St. Augustine PoetFest 2025

For the fourth year, Flagler College, Ancient City Poets, and the St. Johns Cultural Council present St. Augustine PoetFest, a three-day poetry festival to celebrate literary heritage and connect the creative community.

Except for an event at the St. Augustine Waterworks on Thursday evening, and an open mic at Ralampago Coffee on Friday evening, all other events on Friday and Saturday are at at Flagler College locations. 

All Poetfest 2025 events are free and open to the public.

Day 1 — Thursday, April 10, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Festival Kick-Off:

Beat Poet Summit & Community Open Mic

St. Augustine PoetFest 2025 starts with a night of shared poetry at the St. Johns County Waterworks building at 6:30 p.m. This evening's program is presented by the National Beat Poetry Foundation.

• During the first hour, poets recognized as "Beat Poet Laureates" of their prospective states (current or past honorees) by the National Beat Poetry Foundation perform their pieces.
• The second hour is a community open mic night, where local poets and the public are invited to share their most recent writing pieces.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the open-mic sign-up sheet is available at 6:00 p.m., as well. The first 10 who sign up have five minutes to share their poems. 

Admission: Free and open to the public.

When: Thursday, April 10, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084 (Free parking available onsite.)

Note: While the address is 184 San Marco Avenue, the only driveway on San Marco is Exit Only. Access to the Waterworks is through the St. Augustine Main Library parking lot. (Use 1960 North Ponce de Leon in your GPS.)

Day 2 — Friday, April 11, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Day two begins at 9:00 a.m. and includes author discussions and a keynote presentation at Flagler College. In the evening, Flagler's English department hosts an open mic at Relampago Coffee Lab, 74 Spanish Street.

Flagler College Campus

Ringhaver Student Center — 50 Sevilla Street

Events and Workshops

* The poets presenting at the Poet Spotlight are:

Relampago Coffee Lab — 74 Spanish Street

Open Mic Night, hosted by the Flagler College English Dept.

After a full Friday of poetry and spoken word events, the Flagler English Department students and faculty invite locals and visitors to join them in an evening of creative performances. Tucked away in the back garden of Relampago, this regular open mic includes poetry and musical performances. Sign-up starts at 6:00 p.m., with the first reader beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Admission: Free and open to the public

When: Friday, April 11, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Where: Relampago Coffee Lab, 74 Spanish Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084 

(This event is slated to be outside on their back deck. No parking is available onsite—there are paid lots nearby.)

Day 3 — Saturday, April 12

Day three sees another day full of diverse and engaging sessions. Starting at 9:00 a.m. and concluding around 7:00 p.m., the final day of the festival takes place in various buildings on the Flagler College campus. The festival concludes in the evening with an awards ceremony and reception.

Flagler College Campus

Ringhaver Student Center — 50 Sevilla Street

Saturday's Events and Workshops

The main organizer of the St. Augustine PoetFest is Florida Beat Poet Laureate, Chris Bodor. Click the email button on this event page to contact his team.