Sydney Poetry Picnic 2026
Description
Join us for the 2026 Sydney Poetry Picnic — a celebration of community, creativity and the poetic voices that shape Sydney and New South Wales.
Held on the beautiful grounds of Writing NSW, this event honours the conveners and organisers behind the regular poetry gatherings that enrich our region’s cultural life.
Hosted by award-winning poet and performer Tug Dumbly, the Picnic features warm introductions, readings that reflect the diversity of our poetry communities, and an open-mic session. Registration for open mic is strictly on the day, so bring your voice and step up to share your work with fellow poets and lovers of verse.
We are delighted to welcome new partners Romani Art & Culture Collective and Lolo Livina, joining Poetry Sydney in supporting this free, outdoor celebration of spoken word and community spirit.
Bring a rug or chair, a poem, and your enthusiasm — all are welcome to attend this festive gathering of voices.
Please note that in the event of inclement weather the Sydney Poetry Picnic will only be cancelled with an announcement at 11 am on the day via Poetry Sydney social media.
Poetry Sydney acknowledges First Nations peoples as the sovereign custodians of Country, and pay respect to Elders of past, present and to future generations. We value the distinct culture, customs and practices present in the many and diverse tribal nations across Australia.
Stay in touch with poets and poetry @poetrysydney #poetrysydney
poetrysydney.org
Lineup
Tug Dumbly
Tug Dumbly, aka Geoff Forrester, is a Sydney poet who has performed a lot in venues and schools. For years he was resident-poet on ABC radio (Triple-J, ABC 702), and has released two spoken-word CDs through the ABC. His awards include the Banjo Paterson Prize for Comic Verse (twice), and Nimbin Performance Poetry World Cup (thrice). In 2024 he won the Reciter of the Year award at the National Folk Festival in Canberra. His poems have appeared in many publications and he has often been shortlisted for big awards. In 2020 he won the Borranga Poetry Prize, in 2022 he won the Woorilla Poetry Prize, and in 2023 he won the Bruce Dawe Poetry Prize. He has released two poetry books through Flying Islands books, Son Songs (2018), and Tadpoems (2024). He is also a singer-songwriter who plans to be famous in the grave. @tugdumbly
FAQs
- How will I know if the Sydney Poetry Picnic is cancelled due to weather conditions?
Please note that in the event of inclement weather the Sydney Poetry Picnic will only be cancelled with an announcement at 11 am on the day via Poetry Sydney social media.
@poetrysydney
Description
Romani Arts & Culture Collective
A collective of artists, Romani people and non Romani (Gadge) members who are interested in supporting and learning more about Romani culture.
Dedicated to promoting Romani people living in Australia who are musicians, Verdon / Vardo (caravan) builders, dancers, artists, chefs, writers, actors, photographers, film makers, visual artists, digital designers, clothing designers, installation artists, community artists, and all other designers and Romani people and their allies who identifies themselves as a creative
Lolo Livina
Sydney based band Lolo Lovina inspire audiences all over the world (Cuba, USA, Spain, France, NZ, Germany, Bosnia, Serbia) to celebrate connection, culture & community through their virtuosic delivery and love of vocalist Sarah Bedák and drummer / Musical Director Nenad Radic’s ancestral Romani cultural music. Lolo Lovina fuse this with music that excites them, be it heavy metal, tango, swing jazz or British pop. Lolo Lovina’s stage performance is high energy, super tight, interactive and exciting as they tangibly share the love and respect they have for each other and their ancestors with the audience.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
