20–23 August
That's a wrap on Red Dirt Poetry Festival 2026!
This was the biggest festival yet, with a massive program packed full of artists from Mparntwe, interstate and overseas. Over four days together, we prioritised vulnerability, forged community, celebrated creativity, rejoiced in poetry, and carved memories that will stay with us for a lifetime.
A million thank you's to everyone who shared a stage, bought a ticket, held each other in the rain, and so so much gratitude to the many people who poured their time into making things happen behind the scenes.
We will be sharing more content from the festival over the coming weeks, but for now, take care of each other, and we'll see you at the next one in 2028.
Running over four days, Red Dirt Poetry Festival is a celebration of poetry and spoken word located in Mparntwe/Alice Springs.
Run biennially since 2014, the festival has grown into one of the most iconic literary events in the country. With the main venue set in the shadows of the Ntaripe Ranges, the festival spreads poetry across the town including extensive school workshop programs and night-time programming.
2026 Festival Theme
Survival in Fertile Ruins
As we stand knee-deep in global shi[f]t, there is a deep uncertainty in the air, the arts, in our homes and communities of what comes next.
For this year’s festival, our poets are reflecting on the concept of survival in fertile ruins, sharing works that speak to the theme in a liminal sense – that we are the in-between. The survivors and leavers of future ruins, who live and create in the ruins of ancestors in the same way future generations will live in ours. What is it exactly we want to leave behind? And is it too late to change the future to leave different ruins?
We have partnered with scientists, musicians, cultural institutions and industry leaders to bring you an interactive festival that explores the past, the future outside current oppressive systems, and ways to endure within.
This festival explores what it means to survive and the ruins left behind.
With thanks to all of our sponsors & partners
