Surrey's Big Poetry Weekend Makes Spectacular Debut

Two unforgettable days. Four extraordinary headline performances. Hundreds of conversations, poems, ideas and creative moments. Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend brought poetry to life in Egham, and proved there is a huge appetite for poetry, creativity and community across the county. 

For two incredible days, on 1 and 2 August 2026, the Surrey Poet Laureateship threw open the doors of Egham Literary Institute to welcome audiences for the very first Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend - an ambitious new festival built around one simple idea: poetry is for everyone.

Internationally recognised performers, emerging voices, local writers, grassroots poets and curious first-time audiences all found their place at the festival, creating a vibrant and wonderfully diverse celebration of poetry.

From 10am to 8pm on both days, the building was buzzing. Performances, talks, workshops, conversations and creative activities filled the programme, with something happening every hour and audiences able to dip in, explore and create their own festival experience. Visitors could build their own weekend; moving between performances, conversations, workshops, books and creative activities as the mood took them.

And for a festival conceived and delivered in just ten weeks, the response was extraordinary.

Throughout the weekend, audiences stopped members of the team to share their enthusiasm, praise the programme and celebrate the arrival of a major new poetry event in Surrey. There was laughter, curiosity, discovery and, perhaps most importantly, a real sense of connection.

Four Headline Performances. Four Very Different Voices. 

At the heart of Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend were four remarkable headline performances.

Saturday welcomed Dakota Warren and Len Pennie, who each brought their distinctive voices to the festival stage and demonstrated the extraordinary breadth of contemporary poetry.

On Sunday, audiences were treated to performances from MSTR Samuel and Bradley Taylor, bringing the festival’s headline programme to a thrilling conclusion.

Across the four performances, audiences experienced just how expansive poetry can be: intimate, electrifying, vulnerable, funny, challenging and deeply human.

That variety ran throughout the entire weekend. One of the ambitions behind Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend was to create a festival where there was no single definition of what a poet – or poetry – should look or sound like.

Established names shared the stage with grassroots writers. Page poetry sat alongside spoken word. Conversations about craft and creative careers existed alongside opportunities simply to pick up a pen, paintbrush or book and enjoy being creative.

It was a celebration of poetry without barriers.

Poetry You Could See, Make and Share

The headline performances may have provided some of the weekend’s biggest moments, but Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend was never about simply sitting back and watching. It was about getting involved, having a go and discovering your own creative voice.

Throughout the weekend, audiences were given plenty of opportunities to write, make, perform and share - whether that meant contributing a single line, stepping up to a microphone or creating something entirely new.

One particular highlight was Nia Broomhall’s interactive talk, which combined fascinating discussion with brilliant live readings and invited audiences to become part of the creative process. Together, they created a community poem - a piece of work shaped by the words, ideas and imagination of everyone who took part.

The Poetry Wall offered guests another opportunity to leave your mark. Attendees could add their own words, thoughts and verses, gradually creating a colourful collective celebration of poetry throughout the weekend.

And for those ready to take centre stage, the Open Mic provided a welcoming space to share their own work. Established poets, emerging writers and first-time performers all had the opportunity to stand up, speak out and let their words be heard.

Elsewhere our poetry-inspired craft painting session unleashed an entirely different kind of creativity. Brushes came out, imaginations took over and poetry became colour, shape and image, resulting in a wonderful collection of paintings inspired by words and poems.

And that was one of the things that made Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend so special: poetry wasn't something happening somewhere else. It was something everyone could create, contribute to and share.

A Festival Powered By Community

The Surrey Poet Laureateship was founded on a simple belief: Surrey deserves a thriving, accessible poetry community of its own. Our Poetry Hubs have created communities across the county. The Laureate’s Lounge has given performers a regular stage. Our workshops have helped writers develop their craft, while partnerships have connected poetry with heritage, education, wellbeing and the wider arts.

Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend was a chance to see all of that community spirit in one place. 

The weekend was proudly supported by Surrey’s civic community. The Mayor of Runnymede, Councillor Steve Ringham, officially opened the festival, with Councillor Tim Hall MBE, Chair of Surrey County Council, bringing it to a close. Both generously supported the festival through funding from their respective office treasuries - helping turn an ambitious idea into reality.

The Open Mic Showcase put the spotlight firmly on Surrey’s own poets, giving local voices the opportunity to share their work, their stories and their unique perspectives with an enthusiastic festival audience.

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The Book Village offered another way to celebrate and support the wealth of writing happening across the county. Visitors could browse, discover new voices, meet writers and take home something to read - creating a direct connection between local poets and the people who came to hear them. 

Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend wasn’t simply a festival for the poetry community. It was created by, shaped by and powered by that community.

And seeing it come alive was something very special indeed.

This Is Only the Beginning…

When the final words were spoken on Sunday evening and the doors eventually closed after twenty hours of programming, there was exhaustion – but an enormous amount of pride too.

We took a chance on creating something new. Surrey has showed us that it wanted it.

For a first festival, the response has given us tremendous confidence in what Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend could become. We learnt plenty, gathered ideas and came away even more ambitious about its future.

Most of all, we will remember the conversations in corridors, packed rooms, spontaneous laughter, poems shared between strangers, books carried home, paintings created, new writers discovered and the people who sought out members of our team simply to say:

Thank you. We had a wonderful time.

To every poet, performer, speaker, bookseller, partner, volunteer, supporter and audience member who took a chance on the very first Surrey’s Big Poetry Weekend: thank you for being able to say you were there at the beginning.