Morecambe Poetry Festival

07/06/2026

As we come to the end of National Volunteer week, we'd just like to take a moment to recognise Volunteer Extraordinaire (all of our volunteers are lovely people) However Jo Jinty has been a miracle worker moving from Volunteer to Volunteer co-ordinator and now event manager. Her commitment, professionalism and organisational skills are nothing short of miraculous. She's now also taken Fringe event manager under her wing. All while working full time and also writing and performing her 3rd Fringe show.
Let's hear it for Jo.
Thanks from the bottom of our hearts!!!
Thanks Lancaster District CVS for the recognition!

29/05/2026

BE THERE!!!
OR BE SQUARE
SAID THE POET
TO THE HARE....
UM...

It's our 5th birthday! celebrate with the biggest and best poets from across the country. Held at the fabulous Winter Gardens and Kings Arms.

06/05/2026

VOLUNTEERS WANTED – FESTIVALS IN MORECAMBE & THE BAY 🎭

We’re building a brilliant team of volunteers to help bring amazing festivals to life in Morecambe and the Bay – and we’d love you to be part of it!

If you’re friendly, reliable and love the arts, this is for you 🙌

West End Players organise and provide volunteers to support:

🎭 The Bay Fringe Festival | 20 July – 9 August 2026
✍️ Morecambe Poetry Festival | 17–20 September 2026
🎤 Morecambe Comedy Festival | Nov 2026 (dates TBC)

✨ No experience needed – just enthusiasm!
You’ll meet great people, support local arts and help make these festivals unforgettable.

👉 Please fill in this short form and we’ll be in touch with opportunities that match your interests and availability:

https://forms.gle/GKqBLng1FBCweapr9

Feel free to share this with friends who’d love to get involved

We’re building a team of volunteers to help bring amazing festivals to life in Morecambe and the Bay. If you’re friendly, reliable and love the arts, we’d love to hear from you. West End Players organise and provide volunteers to help support: • The Bay Fringe Festival 20th July - 9th August...

08/04/2026

Poetry festival anthology FREE submissions close 30th April.
Loose Theme - Entertainers or Anniversaries
(It's Eric Morecambe's Centenary and our 5th Festival!!!)

Deadline: May 1st We invite you to submit one original poem to be considered for inclusion in this year's Morecambe Poetry Festival 2026 anthology. Being the 100th year of Eric Morecambe's birth this year's theme is Entertainers and Anniversaries. You can write about either or both, and be as concre...

04/04/2026

Full line up and times announced soon.
x

Dr John Cooper Clarke, Attila the Stockbroker, Jan Brierton, Patience Agbabi, Nick Helm, Henry Normal, Salena Godden, Kate Fox, Brian Bilston, Luke Wright, Jackie Kay, Robin Ince, Rob Orton, Marcel Lucont and many more are heading to Morecambe Poetry Festival.

24/03/2026

Poetry Anthology Submissions Open!!!! Close May 1st!!
We invite you to submit one original poem to be considered for inclusion in this year's Morecambe Poetry Festival 2026 anthology. Being the 100th year of Eric Morecambe's birth and our 5th festival this year's theme is Entertainers and Anniversaries. You can write about either or both, and be as concrete or as abstract as you wish.
https://forms.gle/1kbPtZoEUqJxAtvT9

Submission guidelines:
The submission must be entirely your own work and should be previously unpublished. We do not require exclusive rights and you are free to publish your work elsewhere after the publication of the MPF26 anthology.
Poems should not exceed 40 lines (and short poems are very acceptable, too!)
Normally we will not publish more than one poem from any writer. We would make an exception for a sequence of short poems, but the 40-line limit will still apply to the entire sequence. We do encourage you to choose just one piece that you really like for submission.
There is no submission fee.
Submission is not a guarantee of acceptance.
All selected contributors will also be offered copies at 25% off the cover price.
Publication:
We will be in touch towards the end of July 2026 to let you know if your work has been selected.

Timeline:
Submissions open: Mar 24th
Submissions close: May 1st
Contributors will be contacted shortly after
Publication is expected later in September 2026
Further updates, including cover and launch details, will follow
How to submit:
Complete details below
Copy and paste your poem
Submit your poems according to the formatting guidelines
Submissions that ignore the deadline date and formatting guidelines may go unread
If you have issues using this form, contact [email protected]

Deadline: May 1st We invite you to submit one original poem to be considered for inclusion in this year's Morecambe Poetry Festival 2026 anthology. Being the 100th year of Eric Morecambe's birth this year's theme is Entertainers and Anniversaries. You can write about either or both, and be as concre...

21/03/2026

Happy World Poetry Day!
Congratulations to Jan Brierton! Jan blew away the audience last year, and I'm delighted to say will do the same this year on Fri 18th September at the Morecambe Winter Gardens performing alongside the legendary Dr John Cooper Clarke.
Weekend Tickets available on Skiddle!!

12/03/2026

We are excited to support the bid for Morecambe to become UK Town of Culture 2028

UK Town of Culture is a newly launched national initiative, with the first title set to be awarded for 2028. Three towns will be selected, with two runners-up each receiving £250,000, and the winning town receiving £3 million to invest in a year of culture in 2028.

A group of creative and cultural organisations based in Morecambe are working alongside collaborators from sectors including health, environment, education, young people and the third sector to shape the narrative and build a compelling bid.

We're seeking ideas and input from artists, creatives, businesses and residents from across Morecambe.

You can visit the online portal to share ideas via the link in our bio. https://moremusic.org.uk/news/help-morecambe-become-uk-town-of-culture-2028/

Want to chat in person? A drop-in session will be held at Morecambe Library from 2–4 pm on Monday, 23 March 2026, for anyone interested in finding out more and sharing their vision.

A music and education charity based at the Hothouse in Morecambe

17/02/2026

Sunday night. ❤️
He smashed the Late night fight slot. He's back with some tenderness.

“This is storytelling at its rawest and most redemptive, delivered by a performer at the absolute top of his game.” ***** Reviews Hub

“The structure moves fluidly between anecdote and poem… We are allowed to laugh — a lot. It is contemporary, culturally grounded and unforced.” ***** West End Best Friend

A generous and deeply human piece of theatre, an insightful and compassionate glimpse into the experience of adoption while speaking more broadly to anyone who has ever questioned where they come from ***** North West End

“Luke Wright possesses a rare genius for both poetry and performance. His words have weight, warmth, and wit – and if they don’t touch you, you might want to check your pulse.” ***** London Theatre 1

“A witty imaginative beautiful and accessible hour.”

“You can see just how personal and important this is, which makes it even more of a privilege to be in the room with him as he tells his story – I couldn’t recommend it any more highly.” ***** Mind the Blog

“Later Life Letter is, overall, a generous and quietly affecting performance. Wright does not offer answers, only company, and in doing so captures something truthful about how identity is lived rather than solved.” **** The Live Review

“A brilliant storyteller and an electrifying performer …It is quite amazing how the fusion of stand-up comedy and his poetry strikes an almost perfect balance, and how he could switch hats so freely in-between both forms.” **** A Youngish Perspective

“By the end, the audience has been through emotional somersaults — genuinely, from tears to laughter and back again.” Ikon London Magazine

14/02/2026

Big shout out to our newest top fans! 💎 Darron Baxter, Lee Nelson, Chris Nortley, Charlie Hart, Arthur Peter Chappell, Tim Wells, Trystan Lewis, Garry Cook, Sarah L Dixon, Aaron Wright, Barney Hallmann, Jane Sharp, Peter Shukie, Ann Grant, Bill Pook, Geraldine Snape, Ailsa Morrison, Jeremy Fish, Peter Devonald, John Dredge, Alan Williamson, Carole Clayton, Half Beard Half Poet, Peter Foster, Susan Griffin