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2026 Festival Pass (including digital pass)
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2026 Programme & Tickets
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![Lyra Fest 2026 E-brochure (coming soon)]()
Lyra 2026 Brochure (coming soon)
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Festival Accessibility Guide 2026
Lyra Festival returns from April 17th - 26th 2026
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Lyra is a Bristol-based organisation running the annual Lyra - Bristol Poetry Festival, the Bristol City Poet and Young City Poet schemes, and other projects. Lyra brings together local, national and international poets/speakers, representing Bristol as a cultural centre for poetry.
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“Seeing Bristol not only buzzing with an incredible diverse array of literary events for 10 days, but attended by such a varied mix of people and tastes, was inspiring. I hope Lyra has many more chances to grow and expand, as it is becoming a staple part to the city’s artistic calendar”
- Travis Alabanza, poet and performance artist.
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“Lyra Festival provides a real opportunity for people to engage with poetry and spoken word. It’s accessible, it’s fun, and it cements Bristol and the West Country as the UK’s home of creativity.”
- Adam Crowther, BBC Upload Presenter
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"Lyra was one of the best festivals I have ever taken part in, so warm, inclusive, lively, fun, with packed audience and incredibly helpful team – everyone made me feel very welcome and what an enjoyable vibe you have!"
- Pascale Petit (guest poet, 2025)
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"Unbelievably good programming, planning and hosting. Lyra makes a difference to so many poets and people’s lives by having this festival. You’ve made me feel like I really do belong in this world - thank you."
Susie Wilson (guest poet, 2025)
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"So happy to catch this fab performance online - making stuff accessible to people with mobility issues like me is one of the best things about this festival"
Bee Knightly (attendee, 2025)
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"This workshop was life affirming, it helped me to weave together the complex threads of my heritage. I cannot express how much I took from this or how grateful I am. Thank you Lyra, that was a really powerful 2 hours!"
Anonymous (attendee, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa workshop 2025)
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"Such an amazing inclusive event! The artists were so talented and it was so fun and enjoyable. Loved every minute."
Anonymous (attendee, Lyra Slam Finals 2025)
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"Beautiful and inspiring night with fantastic funny hosts and some really incredible poets. Felt moved and connected to my community."
Anonymous (attendee, Queer Poetry Special 2025)