On an extended weekend in April each year, the New Orleans Poetry Festival helps organize 90+ poetry events and a book fair of 60+ small presses. Everything is completely free and open to the public.

The 12th annual NOPF takes place April 15-18, 2027. This year’s international feature is Scandinavia. Proposals are open for submissions from September 15 until December 1, 2026. We’re so happy you’re here.

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Below is a concise schedule of major events, not including the array of readings, panels, and workshops that run all weekend long. Thank you to the hundreds of poets that have and will visit this city with your thoughtful, poetic energies.

• Thursday April 15: Opening Night Reading

Organized as a kind of motley sonnet and/or teaser trailer, 14 poets present their work at Saturn Bar.

• Friday April 16: International Feature: Scandinavia / Small Press Fair Happy Hour

Every year NOPF hosts poets and translators from a particular country/region outside the U.S. for numerous readings and panels. This year we’re happy to feature some of the most groundbreaking Scandinavian writers and their translators: Aase Berg translated by Johannes Göransson (Sweden), Ursula Andkjær Olsen translated by Katrine Øgaard Jensen (Denmark), and Gunnar Wærness translated by Gabriel Gudding (Norway). They will be reading their work as the Friday evening showcase at Café Istanbul.

In the afternoon, NOPF throws a “happy hour” in the book fair wherein purchasing a book gets you a shiny new ice-cold beverage of your choice. The thirst for poetry is real.

• Saturday April 17: Headliner Night

Two poets (to be named later) perform their work at Café Istanbul. Headliners from our most recent years include Ariana Reines, Carolina Ebeid, Courtney Bush, Jerome Ellis, Latasha N. Nevada Diggs, and Tongo Eisen-Martin.

• Sunday April 18: Closing Pool Party

After the last full day of the book fair, panels, readings, etc., NOPF hosts a wholesome rager to say our goodbyes, until next years.