THE CRYPT GALLERY AND MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAIN PRESENT
BLOOMSBURY FESTIVAL: HOLDSPACE GATHERING
SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER 2026 - 6-9PM
FEATURING NEIL BARTLETT OBE PERFORMING NEW WORK.
As part of the Bloomsbury Festival, Hold Space Poetry Festival returns to the crypt 1-5th October 2026 after its sell out run of 7 open mic performances in the Crypt in April 2026.
Neil Bartlett OBE in the church above the crypt where Hold Space Poetry Festival lives. He will not stand there alone.
St Pancras is a church carried on caryatids stone figures holding the roof up with their own bodies so we are giving him eight of our own: 16 queer poets and four musicians, gathered around the premiere, holding it up. The work of one of our elders, borne on the shoulders of the ones who came after because of him.
You as audience are part of this experiment and we ask for your patience as producers of this event and always welcome feedback.
The cost of this sort of event mean unlike the Open Mic we must charge for attendance. We have allowed for a number of concessionary tickets and access tickets. If you require further access information please email nols - nols@makepoetryweirdagain.com
We are being entrusted with a Holy Space and there is a code of conduct. Please read and agree before purchasing a ticket.
For any questions regarding the code of conduct email nols - nols@makepoetryweirdagain.com
How We Hold This Space
A code of conduct for the church · Hold Space, The Gathering
One rule sits above all the others, and you already know it: come as you are. Everything below is only that rule, said slowly.
This is a listening room. When the work begins, we give it our whole attention. Phones dark and silent. The person in front of you has carried this a long way meet them with quiet.
A sober space, and we mean it. No alcohol, no substances in the church. Whether you are in recovery or simply want a night that doesn't turn on drink, this room is built to hold you, and your welcome is named, not implied.
Everyone belongs here. Queer and questioning, housed and unhoused, seasoned and terrified, neurodivergent, first-timers. No minimum spend, no dress code, no right way to be a person in this room.
Care for each other's bodies and edges. Ask before you touch. Mind the space around you. Consent isn't a formality; it's how we love each other in public.
You may come and go. Sit, stand, stim, rock, step out to breathe and come back. Leaving the room is never rude looking after yourself is part of the service.
This is a church, and it is old. People are kept in these walls. Treat the building, and the dead who keep it, with the tenderness you'd want shown to your own.
Ask before you film. Photograph the ceiling, not people's faces without their yes. When the premiere begins, put the camera down and simply be here.
Our welcome has an edge. Racism, transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, harassment of any kind these end your night. We will ask you to leave, gently and without argument, because the safety of the room comes before the comfort of anyone who threatens it.
If something feels wrong, find a steward we'll be easy to spot. You are not a guest here to be managed. You are part of what makes the room holy. Come as you are, and help us keep it a place where everyone else can, too.