In just two weeks, Edinburgh’s international poetry festival, Push the Boat Out (PTBO), will launch its most ambitious programme to date, staging a four-day takeover of its new home at the Pleasance (20–23 November). This isn’t a quiet, dusty affair. Billed as a cross-artform explosion of poetry, performance, music, and art, the festival is bringing over 120 artists to the city with a clear mission: to prove poetry can be raw, vital, and rebellious.
The anticipation is so high, the celebrations are kicking off early. This Saturday, 8 November, a special pre-festival show sees acclaimed poets Hollie McNish and Michael Pedersen take over Leith’s luxury floating hotel, The Fingal, to read from their latest works—a fittingly distinct launch for a festival that thrives on challenging expectations.
From Punk Anarchy to Planetary Crisis
The 2025 festival is built on three provocative themes. ‘Poetry is Punk’ is the guiding spirit, a raw, DIY, and political reminder that the art form has teeth. This is balanced by ‘The Anthropocene,’ a timely and urgent strand commissioning new work that reflects on our human impact on the planet. Finally, ‘The Unseen World’ dives deep into the mystical, esoteric, and spiritual.
In just two weeks, Edinburgh’s international poetry festival, Push the Boat Out (PTBO), will launch its most ambitious programme to date, staging a four-day takeover of its new home at the Pleasance (20–23 November).
It’s a framework designed to take poetry out of its box. As Festival Director Emma Collins notes, the aim is to “push poetry far beyond the page,” blurring the lines between genres to create new, dynamic experiences.
Where Punk Ranters Meet Techno Producers
The 63-event programme is a testament to this “genre-blurring” philosophy. The ‘Poetry is Punk’ theme, for instance, pairs original 1980s ranting poet Tim Wells with contemporary punk slam champ Jay Mitra for what’s billed as a “night of anarchic energy.”
Elsewhere, bestselling Scots poet Len Pennie—whose collection Poyums became a cultural phenomenon—will discuss her “fiercely honest” work confronting patriarchy and injustice. The festival’s commitment to new work is front and centre, with National Theatre of Scotland-associated commissions from poets like Iona Lee and Taylor Dyson tackling the ‘Anthropocene’ theme. A new theatre collective, What Now?, will also premiere bold work from heavyweights Hannah Lavery and Zinnie Harris responding to the global “geopolitical climate.”
The lineup is packed with major international and local names, including YouTuber and poet Leena Norms, Forward Prize-winner Luke Kennard, Scotland’s Makar Peter MacKay, and acclaimed US poet Victoria Chang.
The musical collaborations are where the festival truly shows its experimental side. Audiences can expect sublime, atmospheric soundscapes from headliners Lord Of The Isles (an ambient techno producer) and poet Ellen Renton. The festival will then close not with a quiet reading, but with the Tinderbox Orchestra—a raucous, transformative finale of rappers, poets, heavy bass, and drums.
Poetry for All Senses
The move to the Pleasance grounds the festival in one of Edinburgh’s most beloved creative hubs, but the experience isn’t confined to its stages.
Alan Bett of Creative Scotland, a principal funder, noted that the programme “pushes the boundaries” by working in the spaces where poetry “meets music, visual art and performance.”
Around town, the festival is partnering with Lush Cosmetics for bespoke fragrance events exploring the links between perfume, memory, and metaphor. For art lovers, a dedicated exhibition will celebrate the work of Ian Hamilton Finlay, one of Scotland’s most distinctive and internationally recognised poets and artists.
For those unable to attend in person, the programme remains accessible. A curated line-up of online workshops and discussions will run alongside five free live-streamed events and a full broadcast schedule in collaboration with EHFM radio.
With its opening just two weeks away, the festival’s ambitious scope is clear. Alan Bett of Creative Scotland, a principal funder, noted that the programme “pushes the boundaries” by working in the spaces where poetry “meets music, visual art and performance.” For poetry lovers and curious newcomers alike, it’s a compelling invitation to see what poetry can do.
Featured Image: Poets Iona Lee and Janette Ayachi launch Push the Boat Out’s 2025 programme as part of National Poetry Day celebrations. Edinburgh’s International poetry festival returns on 20-23 November in a new venue, the Pleasance. The 2025 programme brings together over 120 artists for a weekend of poetry, performance, music, and art all under the themes of punk poetry, the unseen world and human impact. Image credit: Neil Hanna
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