Heads Will Roll: Halloween Poetry Slam

Spotlight Poetry brings its annual Halloween poetry slam back to THIRD Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Eight poets go head to head across three elimination rounds, and only one of them walks out a champion. Everyone else heads straight to the grave. So come in costume, stay for the giveaways, and watch the room decide who survives on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM. How the Halloween poetry slam works This is a head-to-head elimination slam, so only eight poets compete. Once all eight slots fill, Spotlight Poetry draws the first-round bouts live on Instagram and pairs every poet with an opening-round opponent. Then, on slam night, whoever scores higher in each bout moves on while the other poet bows out. Round 1: 8 poets → 4 advance Round 2: 4 poets → 2 advance Final round: 2 poets → 1 champion What poets need to bring Three original poems, all your own work. A time limit of 3 minutes 10 seconds per piece. Sharp pacing, because every 10 seconds over costs you half a point. Judging the Halloween poetry slam Five audience members judge, picked at random on the night. Each judge scores on a 0–10 scale. After every round, the high and low scores drop and the remaining three add up. If two poets tie, they settle it in a one-minute sudden-death showdown. Costumes and props Dress up. It is a Halloween slam, after all. Costumes never change your score, so build the look purely for fun. Leave the music at home. Just you and your words. Tickets and poet sign-ups General admission costs $25, and poet registration also costs $25, plus a small service fee. Spotlight Poetry handles ticketing, so claim your seat or one of the eight poet slots on the Spotlight Poetry event page. The poet slots usually go first. Location THIRD Street Arts & Media Incubator sits at 814 S 3rd St, Las Vegas, NV 89101, in the heart of the Downtown Las Vegas Arts District. Want more nights like this one? Browse our full events calendar for what is coming up next.