Some of the most welcoming independent venues in and around town have kindly offered space for performances. Follow the links below for further information and maps.
Arty Farty Retreat: Nell and her team at Arty Farty have opened their doors again for Charlie Bell and his Images into Words workshop, considering wider art forms as inspiration for written art.
Even Flow: A record store and café bar that’s no stranger to open mic nights or spoken word. If your vinyl collection is missing a vital slice of Gil Scott-Heron then Even Flow is probably your best chance locally for locating it. Hosting our first Vocal & Live night of the festival. Please be sure to reserve your seating at hello@evenflowuk.com if planning to attend our event.
Gills Lap, Ashdown Forest: Home of Winnie the Pooh and friends, Ashdown Forest really lives up to the ‘enchanted place’ title bestowed upon it by A. A. Milne. Following on from hugely popular workshops in previous years, resident poet Siân Thomas invites us back for further nature-inspired workshopping with Forest Bathing.
Southborough Civic Centre: A bright new building with ample (and free!) parking right in the centre of Southborough. Hosting three events: Poetry and the Environment, Tales of the Black Cat and The Italian Connection.
The George and The Sussex Arms: Two of Tunbridge Wells’ best loved pubs join our venues for Vocal & Live open mics. Spoken word poetry and pubs – an irresistible combination!
Trinity Theatre: We are delighted to return to the revamped café in the Trinity foyer space for our Pop-Up-Poetry showcase afternoon.
Tunbridge Wells Forum: We wrap up our festival at the town’s most celebrated grassroots music venue with our grand finale, the Vocal & Live free community afternoon, followed by an evening with fabulous festival headliner Harry Baker.
Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival 