Events
Performances and workshops across the UK for 2026.
Upcoming
| Date | Venue / event |
|---|---|
| Performance Evening of radical poetry Cardiff Music City Festival / Church of Noise · Cardiff | |
| Performance Kertecz L'Étoile Studio (18 West St, Bristol BS2 0BH) · Bristol | |
| Workshop Neurodiversity and the Creative Process: A Workshop with Samatar Elmi Followed by an open mic night · Somali Week Festival Oxford House, Bethnal Green, London | |
| Performance A Celebration of British Somali Poetry Somali Week Festival / London Literature Festival Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London Event details and tickets | |
| Performance Poetry performance Manchester Poetry Library · Manchester | |
| Performance Poetry performance and event Isis River Farmhouse · Oxford | |
| Performance Medway River Lit Festival 7.20pm start · 30 minutes Sun Pier House · Chatham |
2026 Tour Map
12 locations across England & Wales · 28 performances & workshops
Every city visited during the 2026 tour. Marker size indicates concentration of appearances.
View 12-city breakdown 12 cities · 28 engagements
-
Bristol 10 performances & workshops
Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jul, Aug, Oct 2026
Exchange, Raise the Bar, East Bristol Books, Radical Roasters, Saleh, Wiper & True (x2), Kiss the Sky, KERTECZ Press (x2 at L'Étoile Studio), Lyra Bristol Poetry Festival
-
London 6 performances & workshops
May, Jul, Aug, Oct 2026
Southbank Centre (Purcell Room), Oxford House (Bethnal Green), Mason & Fifth (x2), Hammer & Tongue, Kayd Arts
-
Cardiff 2 performances
17 Sep & 12 Oct 2026
Chapter Arts Centre (After Cordelia scratch) · Cardiff Music City Festival / Church of Noise
-
Liverpool 2 engagements
1 Oct 2026
Liverpool Everyman Theatre (Poetry workshop & performance)
-
Manchester 1 performance
29 Oct 2026
Manchester Poetry Library
-
Oxford 1 performance
1 Nov 2026
Isis River Farmhouse
-
Chatham 1 performance
20 Nov 2026
Sun Pier House (Medway River Lit Festival)
-
Swansea 1 performance
17 Sep 2026
Down By Here
-
Scarborough 1 performance
19 Jul 2026
The Craft Bar
-
Newcastle 1 performance
15 Jul 2026
Little Buildings
-
Exeter 1 performance
20 Jun 2026
Echoes Literature Festival
-
Cheltenham 1 performance
18 Apr 2026
Cheltenham Poetry Festival
Earlier in 2026
| Date | Venue / event |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Everyman Theatre Liverpool · “Night of Poetry” around Death of a Salesman Workshop 2pm · Neuro-Divergence and Creative Writing — pre-show poetry workshop Performance 10.30pm · Poetry performance | |
| R&D scratch After Cordelia Two 30-minute scratch performances · directed by Mathilde Lopez Chapter Arts Centre · Cardiff | |
| Down By Here Swansea Event details | |
| Exchange Bristol | |
| Mason & Fifth London | |
| Kayd Arts, Oxford House London | |
| Raise the Bar Bristol | |
| The Craft Bar Scarborough | |
| Little Buildings Newcastle | |
| Saleh, Wiper & True Bristol | |
| Hammer & Tongue London | |
| East Bristol Books Bristol | |
| Echoes Literature Festival Exeter | |
| Kiss the Sky Bristol | |
| Mason & Fifth London | |
| Radical Roasters Bristol | |
| Saleh, Wiper & True Bristol | |
| Cheltenham Poetry Festival | |
| Workshop International Anglo-Somali Poetry | Anthology Workshop Writing, discussion, mentorship and live readings with Samatar Elmi and Asmaa Jama · Lyra Bristol Poetry Festival Easton Community Centre · Bristol Event details | |
| Poetry event KERTECZ #34 Kertecz Press · L'Étoile Studio, Bristol Event details |
Archive record
Performance Archive · 2003–2025
Earlier live performances, readings, workshops and music appearances.
Performance Archive · 2003–2025
Earlier live performances, readings, workshops and music appearances.
A selected chronological archive of readings, music performances, conversations, workshops, broadcasts and recorded performances across the UK and internationally.
2025
- Huguenot Museum, Rochester · Medway River Lit — Nights at the Museum: Poetry
- St Paul’s Roof Pavilion, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London · Celebrating British-Somali Poetry — London Literature Festival / Somali Week
- Oxford House, Bethnal Green, London · Diasporic Voices — Somali Week
- Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff · Somali Week
- Alma Tavern and Theatre, Bristol · Riot Act: The Birthday Bash
- Humber Street Sesh, Thieving Harry's, Hull · Live performance
- Whitechapel Gallery, London · Numbi Fest — Samatar Elmi book launch
- L’Étoile Studio, Bristol · KERTECZ #24
- EartH, Hackney, London · We Are The Many Festival — Counterpoint Arts (Refugee Week)
- The Underground, Plymouth · Live performance with Jehst
- East Bristol Books, Bristol · Koef Nielsen: Aerogramme — guest reading
- Online · Cheltenham Poetry Festival — Samatar Elmi & Hiram Larew
- Laugharne, Wales · Laugharne Festival
- King's College London, London · Poetry Reading — King's College Somali Society
- Aston University, Birmingham · Poetry Reading — Aston University Somali Society
2023
- Maister House, Hull · The Epic of Cader Idris — recorded performance
- Whitechapel Gallery, London · Numbi Festival: Be the Sky
- The Adelphi, Hull · Live performance with Bombed Buildings
- The London Library, London · The R.A.P. Party: More Fiya
- BBC Radio 4 · Warsan Shire on a Nation of Poets — radio broadcast
2022
- The Listening Post, Henham Park, Suffolk · Latitude Festival — Flipped Eye: Samatar Elmi
- Online · The Poetry Review — Summer issue launch
2021
- Online · Poetry in Aldeburgh — Place, Perception and Play (Revisited)
- Serpentine North Gallery, London · Lucky Jim’s Concert Party — Photo Poetry for James Barnor
- Online · What We Read Now: Between Places
- Online · In conversation: Malika Booker and Samatar Elmi — flipped eye twentieth anniversary
- BBC Radio Wales · Knomad Spock — Janice Long session
- Henham Park, Suffolk · Latitude Festival — One To Watch
A period focused primarily on building a publication record in poetry, working abroad, and developing studio-recorded music.
2012
- Rich Mix, London · NUMBI: A Night of Afropolitan Dandies
- Leeds · Peepal Tree Press silver-anniversary celebrations — Narrating the Caribbean Nation
- Rich Mix, London · NUMBI: A Night of Afropolitan Funk
- Lumb Bank, West Yorkshire · Arvon: (M)Other Tongues — Guest Reader
2011
- Rich Mix, London · NUMBI: Art, Film, Music & Spoken Word — Scarf launch
2010
- The Lamp, Hull · Scarecrows — live performance with DJ Severe
- The Sesh, Linnet & Lark, Hull · Scarecrows — live performance with DJ Severe
- Leeds Kirkgate Market · Young Inscribe: 2Market 2Market
2007
- Studio 88, Chalk Farm, London · Roll Call for the Second Site — live performance
- Bull & Gate, London · Roll Call for the Second Site — live performance
2005
- Queen's Gardens Festival, Hull · Phoenix Rising — live performance, supporting Silence in the Streets
- Shinobi, The Welly, Hull · Resident MC — drum & bass nights, including events with Kenny Ken, Ray Keith and Dillinja
2004
- Queen's Gardens Festival, Hull · Silence in the Streets — live performance, supporting The Paddingtons
- The Welly, Hull · Silence in the Streets — live performance, supporting Million Dead
2003
- The Adelphi, Hull · Silence in the Streets — first live performance, supporting Freaks Union
For performance enquiries, ticket information or date corrections
Email management@samatarelmi.co.uk. Booking links are added as each venue releases them.
Contact