, plenary lectures, and official Festival activities Thursday through Saturday. Meals, lodging, transportation, and non-Festival events are not included.

The Festival of Faith & Writing is a wonderfully rich biennial event. It is also an expensive undertaking. First, your registration mainly goes to offset the honorarium and other expenses for our speakers, all of whom we pay out of a conviction that their words and work are essential. Indeed, at the CCFW, we believe that the money we spend on listening to one another’s stories is an investment in faith, hope, and love. Over the past decade, though, that investment has become more costly: speakers’ fees have risen dramatically, as have the costs of travel, lodging, and food. Additionally, we offer complimentary registration for Festival Circle leaders. Registration fees support all of these costs.

Second, to host over a thousand readers and writers on Calvin’s campus over three days requires many hours of labor for our small staff, as well as the funds for the spaces we use, the shuttles that carry Festivalgoers around campus, the coffee we offer at breaks, the set- up for exhibitors and vendors, the programs we print, the technology we use to keep ourselves organized and in touch with you, and so on. All told, registrations contribute to part, but not all, of the costs to put on the Festival of Faith & Writing. We simply would not be able to sustain the Festival–or to carry out any of the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing’s other initiatives–if it were not for the generosity of our community as registrants and as exhibitors, sponsors, and donors. So we are grateful, always, for your part in contributing to this endeavor.

We are excited to gather in person and reunite the strong community the Festival is known for. While we understand the desire for an option to attend virtually, due to our limited budget, staff, and resources, we do not have the capacity to offer a streamed version of the Festival.

Yes, you may register up to ten people in one transaction. You will be required to submit basic information for each attendee at the time of purchase.

Yes. University undergraduate and high school students from any school qualify for the student rate. You must use your school email address when purchasing a student registration.

A group rate is available only for visiting professors who are attending with their students. These professors are eligible for the student rate.

A limited number of need-based partial scholarships are available. Application information will be available when Festival registration opens in late October. Previous scholarship recipients are not eligible to apply.

From the very first Festival in 1990, we have relied on Calvin University students to serve as our volunteer staff. Because of their participation, we do not solicit additional volunteers.

Infants up to six months are welcome, and we will have spaces available for nursing parents. Besides these spaces, childcare is not provided. Minors between the ages of 13-18 are welcome to attend the Festival with you at the student rate. However, it is important to note that some Festival sessions may include themes and language that might not be suitable for younger children.

Except for a limited number of Saturday passes for full-time educators, we are unable to provide single-day registration for the Festival. Full registration is required to attend Festival sessions other than plenary lectures. See below for information on evening plenary session tickets.

Individual tickets for the opening plenary session and evening plenary lectures will be available through the Calvin University Box Office beginning in February 2026.

All other sessions are available only with a Festival registration, and Festival registration already includes all plenary lectures. Registered Festivalgoers do not need to purchase plenary tickets separately.

Yes! Our podcast, Rewrite Radio, highlights selected Festival sessions. Not only will we feature sessions from the 2026 Festival, but we also share material from Festivals dating as far back as the 1990s.

If you are unable to attend the Festival and notify us by February 1, 2026, we will refund 75% of your registration fee. We will refund 50% of your registration fee through March 1, 2026. We are unable to issue any refunds after March 1, 2026. Cancellations may also be gifted to the CCFW (which helps offset our broader costs for this event) or given to someone else—just let us know. Donations made during the registration process are not refundable.

Cancellation requests must be received via email. Please include your full name and daytime phone number.

While we understand that travel issues are sometimes unavoidable, we are unfortunately unable to provide refunds due to delayed or canceled travel plans.