International Festival of Poetry Orpheus – Plovdiv 2026
Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8
The Small Earlychristian Basilica

The participants in the ninth edition of the International Poetry Festival “Orpheus” – Plovdiv 2026 are traditionally 12. This year they come from Israel, France, the United States, Denmark, Italy, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Iraq, and Bulgaria. Twelve poets from eleven countries will read in their native languages and in Bulgarian translation during the two festival evenings.
The forum opens on May 7 at 6 p.m. with an introduction of the participants and a poetry reading, followed by the presentation of the Grand “Orpheus” Award for outstanding contribution to poetry.
On May 8, the festival continues at 5 p.m. with a Writers’ Forum on the topic “The Figure of Orpheus – Between Myth and Moment.” At 6:00 PM, a closing reading will take place, followed by the awards ceremony in the following categories: the “Orpheus” Award for overall performance, the “Lyre of Orpheus” Award for best poem, the “Eurydice” Award for a love poem, and the “In the Footsteps of Orpheus” Award for best essay.

The event is organized with the support of the Municipality of Plovdiv and is part of the city’s Cultural Calendar for 2026.