Bilbao puts itself back on the literary map with the celebration of the 27th edition of BilbaoPoetryA festival that for ten days will take over the Bidebarrieta Library, transforming it into an epicenter of poetry, music, and encounters between creators and the public. 12 al 22 MarchThe city will be filled with recitals, talks and concerts centered around the poetic word.
The competition, organized by the Bilbao City Council through Bilbao Kultura, reinforces its vocation as an unmissable annual event on the town's cultural agenda. This time, the proposal combines established voices and new perspectives on Basque, Spanish, and international poetry, without adhering to a single theme, but with a clear commitment to diversity, quality, and dialogue between disciplines.
A ten-day festival featuring 25 poetic voices
The program of the 27th edition of BilbaoPoetry It will take place over ten consecutive days, all at 19:00 p.m., in the Bidebarrieta Library, home of the Bidebarrieta Kulturgunea space. During these days, recitals, literary gatherings, spoken word performances, and concerts will take place, where poetry will engage in dialogue with music and other performing arts.
In total, around 25 renowned authorsThe festival features poets, musicians, and artists from diverse backgrounds, ranging from the Basque Country and other parts of Spain to Latin America and Eastern Europe. Local voices are combined with international names, reinforcing the open nature of the series.
Figures as renowned as Miren Agur Meabe, National Poetry Prize; Luis Alberto of Cuenca y Javier Lostalé, linked to the Novísimos generation; or the Argentinian Hugo MujicaThe Loewe Prize winners will share the stage with authors from different generations and aesthetics. Other notable names include Miriam Reyes, Martha Sanz, Berta Garcia Faet, Rómulo Bustos, Eloy Sánchez Rosillo, Kepa Murua, Angelo Nestor, Hasier Larretxea o Mateo Rello, among others.
The program can be followed not only in person, but also online: All sessions will be streamed online through the Bidebarrieta Kulturgunea YouTube channel, allowing audiences from outside Bilbao and Bizkaia to join the activities without having to travel.
The festival director, Begoña MoránHe emphasized the prestige BilbaoPoesía has achieved over the years and championed poetry as a "confidential whisper" capable of connecting with audiences across diverse languages, ages, and backgrounds. This idea of pluralistic and multi-dimensional festival This is reflected in a program that moves between memory, experimentation, and the defense of the poetic word as a critical and emotional tool.
BilbaoPoesía and its commitment to diversity and territory
For the Bilbao City Council's Department of Culture, this series has become a strategic event within the annual program. The Councillor for Culture, Gonzalo Olabarria, he highlighted that with each new edition the festival reaffirms the city's commitment to contemporary creation and with poetry as a meeting place between artists and citizens.
BilbaoPoesía also serves as a showcase for a local poetic tradition of great historical significance. It is no coincidence that the city has given birth to authors such as Blas de Otero, Ángela Figuera, Gabriel Aresti, Sabina de la Cruz or Juan Larreawhose work has left a profound mark on literature in both Spanish and Basque. The festival thus positions itself as a continuation of that legacy, without abandoning a global perspective.
Diversity is understood here in a broad sense: variety of languages, generations, genres and approachesThe same program brings together Romanian authors who write from Eastern Europe, Latin American poets with a strong presence on the Hispanic scene, young voices that move on the border with performance art, and established figures of the contemporary canon.
The poster's design itself reflects this desire to open spaces for very different sensibilities. It accommodates those who approach poetry through formal experimentation as well as those who do so through historical memory, intimate reflection, or social critique. The result is a a very varied poetic itinerary which allows the public to approach heterogeneous styles and aesthetics without having to leave the same room.
In addition, the festival pays special attention to balance between female and male voiceshighlighting the contribution of female poets to the contemporary scene and to the recovery of historically invisible figures, something that will be especially evident in the tributes planned within the program.
Tribute to Blas de Otero: the word as living memory
One of the central moments of the 27th edition will be the day dedicated to Blas de Otero, scheduled for Sunday March 15. Under the title "I ask for peace and the word"The festival proposes a recital in which the actress Charo Lopez She will give voice to the verses of the poet from Bilbao, accompanied by the baritone Luis Santana and the pianist Victor Carbajo.
This quote is not intended merely as a nostalgic memory, but as a act of memory and awarenessIn this performance, the poetry of Blas de Otero is brought to life through stage interpretation and live music. The dialogue between spoken and sung voices will allow the audience to explore some of the author's most emblematic poems, with particular attention to their ethical and social dimensions.
The presence of such a renowned performer as Charo López and a musical team specializing in this type of recital makes this event one of the most anticipated by BilbaoPoesía's regular audience. The figure of Blas de Otero, strongly linked to the city, also serves as... a thread that connects local literary heritage with the demands of the present.
The tribute aims to introduce the work of the Bilbao-born poet to new generations, who may know his name but haven't had direct contact with his texts. The combination of dramatized reading and instrumental accompaniment is designed precisely to facilitate this encounter, allowing the verses to circulate aloud once again, in a collective and shared space.
This day dedicated to Blas de Otero fits into the general theme of the festival, which conceives of poetry as a territory where history, personal experience, and political reflection intersect, without impositions but with a clear willingness to engage in dialogue with the present.
The poets of '27 and the perspective of Sheila Blanco
Another major highlight of BilbaoPoesía will be the concert by Sheila White el Saturday March 21, Coinciding with the celebration of the International poetry dayUnder the project "Singing to the Poets of '27"The singer, pianist and composer pays tribute to a group of female authors from the Generation of '27 who remained in the background for decades.
The recital program includes texts by poets such as Carmen Conde, Ernestina de Champourcin, Concha Méndez, Elisabeth Mulder, Pilar de Valderrama, Margarita Ferreras, Josefina Romo Arregui or Dolores CatarinéuBased on her verses, Sheila Blanco has created original compositions that put music at the service of the word, with an intimate approach and an interpretation closely linked to the text.
This project was born after a long process of Research and reading of biographies, locating poetry collections and selecting textsSome of them are difficult to access. The artist has explained on several occasions that her goal is to give these voices back their presence and space, placing them before today's audience with the same respect and attention that their contemporaries have traditionally received.
Sheila Blanco's career combines her musical side with solid educational work. In addition to projects such as "Singing to the Poets of '27"She is known for initiatives such as "Bioclassics"where he sets the lives of great classical composers to their own melodies in words. At BilbaoPoesía, his proposal aligns with the festival's theme. rereading the canon from a contemporary perspective and more inclusive.
The concert in Bidebarrieta is conceived as an opportunity to hear these poets in a new light, integrating their writing into an intimate and accessible format. The combination of voice, piano, and poetry allows the audience to engage with texts that may be less well-known but possess great literary power, in a carefully curated and conducive environment for listening.
Great voices of contemporary poetry: a generational journey
Beyond the tributes, the 27th edition of BilbaoPoetry It stands out for a lineup that brings together some of the most important voices in contemporary poetry. Thursday March 12 The festival will open with a meeting dedicated to Romanian poetry written by women, in which the following will participate: Ruxandra Cesereanu y Corina Oproaewith the poet from Lekeitio Miren Agur Meabe as host. The session will serve to explore affinities and differences between cultural contexts, through a poetic dialogue that will travel from Romania to the Basque Country.
El Friday, March 13 It will be the turn of two prominent representatives of the so-called Novísimos generation: Luis Alberto of Cuenca y Javier LostaléHer recital will focus on the Love poetry and its many nuancesCombining melancholy, humor, and reflection on the passage of time, the session promises to be one in which personal experience and memory are filtered through poetic language.
El Saturday March 14The program will foster a close dialogue between poetry and music with the presentation of "Let this blues never end", of the poet Carlos AganzoOn stage he will be accompanied by the writer Blanca Sarasua and by the musician and illustrator Naiel Ibarrola, responsible for the book's illustrations. The evening is shaping up to be a Hybrid proposal in which text, sound and image intersect.
Already in the following week, the moons 16 de marzo A panel composed entirely of female authors will arrive: Miriam Reyes, recent winner of the National Poetry Prize; the writer and critic Martha Sanzand the Basque poets Leire Bilbao y Castillo SuárezAll four will offer a reading in which the body, experience, and language are placed in the foreground, reinforcing the presence of contemporary female voices within the cycle.
El Wednesday March 18 The day will be dedicated to the Basque-Argentine connection, with the participation of the poet and essayist Hugo Mujica, Loewe Prize, together with the Gipuzkoan Kepa MuruaThe dialogue between them will allow us to explore a poetry that moves between philosophical reflection, silence and the exploration of spirituality, from different but complementary perspectives and geographies.
Day-by-day itinerary and variety of proposals
The program will continue Thursday March 19 with a recital that underlines the variety of poetic languages present on the current scene. The Italian will participate Angelo Nestor, the poet and translator Berta Garcia Faet and the Navarrese author Hasier LarretxeaEach of them brings a unique perspective on identity, the body, territory, or memory, creating a session with a distinctly experimental and performative character.
El Friday, March 20 It will be the turn of the man from Murcia Eloy Sánchez Rosillo, the Colombian Rómulo Bustos and Catalan Mateo RelloUnder the idea of "words in time", their meeting will propose a reflection on the passage of years, contemplation and the relationship between life and writing, with styles ranging from meditative sobriety to the most suggestive imagery.
El Saturday March 21On World Poetry Day, the program will revolve around the concert of Sheila White As mentioned, one of the most notable events of the festival for its ability to unite historical memory, gender perspective and contemporary musical creation.
The grand finale will arrive on Sunday March 22 with the concert by the multidisciplinary artist Elche Niño, who will perform alongside the guitarist Xisco RojoThis proposal will merge flamenco, poetry, performance and sound experimentation, closing the festival with an experience that breaks down the boundaries between musical genre and poetic reading, and which is part of the most daring line of the program.
Throughout these days, the Bidebarrieta Library will consolidate itself as a true word laboratoryThe festival will feature a mix of more traditional recitals and innovative performances. The audience will be able to move from an evening focused on love poetry to one with a more performative character, or from an intimate conversation between poets to the intensity of a concert.
Furthermore, the possibility of following the activities via streaming will open the door for readers from other autonomous communities, and even from other European and Latin American countries, to join the experience, expanding the reach of BilbaoPoesía beyond its physical borders.
Access, tickets and participation format
One of the distinctive features of the 27th edition of BilbaoPoetry It is their clear intention to be a festival accessible and openMost sessions are free of charge, although prior reservation of invitations is required to guarantee capacity and good organization of the space in the Bidebarrieta Library.
The activities on March 15, 21 and 22 —which correspond to the recital dedicated to Blas de Otero and the concerts by Sheila Blanco and Niño de Elche— will have a symbolic price of 5 EurosThe rest of the events in the program are free for the public, making it easy for anyone interested to come and discover the festival.
Both paid tickets and free invitations can be obtained through the website of Bilbao Kultura (www.bilbaokultura.eus). This same platform offers updated program details, any last-minute changes, and links for online follow-up of the sessions.
All events will begin at 19 pmThe schedule is designed to encourage attendance after work or school, allowing the public to enjoy the activities at their leisure. The combination of in-person attendance and live streaming on YouTube expands participation options, catering to those who cannot attend physically but wish to follow the content.
With this access structure, the festival maintains its commitment to a accessible and affordable culturewhere price is not a barrier to enjoying poetry and music in a carefully curated context of high artistic quality.
With all this array of voices, formats, and perspectives, the 27th edition of BilbaoPoetry The festival consolidates Bilbao's position as the capital of poetry throughout March, building bridges between generations, regions, and disciplines. The combination of tributes, premieres, intimate recitals, and hybrid offerings, along with the ease of access to activities both in person and online, makes the festival a unique opportunity to engage with the poetry being written today in Spain, Europe, and Latin America, while remaining mindful of the legacy of those who paved the way.