Welcome to Winchester Poetry Festival
Winchester Poetry Day will take place Saturday 5 October 2024.
Winchester Poetry Festival in 2024
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Winchester Poetry Festival is a biennial festival, with our next full festival taking place in 2025.
This year we hold our shorter, one-day Winchester Poetry Day at The ARC, Winchester on Saturday 5th October 2024.
A day of poetry readings, workshops and activities featuring the awards ceremony for Winchester Poetry Prize 2024, the Hampshire Young Poets competition celebration, and much more.
Key events are BSL interpreted and live-streamed, performances are free to attend (booking advised). Explore the full programme and book tickets here.
We also host and collaborate on poetry events throughout the year, the details and ticket links for which are below.
To keep up to date with all events and activities please sign up to our enewsletter.
Other WPF events
Poetry Routes Networks and Connections: a journey on King Alfred's Buses with the Hampshire Poet
Sun 15th September 2024
Arrive at 10:45am for 11am departure
For Winchester Heritage Open Days 2024, join Damian Kelly-Basher - Hampshire Poet 2024-26 - for a journey on one of King Alfred’s Buses to hear poems exploring the Heritage Open Days theme of ‘routes, networks and connections’. Featured poets: Syd Meats, Anita Foxall, Daniel Hooks, Andy White.
The Leland Panther bus will depart promptly from Winchester Broadway at 11am - via Crawley - and return back to Winchester Broadway at 11:45am
Damian Kelly-Basher is a writer/performer and facilitator who has performed around the UK, including at the Royal Albert Hall and the WOMAD Festival. He has carried out creative commissions for both councils and arts organisations and has also run numerous poetry events and workshops. His background is in public health with the NHS, and he has also worked on projects in both Central America and Eastern Europe. He holds the position of Hampshire Poet 2024-26, which is jointly supported by Winchester Poetry Festival and Hampshire Cultural Trust.
Friends of King Alfred Buses is a registered charity dedicated to the preservation of King Alfred buses and coaches and the memory of King Alfred Motor Services which provided Winchester’s local bus services between 1922 and 1973. It has over 30 years’ experience of giving nostalgic rides on its collection of 15 restored historic vehicles.
Tickets are FREE, but seats are limited.
The Hampshire Poet presents... at Kings Walk Festival
Sat 28th September 2024
10am - 5pm
Damian Kelly-Basher - Hampshire Poet 2024-26 - will be filling Kings Walk Festival with poetry all day. There will be local poets writing poetry about the local businesses in Kings Walk, and you can contribute to a 'community' poem too.
FREE, just turn up!
The Hampshire Poet's Launch of Festival of Surrealism at Poetry Platform, Railway Inn, Winchester
Tues 1st October 2024
7:30pm start
Winchester Poetry Festival presents a very special Poetry Platform in advance of Winchester Poetry Day 2024. Join the Hampshire Poet, Damian Kelly-Basher, as he launches his Century of Surrealism Festival at Railway Inn’s monthly celebration of spoken word.
This FREE event will be a carnival of surrealist poetry featuring national and regional artists, and open-mic opportunities. You are invited to attend this special collaborative event in fancy dress or a bizarre costume, if you wish.
Damian Kelly-Basher is a writer/performer and facilitator who has performed around the UK, including at the Royal Albert Hall and the WOMAD Festival. He has carried out creative commissions for both councils and arts organisations and has also run numerous poetry events and workshops. His background is in public health with the NHS, and he has also worked on projects in both Central America and Eastern Europe. He holds the position of Hampshire Poet 2024-26, which is jointly supported by Winchester Poetry Festival and Hampshire Cultural Trust.
Poetry Platform is a monthly celebration of spoken word; a linguistic open mic that welcomes writers of any background and experience. Taking place on the first Tuesday of every month, Poetry Platform aims to provide you with the stage to share your words and the place to build a community. From newcomers to Poet extraordinaires there is always a warmth waiting for you at The Railway Inn's fabulous poetry night, so grab those notebooks, warm up those vocal chords and let's get poetical!
FREE, just turn up
Words Of Our Own at University of Winchester
Thurs 3rd October 2024
4-9pm
An afternoon and evening of all things poetry at The University of Winchester to celebrate National Poetry Day. All are welcome at these events - students, and non-students alike!
Topping and Tailing : Beginnings and Endings
A workshop with award-winning poet Dr. Julian Stannard
16:00 - 17:30 King Alfred’s Campus, St Alphege 002
Workshop 2
details tbc
17:45 - 19:00 King Alfred’s Campus, St Alphege 001
Refreshments
19:00 - 19:30 - King Alfred's Campus, The Stripe foyer
Performance from Hampshire Poet Laureate Damian Kelly-Basher
19:30 - 20:00 - King Alfred's Campus, The Stripe Auditorium
Sharing session and competition
20:00 - 21:00 - King Alfred's Campus, The Stripe Auditorium
Please email glenn.fosbraey@winchester.ac.uk for further information, or to book a place on any of the day’s events.
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Writing Our Legacy - social evening
Fri 4th October 2024
5-7pm
A relaxed social evening taking place in Winchester in advance of Winchester Poetry Day 2024.
Hosted by Writing Our Legacy, and is for poets and writers of colour to connect, support and inspire each other in a welcoming space.
Writing Our Legacy CIC is an arts and heritage organisation that enables Black, Asian and ethnically diverse/BPOC* people to tell their stories through writing and the creative arts. We were established in 2012 and are an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation 2023-26.
*BPOC stands for ‘Black people, People of Colour’ and is a self-identifying term. While we use the term BPOC, we acknowledge the limitations of this terminology. At the core of our network is the aim to address and overcome systemic barriers that our members face directly or indirectly based on their ethnic or national identities, race or perceived racial identities, or the colour of their skin as per the Equality Act of 2010. This includes people who identify as Black, brown, people of colour, Global Majority, mixed-race, multiple heritage and/or are from the Global South, and/or are East and South-East Asian, West Asian, Asian, Middle Eastern, African, African-Caribbean, Caribbean, Latinx, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, or First Nations, and diasporas.
FREE, venue details supplied to interested parties.
Please note, tickets for Winchester Poetry Festival events are bookable directly from this page. Please do not purchase tickets from resale websites/marketplaces. Tickets for collaborative events may be hosted by other platforms. You can find our refund policy here.
If you have queries regarding tickets, or are concerned your ticket is not valid please email hello@winchesterpoetryfestival.org