Deep Vellum Festival is bringing literature, music, poetry, and visual art to Deep Ellum from July 10 through July 12, 2026. With more than 34 participating artists, over 15 events and activations, and programming at 11 neighborhood venues, the inaugural festival gives Dallas a districtwide cultural program rooted in local institutions.
Key Takeaways
- The inaugural festival runs from July 10 through July 12, 2026, across Deep Ellum.
- Organizers announced more than 34 literary and music participants.
- Programs will take place at 11 neighborhood venues.
- Hanif Abdurraqib and Jamila Woods lead Saturday’s evening program.
- Free daytime events feature Dallas poets, musicians, artists, and cultural organizations.
- Paid admission is required for the Friday opening and Saturday evening headliner event.
Deep Vellum Festival is based at Deep Vellum Books, located at 3000 Commerce Street, but its program extends throughout Deep Ellum.
Participating locations include Sons of Hermann Hall, Ruins, Undermain Theatre, Life in Deep Ellum, Kettle Art Gallery, Deep Ellum Art Co., AllGood Cafe, Poets Books, the Deep Ellum Community Center, Nature of Things Gallery, and Deep Vellum Books.
The districtwide setup places readings, panel discussions, performances, and public activations inside spaces that already contribute to the neighborhood’s cultural activity. This approach reflects the variety found throughout Dallas-Fort Worth arts events, where museums, music venues, theaters, libraries, and public spaces often support connected cultural programs.
Rather than remaining inside one conference hall, attendees can move between bookstores, stages, galleries, cafes, and community venues. This structure makes Deep Ellum part of the festival experience rather than simply its location.
Friday Opens With Literature and Latin Music
Friday’s opening program begins at Ruins at 6 p.m. with a discussion about Latin American literature in translation.
Greg Brownderville, Rodrigo Hasbún, and Robin Myers are scheduled to participate in the discussion. Performances by Nicaraguan singer-songwriter Ceci Ceci and cumbia group Cayuga All-Stars will follow.
The combination establishes the festival’s cross-disciplinary format from its first evening. Literary translation provides the foundation for the discussion, while live music extends the program into another form of cultural expression.
Organizers updated the schedule after several previously announced participants became unavailable.
Saturday Features the Festival’s Largest Program
Saturday carries most of the Deep Vellum Festival schedule. Programming includes:
- Author conversations and poetry readings
- Live podcast recordings
- Gallery sessions and cultural discussions
- Music performances
- A vendor fair
- The evening headliner program
The range of events allows attendees to choose between literary discussions, performances, visual art, local history, and community-focused sessions throughout the day.
Sunday closes the festival with poets Oksana Lutsyshyna, Robin Myers, and Sophia Terazawa performing alongside jazz collective D-CLAIM.
The format joins a broader calendar of Dallas-Fort Worth arts events that use cultural institutions and neighborhood spaces to reach public audiences. For this festival, Deep Ellum functions as both the setting and an active part of the program.
Why Do Literature and Music Share the Program?
Deep Vellum Festival places writers and musicians on the same schedule rather than separating them into different tracks.
The approach is especially clear during Saturday’s evening program at Sons of Hermann Hall. Poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib is scheduled to read before joining writer and editor Lawrence Burney for a conversation.
Dallas musician, composer, and singer DAMOYEE opens the music portion before Jamila Woods performs.
Woods works across music and poetry, while Abdurraqib’s books draw from poetry, essays, music criticism, sports, and cultural reporting. Their participation reflects the festival’s effort to connect artistic disciplines through a shared program.
Hanif Abdurraqib and Jamila Woods Lead Saturday Evening
Abdurraqib’s 2024 book, There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, was longlisted for the National Book Award in nonfiction and received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism.
Woods’ recorded work includes HEAVN and Water Made Us. She has also appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk, CBS This Morning, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The crossover between music and literature continues throughout the festival. David Marquis will perform work from The River Trilogy at AllGood Cafe with vocalist Denise Lee and pianist Geno Young.
Friday combines translated literature with Latin music, while Sunday places poetry alongside jazz.
Deep Vellum describes its mission as “bringing the world into conversation through literature.” The festival applies that idea through live formats that connect written work with music, visual art, local history, and public discussion.
How Are Dallas Artists Positioned in the Schedule?
Deep Vellum Festival gives much of Saturday to free daytime programming featuring Dallas-area artists and cultural organizations.
Poets of Dallas runs from 10:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. outside Poets Books. More than 20 Dallas-area poets are scheduled to participate in a continuous public reading.
The outdoor setting moves poetry beyond a ticketed theater and into street-level activity. The City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture supports the event, while SMU English’s Project Poëtica supports Deep Vellum’s poetry programming.
At Deep Ellum Art Co., North Texas performers Sam Cormier, Mollie Danel and Kirk Thurmond, Frances Moth, and Team Effort appear between noon and 5 p.m.
Kettle Art Gallery will hold an 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. reading lounge featuring books, prints, Texas art, and discussions about Dallas history and Deep Ellum’s art scene. The program connects literary activity with the types of visual and educational spaces represented by Texas museum experiences across the state.
Additional sessions include Early Risers at Undermain Theatre, Classics Revisited at the Deep Ellum Community Center, a live edition of 1storypod, and a False Prophet book launch with novelist Afsheen Farhadi.
Nature of Things Gallery, AllGood Cafe, and Life in Deep Ellum will also host programs.
Local and Visiting Artists Share the Festival
The festival’s local emphasis is distributed throughout the schedule rather than limited to a single showcase.
Visiting writers will appear alongside Dallas poets, North Texas musicians, local visual artists, venue operators, cultural organizations, and community groups.
This mix reflects the role of North Texas cultural identity in connecting regional history with current artistic work.
By placing national and international participants alongside local artists, Deep Vellum Festival creates opportunities for audiences to encounter different disciplines and perspectives within the same neighborhood.
The participating venues also bring their own audiences and cultural roles into the program. A bookstore, music stage, gallery, cafe, and community center each offer a different environment for encountering creative work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Deep Vellum Festival Events Are Free?
Daytime events on Saturday and Sunday are listed as free with registration. Paid admission is required for the Friday opening program at Ruins and the Saturday evening event at Sons of Hermann Hall. This structure gives attendees the option to register for individual daytime sessions or purchase admission for the festival’s primary evening programs.
Where Is the Festival Being Held?
Deep Vellum Festival is based at Deep Vellum Books, located at 3000 Commerce Street in Dallas. Events will also take place at bookstores, galleries, cafes, theaters, music venues, and community spaces throughout Deep Ellum. The official festival page provides check-in, parking, and transportation information.
When Does the Festival Take Place?
The inaugural event runs from Friday, July 10, through Sunday, July 12, 2026. Saturday includes the largest number of daytime programs and the main evening headliner event.
Which Events Require Registration?
Free daytime programs on Saturday and Sunday require registration. The Friday opening at Ruins and the Saturday evening program at Sons of Hermann Hall require paid admission.
