The Cambridge Poetry Festival will return on the 10th and 11th October 2026, with a weekend of events celebrating Cambridge’s vibrant poetry scene!
Events include a discussion panel hosted by the British Centre for Literary Translation, a Chinese-language poetry workshop held by celebrated Chinese poet Ma Yongbo and an evening of protest poetry readings featuring Clare Pollard.
Events will be taking place across Cambridge, primarily at Pembroke College Auditorium at the University of Cambridge, and at Anglia Ruskin University. Children’s events will be held on Saturday 10th October at Cambridge Central Library, and on Sunday 11th October at Waterstones, Sidney Street.
We’re also excited to be hosting a series of Festival Fringe events in the week before and after the main festival weekend. The Fringe brings together the many community poetry groups in Cambridge such as CB1 Poetry, Future Karaoke and Mill Road Poetry, who will be hosting special one-off events to continue the celebration of poetry in Cambridge.
Tickets are available via our website www.cambridgepoetryfestival.org
About Us
The Cambridge Poetry Festival was founded in 1975 by poet Richard Berengarten. The aim was to create an event that celebrated the intersection of poetry with other art forms, and to establish an internationally focused poetry scene in Cambridge. The early festivals featured a vibrant mix of dance, music, poetry and performance. Over the years it gave a platform to countless local and international, established and unknown poets.
The festival became a prestigious affair, bringing in poets from far and wide to celebrate poetry in one place. Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes and Allen Ginsberg all shared their work at the festival.
The festival became a staple of the Cambridge cultural calendar all the way through to the mid-80’s. After a brief hiatus, the festival was revived in 2025 with a celebration of its 50th Anniversary.
The Cambridge Poetry Festival Team are excited to bring the festival back to Cambridge with full force in October 2026. We hope to build on the incredible legacy that the festival already has, and to take it from strength to strength in years to come.
Facilities
- Air conditioned
- Assistance dogs welcome
- Disabled Accessibility
- mostly flat terrain
- wheelchair access
- wheelchair accessible
- WI-FI
- WIFI
Accessibility Facilities
- Assistance dogs welcome
- Mostly flat terrain
- Staff available to assist
- Wheel chair accessible
- wheelchair access
- Wheelchair accessible
