StAnza

StAnza returns to St Andrews from 12 to 14 March 2027 for its thirtieth anniversary. Scotland’s international poetry festival brings readings, conversations and workshops to the town, with the Byre Theatre at the centre of a visit.

The 2027 programme will determine the shape of your weekend. The cards below are from 13–15 March 2026, when the festival’s theme was You Are Not Alone. They show the range of a previous edition, from headline readings to practical sessions about writing and the making of a poem.

You do not need to arrive with a reading list completed. Start with a poet whose work interests you, a subject that catches your attention or a workshop that suits the way you like to learn. Leave room for an unfamiliar name: hearing a writer read their own work can be a good introduction to poetry you have not encountered on the page.

For an overnight visit, plan around the town and your final event as well as the daytime programme. St Andrews has no railway station. The onward journey from Leuchars, and the return after an evening reading, are parts of the trip to settle before booking.

A festival for listening as well as reading

A poetry festival offers several different ways into a writer’s work. A reading lets you hear pace, emphasis and the relationship between poems. A conversation can reveal a writer’s interests and decisions. A workshop gives you a chance to think more closely about your own writing.

The 2026 programme included all of these approaches. When choosing your next visit, consider which kind of experience you would enjoy, instead of selecting only by the familiarity of a name.

For a first poetry festival, a headline reading and a contrasting daytime event can make a satisfying start. You might hear a poet you already know in one session and encounter debut collections in another. There is no need to turn the day into a test of how many events you can fit in.

If you are already a regular poetry reader, use the programme to explore beyond the writers you know best. Look at the subjects of conversations, the publishers represented and the practical focus of workshops.

Leave yourself time to absorb a strong reading. Moving immediately into another event may suit you, but a pause can be valuable too. You may want to look back at a poem, make a note of a book or talk about what you have heard over something to eat.

What’s on

Tickets and choosing your days

The published dates are Friday 12 to Sunday 14 March 2027. The festival’s thirtieth-anniversary information confirms that weekend.

Choose tickets from the 2027 programme when it is available. Do not take a previous year’s timetable, speaker list or booking details as a promise about the next edition.

If you want to book accommodation ahead of the programme, consider terms that let you change your plans. Read the actual cancellation deadline and any conditions attached to the room. A booking that can be cancelled only until before the programme appears gives you less freedom than you may expect.

Travel can wait until you know which day and time matter most to you. If a reading is the reason for your visit, build the trip around it and add other events afterwards. If you want to explore the festival more widely, a two-night stay may give you more choice, but the timetable should guide that decision.

Check the official website again before travelling. Keep the event venue and start time with your ticket so that you are following the details of your booking instead of an earlier programme announcement.

Choosing between readings, conversations and workshops

Begin by deciding what you want from the visit. If you mainly want to hear poetry, prioritise readings. If you enjoy discussing books and ideas, look for conversations. If you want to develop your own writing, read the workshop descriptions carefully.

A workshop title may sound broad, while the description explains an approach or level of participation. Check whether you need to bring anything, whether writing is part of the session and whether any preparation is requested.

For a reading, consider the combination of poets as well as the individual names. Two writers can offer contrasting voices or a shared interest that becomes clearer when you hear them together.

Conversations can help when you are new to a writer. They may give you a route into the books before you decide what you want to read. You can enjoy the discussion without having read everything in advance.

A varied day need not be a crowded one. Choose one event that matters most, then add a session with a different focus. Leave enough time for food and the practical business of moving through the day.

If you are attending with someone else, compare your preferences before buying tickets. You may want to share the whole programme or choose different sessions and meet afterwards. Either can work, provided you agree the meeting details and keep track of the separate bookings.

The Byre Theatre

The Byre Theatre is the festival’s central venue. Its address is Abbey Street, St Andrews KY16 9LA, with an additional entrance from Byre Close off South Street.

Check whether your event is in the Auditorium or Studio. They are different spaces within the building, and knowing the room helps you find your session without relying only on the main venue name.

The Byre’s visitor information describes drinks and snacks. Check what will be available on your festival day if you want to use a break for refreshments, especially when the timetable leaves only a short interval.

Arrive with enough time to find the room and settle in. If you need seating assistance or an access agreement, contact the venue before the day and allow time to speak to staff when you arrive.

A central venue can simplify a festival visit, but the individual event details still matter. Read the 2027 programme for any sessions taking place elsewhere, and allow a realistic changeover if you book events in different buildings.

Venue map

1. The Byre Theatre: Abbey Street, St Andrews KY16 9LA

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Check the event entrance separately.

Use the official venue directions with the address on your ticket. Save the information before setting off so that you can consult it easily when you reach the town.

Getting there

By train

St Andrews has no railway station. The festival’s travel information directs rail passengers through Leuchars, with an onward bus connection to the town.

When comparing trains, plan the entire journey to your first venue. The arrival time at Leuchars is not the arrival time at the Byre. Include the connection, the journey into St Andrews and the final approach to the theatre.

Allow some margin before your first session. A connection that works only if the train is exactly on time gives you little flexibility. If you are arriving with luggage, decide whether you will go to your accommodation first or travel directly to the festival.

Check the return just as carefully. Start with the end of your final event and work forward through the journey to the bus stop, the connection to Leuchars and the train. Do not assume that the last practical departure is the last train shown in a rail search.

An overnight stay may give you a more comfortable choice of evening events. Compare that option with the cost and convenience of returning home after the reading you most want to attend.

Use current timetables for your actual date and recheck them before travel. If you need a taxi for part of the journey, confirm the booking directly instead of relying on finding a vehicle when you arrive.

Bus connections and Glasgow journeys

The festival’s directions describe journeys from Glasgow involving a change at Haymarket or Dundee, followed by the relevant onward connection. They also identify the 99 bus in the route through Dundee.

Use those directions as a starting point for comparing options, then check the services running on your travel date. Different departure times may make different routes more convenient.

For a day visit, the evening return can be more important than the outward journey. Choose the event you want first, then check whether you can get home comfortably afterwards. Avoid buying an evening ticket around an assumed connection.

If you are staying in St Andrews, you may prefer to separate the long-distance journey from the festival day. Arriving the previous evening can leave you more freedom for a morning session, while travelling home after checkout requires a plan for luggage.

Keep a copy of the relevant timetable and your accommodation address. It is easier to assess a delayed journey when you know the later options and do not have to reconstruct the whole route on the way.

If accessibility affects the bus journey, check with the operator about the service. Venue access and transport access are separate questions.

By car

If you drive, plan parking as part of the visit instead of leaving it until you reach the town. Check current local parking information and what your accommodation offers.

A room described as having parking may still require a reservation or an additional payment. Ask whether the space is at the property and whether you can use it before check-in or after checkout if that affects your plans.

Once parked, think about the journeys you intend to make during the festival. A central accommodation choice may let you leave the car in one place, but check the actual route to your venues before deciding.

For a day visit, allow time between parking and the first event. You may need to find your way, collect something to eat or speak to the box office before taking your seat.

If you need a suitable drop-off point, ask the Byre for advice. Explain whether you are being dropped off by a companion or arriving in a taxi, and what assistance you may need between the vehicle and the venue.

The return journey matters after a full day of readings. Choose a final event and travel plan that leave you comfortable, instead of treating the latest possible departure as the only option.

Walking and cycling

The festival’s travel information points cyclists towards National Cycle Route 1 and describes cycle parking on Abbey Street. Check your route before travelling.

If you cycle, leave time to secure the bicycle and organise anything you will carry into the theatre. Consider what you need for the return journey as well as the outward trip.

For visitors staying in town, walking may help organise the weekend. Check the actual accommodation-to-venue route instead of relying on an advertised description such as “central”.

The distance is only part of that decision. Think about surfaces, any steps, luggage, your footwear and whether you want to return to the accommodation between events.

If walking is difficult or tiring, choose accommodation and transport together. A shorter-looking route is not necessarily the one that best meets your needs. Ask the property and venue about the details that matter to you.

Accessibility

The Byre’s official festival information describes level access at both entrances and a lift to all floors. It also identifies wheelchair spaces in the Auditorium and Studio.

Contact the venue before booking if you need a seating agreement. Explain whether you will remain in a wheelchair, need to transfer to a seat or have requirements affecting where you can sit.

The Auditorium and Studio have hearing loops. Ask the box office about their use for the event you are considering, instead of assuming the same equipment will apply to every format.

StAnza’s access information also describes BSL interpretation for headline events and automatically generated captions for livestreams. Check the individual session you want. A general festival provision is not confirmation for every event.

If you are booking several sessions, consider the whole day. Allow time for arriving, moving between spaces, refreshments and rest. Tell the festival about anything that affects that sequence so that it can advise you more helpfully.

Check accommodation access separately, including the route from the street to your room and any breakfast area. A suitable theatre visit is easier to enjoy when the rest of the trip works comfortably too.

Planning your budget

Follow the booking information for the new edition when tickets are released. The 2026 festival included free and pay-what-you-can events, alongside other ticketed sessions; look at the new programme for the available choices.

Read the conditions for each event before booking. A free event may still require a place to be reserved, while a workshop may have a smaller capacity than a reading.

Put travel, accommodation and food alongside tickets when judging the total cost. A cheaper room farther away can become less helpful if it requires repeated paid transfers or makes your chosen evening event impractical.

Leave a little flexibility in the timetable if your budget allows it. You may discover an unfamiliar writer whose event interests you, but check availability instead of assuming there will be space on the day.

Keep booking confirmations together, especially if you have reserved different kinds of events through separate transactions. Check that the date, time and venue match the plan you intend to follow.

Food, books and a pause between sessions

Think about breaks when choosing tickets. A lunchtime gap or a pause before the evening reading can make the day easier to enjoy.

The Byre offers drinks and snacks, but check what will be available during your visit. If you want a meal elsewhere, allow enough time for ordering, eating and returning to the venue.

Contact the provider directly about dietary requirements that need preparation. Avoid building a short interval around an assumption that suitable food will be available immediately.

If you expect to buy books, think about how you will carry them during the day and on the journey home. A small amount of spare luggage space can help, especially if you arrive by public transport.

A break also gives you time to write down a title or a line of enquiry you want to follow. There is no requirement to turn every response into a note, but a short reminder can help when several readings become part of one busy weekend.

Where to stay

Choose accommodation around the events you want, instead of buying tickets to justify a room already booked. The two decisions are easier when you consider them together. The StAnza stay guide compares a town stay with an outlying base and the rail transfer.

For a longer weekend, consider whether you want to return to your room during the day. Ask about the accommodation route, check-in time and luggage before depending on that option.

Plan your days

For a first visit, build a simple plan: an arrival that leaves a margin, a few sessions you want to hear, time to eat and a settled return journey.

If you attend with friends, agree which parts of the visit are shared and which are open. A common meal or final reading can give the day a clear meeting point without requiring everyone to choose identical sessions.

Before leaving home, save your tickets, venue addresses, travel information and accommodation contact. Check any access agreement directly with the relevant provider.

StAnza offers a reason to spend a weekend listening closely: to familiar voices, to new work and to the ideas a poem can set in motion. A practical plan leaves more room for that experience.

FAQs

What are StAnza’s next dates?

The thirtieth-anniversary festival runs from 12 to 14 March 2027 in St Andrews.

Does St Andrews have a railway station?

No. The festival directs train passengers to Leuchars and an onward connection. Include the transfer in both your arrival and final return.

Is every headline event interpreted?

Check the individual session. The festival describes BSL provision for headline events, but the programme and box office should confirm the event you want.

Can you go to StAnza without a ticket?

Tickets are needed for events; check the official box office for the session you want.

How far ahead should I book a room for StAnza?

If you book before the programme is announced, read the cancellation conditions closely. Record the deadline and reconsider the booking when you can see the event timetable. Compare the stay advice.

Sources

Checked 28 October 2026:

• 2027 anniversary dates.
• Official 2026 festival.
• Official 2026 brochure.
• Travel.
• Venues and festival access.
• Byre access.
• Byre visitor information.