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. So watch this space, the future of the poetry scene and/or GCSE English Literature textbooks could be right here!
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. You can read more about our anniversary celebrations here
Angus and the team are excited to bring the festival back to Cambridge with full force later in 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.