World Poetry Day 2027 is on Sunday

About World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day treats poetry as one of the oldest and most widely shared ways people express their culture and language. UNESCO uses the day to honor poets, encourage the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, revive the oral tradition of poetry recitals, and bring poetry together with other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting. It also aims to raise poetry's profile in the media.

UNESCO's General Conference adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day at its 30th session, held in Paris in 1999. A central aim was to support linguistic diversity through poetry and to give endangered languages more opportunities to be heard. That makes the day a natural partner to UNESCO's other language and literature observances, including International Mother Language Day in February and World Book and Copyright Day in April.

UNESCO marks the day with a message from its Director-General and with readings and discussions; its 2026 program included a session on writing and translating poetry in less widely spoken languages. Libraries, schools, publishers and literary groups around the world hold their own readings, workshops and open mics. In the United States, the day comes shortly before National Poetry Month, which the Academy of American Poets runs throughout April.

Sources: UNESCO: World Poetry Day, United Nations: World Poetry Day, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: 21 March, UNESCO celebrates World Poetry Day. How we check dates.

How to mark World Poetry Day

• Read a poem aloud to someone, or record yourself reading one and share it.
• Find a poet who writes in a language other than yours and read the original next to a translation.
• Write a short poem in your first language or in a language your family speaks.
• Go to, or organize, a poetry reading at a library, bookshop, cafe or school.
• Pair a poem with another art form by setting it to music, illustrating it or performing it as a short scene.

World Poetry Day dates