Poetry / Reviews
Review: Lyra Bristol Poetry Festival; Opening Weekend – ‘Sparkling with intensity and intrigue’
At Lyra – Bristol Poetry Festival, one couldn’t help but become part of the scene – whether it be a thrown word, bemused laugh, snap or gasp, audiences were a critical component of the opening weekend’s poetic landscape.
Celebrating its eighth opening weekend in venues such as St George’s Bristol and Arnolfini, LyraFest was sparkling with intensity and intrigue as it welcomed visitors to a wide array of in-person and live-streamed events.
Part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Bristol is a trailblazing epicentre for art and creativity, and the festival (founded in 2019) aims to be a dynamic and accessible way to honour the long history of poetry in Bristol while recognising its vibrant contemporary shapes and voices.
Wonder & Wanderers was the central theme for the festival this year, shaping the discussions, workshops and performances included in the packed, community-oriented schedule.
Inviting attendees to “explore poetry’s transformative power to wander through genre, place and perspectives, and to spark wonder and imagination through language, ideas and worldbuilding”, Lyra transformed its venues past a simple holding space for their biggest programme of events yet into an undeniable “elsewhere” that encouraged identity, speech, thought and feeling to converge and conspire.
These themes of movement and migration uniquely presented themselves across each event, more literal in some instances than in others. The festival used its core idea to explore shifts in personal and communal identities, histories and lexicon, and emphasised how the critical nature of poetry as an avenue to explore these movements remains unchanged.
Travis Alabanza – photo: Eiv Hansen
While the qualifying round for the Lyra Bristol Poetry Slam was held in late March, the official start date for LyraFest was Friday, April 17, which saw both an encouraging panel discussion on The Power of Poetry and a sensational Queer Poetry Cabaret featuring Travis Alabanza and guests that demonstrated the festival’s passion to expand upon the definition of poetry, as well as highlightin the exciting revolution of the art form.
Saturday and Sunday showcased several workshops, spoken word performances and other events such as the Clifton Poetry Walk with Braid, a poetry group led by Kaycee Hill, Naomi Madlock and Kate Noakes, and Family Poems with Michael Rosen, one of Britain’s best-loved performance poets, who had adults and children alike wrapping around St George’s Main Hall to get their books signed.
Michael Rosen
Other standout events contributing to the success of the festival’s first weekend included the urgent and metamorphic From Dust We Rise: Young Voices of Gaza, an hour-long reading performance that included video performances and displays, headlined by young poets Haia Mohammed and Batool Abu Akleen. The event, addressing intensely sober realities in Palestine, proved that the unspeakable must be spoken about to bring change and offer rays of hope.
Also included in the weekend’s lineup was Joelle Taylor’s remarkable staged reading of Maryville, which transcended both place and time. The audience held their breath until their standing ovation when Taylor joined them in wiping away tears. There are few words better suited to this performance honouring lesbian counterculture than “inimitable” and “once-in-a-century talent”.
Joelle Taylor
The most raucous event yet, the landmark Lyra Poetry Slam Grand Finals closed out LyraFest’s opening weekend with unbeatable verve. Audiences seated in the plush red seats of the Arnolfini Theatre, and those watching at home, aided panellists Sukina Noor, Musa Okwonga and Caitlin O’Ryan in whittling down Bristol’s 10 finest slam poets to crown one the 2026 Lyra Bristol Poetry Slam Champion.
Stomps, cheers and snaps were the name of the game as witty, poignant performances morphed the event from engrossingly participative to wholly phenomenal. Encore performances by finalists Enzie, Chloe Tenesha and Zakariye led to the penultimate receiving the coveted title and blue teardrop trophy at the end of the sold-out show.
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The Lyra Bristol Poetry Festival is an annual event. More information about the festival is available at lyrafest.com or by following @lyrafest.
All photos: Lyra Fest
Read next:
- ‘Representation has become more necessary as a poetic endeavour’
- Lyra – Bristol Poetry Festival announces biggest programme ever
- Michael Rosen and Shane Koyczan named as headliners for the 2026 Lyra – Bristol Poetry Festival
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