York Festival Of Ideas
31 May - 13 June 2025
Welcome to the 2025 edition of York Festival of Ideas as we present an exciting programme of over 200 mostly free in-person and online events.
Welcome also to York, a city celebrated for its history and heritage but also a dynamic and evolving city of innovation encapsulated in our 2025 theme, Making Waves. We are celebrating pioneering individuals and the benefits of a restless spirit of curiosity combined with rigorous enquiry. We live in an uncertain world but however difficult things have been in the past or may be in the future, extraordinary people have done extraordinary things, and that spirit of creativity will endure and inspire.
York Festival of Ideas, which is led by the University of York, attracts a regional and global audience of nearly 60,000, working in partnership with more than 100 local and national organisations all of whom share a commitment to public good. We are driven by a belief that education and ideas transform lives and indeed ‘make waves’!
Michael Morpurgo has been making waves since his very first publication and we invite you all to join our inaugural Michael Morpurgo Celebration Day. We celebrate not only Michael’s eighth Festival appearance but his first as Festival Patron.
This year’s programme also includes inspirational speakers and performers such as historians William Dalrymple and Tracy Borman, geographer Danny Dorling, writer Shamini Flint, biologist Kathy Willis, journalists Ros Atkins and Isabel Berwick, Carnatic singer Supriya Nagarajan and BBC Countryfile presenter Tom Heap. And we have embarked on an exciting new media partnership with The Northern Agenda, the must-read daily newsletter for everyone who cares about the North. One of the Festival’s strengths is its ability to bring people with different experiences together to try to understand complex, fastmoving challenges. We know world events will
have moved on by June, so are taking an agile approach to our Festival Focus sessions. Giving you a chance to join in the conversation, these events will cover important issues including the security of Europe, AI and the future of work, the creation of a more equal society and next generation rail transport.
Festival programme
Browse the Festival brochure to find your perfect events. Look out for world-class speakers, exhibitions, performances, guided walks, family-friendly activities and more. Most of the events listed in the brochure are in person, but you’ll also find brief details of 30 online events which you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. You can find more information about all our events and speakers
on the York Festival of Ideas website.
Browse the programme and book your tickets at yorkfestivalofideas.com.
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yorkfestivalofideas.com
