Poetry International Returns to London with a Major Tribute to Benjamin Zephaniah
The Southbank Centre’s Poetry International Festival returns this July as part of the venue’s 75th anniversary celebrations, with three days of readings, debates and workshops led by a large-scale tribute to the late Benjamin Zephaniah.
Poetry International returns to the Southbank Centre from 10 to 12 July, bringing three days of readings, conversations and workshops to the riverside complex during its 75th anniversary year. First launched in the late 1960s, the festival has long been one of the UK’s most visible gatherings for poets and readers, turning the Royal Festival Hall and surrounding venues into a meeting place for writers from across the world.
This year’s programme carries particular weight. At its centre is a major tribute to Benjamin Zephaniah, the writer often described as Britain’s “people’s poet”. Zephaniah reshaped the place of poetry in British culture, mixing reggae rhythms, performance and political urgency while reaching audiences far beyond traditional literary circles. His work moved easily between schools, community stages and major festivals, insisting that poetry belonged as much in public life as it did on the printed page.
The tribute event in the Royal Festival Hall brings together poets and collaborators who knew Zephaniah or were shaped by his work. Hosted by Lemn Sissay and Pauline Black, the evening includes readings and reflections from writers including Jackie Kay and Michael Rosen. For many of those appearing, the event is less a memorial than a recognition of Zephaniah’s lasting influence on contemporary British poetry.
The festival also looks to the next generation of writers. Imagine the Future, a national project led by Lemn Sissay, invites more than 2,300 schoolchildren from London, Birmingham and Manchester to explore their hopes for the future through poetry and visual writing. During the festival, poems created by Lambeth schoolchildren will appear across the Southbank Centre as a public installation, connecting the voices of young writers with the history of the site, which first opened during the Festival of Britain in 1951.
Another strand of the programme arrives in London as part of a national tour. A Poet in Every Port, organised by the National Poetry Library, has been travelling across the UK with a mobile library and programme of readings and workshops. When it reaches the Southbank Centre, visitors will be able to join free events and readings throughout the day, led by poet Roger McGough, the project’s ambassador.
Across the weekend the festival gathers a wide range of international voices. Readings and conversations feature Raymond Antrobus, Ilya Kaminsky, Denise Riley, Kim Hyesoon and Paul Muldoon, alongside masterclasses for writers interested in developing their own work. The programme also marks the centenary of Allen Ginsberg with a large evening event revisiting the American poet’s legacy through music, readings and visual interpretations of his writing.
Taken together, the events reflect the long ambition of Poetry International: to treat poetry not simply as literature but as a public art form that moves between page, stage and conversation.
Highlights include a celebration of Benjamin Zephaniah hosted by Lemn Sissay and Pauline Black with contributions from Jackie Kay and Michael Rosen; Allen Ginsberg at 100, a centenary tribute combining readings, music and visual responses to the Beat poet’s work; Imagine the Future, a national project bringing together more than 2,300 schoolchildren whose poems will appear across the Southbank Centre in a large installation; A Poet in Every Port, the National Poetry Library’s travelling project arriving in London with free readings and workshops led by Roger McGough; and appearances from leading contemporary poets including Raymond Antrobus, Ilya Kaminsky, Denise Riley, Kim Hyesoon and Paul Muldoon.
Poetry International Festival takes place at the Southbank Centre, London, from 10 to 12 July 2026 across venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room. Full programme details and tickets are available at southbankcentre.co.uk.
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
