Two Weeks Until Launceston Poetry Festival – And Most of It’s Free

With the Launceston Poetry Festival now just two weeks away, organisers are reminding residents that a large part of the three-day programme – from drop-in workshops to open-air performances on Castle Green – is completely free to attend.

The festival, organised by the Charles Causley Trust, runs from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 May 2026 and has placed community participation at the heart of this year’s programme.

Drop-In Workshops and a Poetry Pharmacy

Alongside the ticketed readings featuring poets such as Rowan Williams, Luke Kennard, Sarah Howe and Liz Berry, visitors can turn up on the day to a range of free activities. These include community poetry readings, Silent Reading and Writing Clubs, eco-poetry sessions, a Poetry Pharmacy dispensing verse for every mood, and a “rent-a-poet” service.

Families are catered for too, with a playful workshop aimed at under-6s led by Jane Newberry. Charles Causley’s restored home, Cyprus Well on Ridgegrove Hill, will be open to the public across the weekend for tours, silent reading and a Causley Breakfast hosted by Petroc Trelawny.

Castle Green Comes Alive

The festival’s free outdoor programme on Castle Green brings the wider town into the celebration, with performances from Launceston Town Band, Popchoir, The Park Sing and Sign Choir, and Launceston Youth Theatre Music Group.

A Special Reading and Sunday Service

One of the ticketed highlights is a joint reading from former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Forward Prize-winner Luke Kennard at Launceston Town Hall on Saturday 2 May, featuring work from their collections The Edge of Words and The Book of Jonah.

On Sunday 3 May, Williams will be joined by BBC broadcaster Petroc Trelawny at St Thomas’s Church for a special service to mark the life of Charles Causley, the Launceston-born poet whose legacy the festival celebrates.

‘The Power of Poetry’

Nicola Nuttall of the Charles Causley Trust said: “This festival creates a space where the whole community can come together and experience the power of poetry — whether through free events, workshops or world-class readings.”

How to Take Part

Most free workshops and community events can be attended on a drop-in basis, with no booking required. Tickets for headline readings and the full programme are available at causleytrust.org/launceston-poetry-festival.