The 15th Annual New York City Poetry Festival

July 18th and 19th, Nolan Park, Governors Island

Pen + Brush reads on July 18th at 2pm on the Blackbird Stage

Join us for NYC PoFest 2026: A Modern Odyssey, a free two-day celebration of poetry, community, & creative homecoming!

The New York City Poetry Festival Presents: A Modern Odyssey

This summer, join thousands of poets & poetry lovers at the 15th Annual New York City Poetry Festival as we cross the wine-dark sea of New York Harbor & invoke the muses on Governors Island—our poetic Ithaca.

On July 18–19, 2026 from 11 am – 6pm, NYC PoFest returns to Nolan Park for a two-day celebration of poetry, community, & creative homecoming! For one glorious weekend, Governors Island transforms into a vibrant poetry village—a place where poets & poetry lovers gather to read, listen, collaborate, daydream, & revel among picturesque Victorian houses & beneath the wide green canopies of century-old trees.

Join us! Cross the harbor & come home to poetry.