Apples and Snakes Word Cup – Showcase Final
Seven teams of young poets go head-to-head to represent their hometowns in a high-energy poetic play-off.
Seven teams representing Bristol, Burnley, Coventry, Leeds, London, Southampton and Thurrock go head-to-head in a national showcase of young poets that has you at the edge of your seat.
Following performance poetry workshops delivered by leading UK poets, the young people perform collaborative team poems representing who they are and where they come from in their own words, on a national stage here at the Southbank Centre.
Hosted by Jacob Sam-La Rose and featuring guest performances from international superstars Tawhida Tanya Evanson, José Olivarez and Danez Smith.
WORDCUP draws inspiration from the idea of a World Cup and teams coming together in celebration of a particular activity, sometimes that’s football, sometimes that’s words. They help young people aged 13 to 16 develop writing and performance skills, encouraging working in a team and enabling young people to share what is important to them.
Produced by Apples and Snakes in partnership with organisations across the country.
Apples and Snakes is the national organisation for performance poetry. It develops performance poets, produces live events, runs transformative workshops and projects and connects poets with schools, libraries, festivals and communities across England. Known for its fearless, high quality and innovative approach it is dedicated to bringing the best in performance poetry to wider audiences.
Need to know
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
12 Jul 2026, 1pm
Run time
2 hours (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
Free – no ticket required
Concessions
Learn more about concession discounts
Refunds and exchanges
Find out more about our refund and exchange policy
Make a donation
Help us open up the arts to everyone by making a one-off or a recurring donation.
For your visit
This event is held at the The Clore Ballroom Southbank Centre
The Clore Ballroom is open six days a week.
Tuesday, 10am – 6pm*
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
*If we’re hosting a performance, the building will stay open until the event ends.
Plan your visit
The Clore Ballroom is located inside our Royal Festival Hall on Level 2.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
There is step-free access to The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, via a ramp.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
Next to The Clore Ballroom is our Ballroom Cafe where you can grab a coffee and a piece of freshly made cake. Also on Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.