Berets be gone for this spoken-word showcase

It's poetry without pretense at this open call event.

The Surf Coast will be slammed with spoken-word and poetry presentations this Friday night, 3 October 2026.

Open mic poetry event, No Berets Needed, will be held at Great Ocean Road Gin from 6.30pm to 9pm, inviting all speakers of sonnet, soliloquy, haiku, limerick, narrative and ballad to boldly bring their original works to the stage. As the title suggests, no berets (experience) are needed to join this inclusive event.

No Berets Needed

When: Friday 3 October

Where: Great Ocean Road Gin

Tickets: $5 via Humanitix or at the door. Prepurchase here.

Keep up to date with all things arts, exhibitions and stage here.

 

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Hosted by artist and lowercase poetry presenter, Annie Mullen-Walsh, ‘No Berets Needed’ is presented as part of the Art of the Minds Festival; a driving event for Mental Health Week on the Surf Coast.

Art of the Minds aims to activate, educate and engage the Surf Coast and wider community to creatively manage mental health and wellbeing, with the festival promoting 25 individual events pertaining to the mission. For ‘No Berets Needed’, poems will centre around the theme of “to connect”, a vital ingredient in navigating mental health management.

Whether your poetry considers connection through people, place, purpose or even connection to yourself, the prompt allows for exploration of connection at both surface and deeper level thinking.

You need not be the next Shakespeare, Poe, Wilde, or Dickinson to trial your tales, it’s simply a fun evening where words are at the forefront.

If you would like to test your works, sign up to read or perform at the bar.

For all ticketing information, head here.