Skip to main content

The Royal Festival Hall is closed to the public on Tuesday 16 June. It will reopen for Harry Styles & Jules Buckley Orchestra ticket holders only at 5pm.

Abstract digital art featuring overlapping, semi-transparent rectangles in red, green, blue, and orange on a purple background.

Poetry International Festival

Fri 10 – Sun 12 Jul 2026

A poetry takeover with a stellar line-up of celebrated poets, artists and performers

The world’s most celebrated poets perform their work live on stage and bring you into their enchanting creative worlds. 

Filter events in this group

Choose dates
View All Events Calendar
More info for Gift to the Future
Collage of handwritten poetic notes about the future pasted over a black-and-white line drawing of city buildings.
Art & exhibitions

Gift to the Future

See our brutalist buildings transformed with a giant poetry installation
Site wide
Tickets Free
More info for Poetic Unity + Live Band
Group of people of varying ages sat down with their arms in the air smiling
Literature & poetry

Poetic Unity + Live Band

Poetry meets music as the Poetic Unity community share their words accompanied by a live band
The Clore Ballroom
Tickets Free
More info for Benjamin Zephaniah: A Celebration
A man with long dreadlocks and a gap-toothed smile wearing a purple suit and making peace signs with both hands.
Literature & poetry

Benjamin Zephaniah: A Celebration

An evening of poetry, music and memories to celebrate the life and legacy of the ‘people’s poet’
Royal Festival Hall
Multi-buy
More info for Masterclass: Raymond Antrobus
A man with tattooed arms in a brown linen shirt leans against a large tree trunk in a sunlit outdoor setting.
Literature & poetry

Masterclass: Raymond Antrobus

Award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus shares his wisdom to help you take your poetry to new heights
Royal Festival Hall
Multi-buy
More info for Poetry International Festival Zine Fair
Rows of tables with zines and crowds of people walking between
Literature & poetry

Poetry International Festival Zine Fair

Unearth hidden treasures at a zine fair for innovative and affordable publishing
The Clore Ballroom
Tickets Free
More info for After Catastrophe: Futures Beyond Crisis
Blue banner with collages images on the right
Literature & poetry

After Catastrophe: Futures Beyond Crisis

Poets, translators and editors explore why we rely on young writers during a crisis
Royal Festival Hall
Multi-buy
More info for Masterclass: Ilya Kaminsky
Close-up of a smiling man with glasses and messy dark hair, posing against a light-brown wooden paneled wall.
Literature & poetry

Masterclass: Ilya Kaminsky

Elevate your writing at a session led by the prize-winning poet Ilya Kaminsky
Royal Festival Hall
Multi-buy
More info for Peter Gizzi & Denise Riley
Side-by-side portraits: a man with a gray beard looking forward, and a woman with white hair resting her head on her hand.
Literature & poetry

Peter Gizzi & Denise Riley

Two celebrated poets who transform grief into the art of the radical elegy
Purcell Room
Multi-buy
More info for Apples and Snakes: Managers’ Match
A woman performs spoken word poetry on stage with her arms outstretched, a large screen with text behind her.
Literature & poetry

Apples and Snakes: Managers’ Match

Ninety minutes of fast-paced, thought-provoking poetry performances from top-of-the-table poets
The Clore Ballroom
Tickets Free
More info for Raymond Antrobus & Ilya Kaminsky
Split image: A tan man looking away in a garden, and a black-and-white close-up of a man laughing with eyes closed.
Literature & poetry

Raymond Antrobus & Ilya Kaminsky

Two explosive poets dive into how poetry can speak to, witness and challenge the world around us
Purcell Room
Multi-buy
More info for Maggie Nelson
A woman with blue eyes and light hair looks directly at the camera, wearing a grey sweater over a polka-dot collared shirt.
Literature & poetry

Maggie Nelson

Ambition, patriarchy, Sylvia Plath, Taylor Swift – the revered author’s latest book unpacks it all
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Multi-buy
More info for From the Lips to the Moon
Two musicians perform on a dark stage with red light projections; the singer wears red gloves and
Literature & poetry

From the Lips to the Moon

Live electronic music and performative poetry collide for a night of otherworldly experimentation
The Clore Ballroom
Tickets Free
More info for A Poet in Every Port – London
Two lead tutors, Vanessa Kisuule and Will Harris stand on stage. Vanessa reads from a pamphlet whilst speaking into a microphone.
Literature & poetry

A Poet in Every Port – London

Celebrate poetry, language and local identity as the mobile National Poetry Library lands in London
Queen's Walk
Tickets Free
More info for Masterclass: Peter Gizzi
Peter Gizzi standing at a lectern reading from his poetry collection.
Literature & poetry

Masterclass: Peter Gizzi

One of America’s best-known poets, Peter Gizzi, shares his insights on the art of poetic writing
Royal Festival Hall
Multi-buy
More info for Yang Lian & Sudeep Sen: Chinese and Indian Poetry
Two portraits side-by-side: a man with long dark hair on the left, and a smiling man with glasses on the right.
Literature & poetry

Yang Lian & Sudeep Sen: Chinese and Indian Poetry

Uncover the poetry of two of the world's richest poetic cultures through two of their leading poets
Royal Festival Hall
Multi-buy
More info for Masterclass: Denise Riley
A woman with short white hair rests her head on her hand in front of a framed landscape painting on a white wall.
Literature & poetry

Masterclass: Denise Riley

See your own poetry blossom under the expert guidance of the celebrated poet Denise Riley
Royal Festival Hall
Multi-buy
More info for Apples and Snakes Word Cup – Showcase Final
A diverse audience sits on wooden benches in a large indoor hall, smiling and clapping after a performance.
Literature & poetry

Apples and Snakes Word Cup – Showcase Final

Seven teams of young poets go head-to-head in a high-energy poetic play-off
The Clore Ballroom
Tickets Free
More info for Batool Abu Akleen & Alice Oswald
A young woman wearing a red patterned scarf sitting in a cafe next to a window
Literature & poetry

Batool Abu Akleen & Alice Oswald

Two poets of incredible vision and imagination read their work and unpack the art of poetry
Purcell Room
Multi-buy
More info for A Poet in Every Port: Live
Roger McGough seated on a wooden bench wearing a blue cap
Literature & poetry

A Poet in Every Port: Live

Join Roger McGough and the New Poets Collective for a celebration of the poetry of the UK
The Clore Ballroom
Tickets Free
More info for Kim Hyesoon & Paul Muldoon
Side-by-side portraits: a woman in white with a magnifying glass and a black-and-white photo of a man in glasses.
Literature & poetry

Kim Hyesoon & Paul Muldoon

Explore reality from unconventional angles as two titans of the imagination present their work
Purcell Room
Multi-buy
More info for Allen Ginsberg at 100
Black and white portrait of a bearded man with glasses and a hat, adjusting his patterned tie while looking at the camera.
Literature & poetry

Allen Ginsberg at 100

Rejoice in the life and work of the American bard and 20th-century icon, with a mix of guests
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Multi-buy

While you're with us

Jeppe Hein: Appearing Rooms
People enjoying the Jeppe Hein Fountain at the Southbank Centre

Jeppe Hein: Appearing Rooms

A summer favourite returns to our site on Wednesday 17 June.

Shopping
Wooden displays in the Southbank centre shop, featuring books, plushies, and colourful merchandise

Shopping

A vibrant range of inspiring books, homeware, prints, accessories and more.

Klaus Weber: Thinking Fountains
Two statues; a green human body with water spouting from its neck and another of human legs with water pouring down from above displayed outdoors

Thinking
Fountains

Water cascades and spouts over Klaus Weber’s bronze figures.

Modified Social Benches
Two children eating ice cream on a red cirrcular bench

Modified Social Benches

Benches that challenge the space and distance we place between one another.

William Pye's Zemran
A photograph showing Riverside Terrace at Southbank Centre, with the metal sculpture Zemran in the foreground, next to Queen Elizabeth Hall

William Pye's Zemran

Pye’s beautiful stainless steel sculpture sits overlooking the Thames.

Natura Nostra Forest
Bright sunlight bursts through green leaves with a lens flare, set against a blue sky and a textured concrete building.

Natura Nostra Forest

Our growing pocket forest creating a natural oasis.