Audio

Leeds International Festival of Ideas is back for 2024 – here’s everything you need to know

The Hoot Leeds is excited to be a media partner for Leeds International Festival of Ideas 2024.

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 1st May 2024

LIFI24 is going to be a big one.

Yorkshire's biggest cultural festival is back with a bang. Taking over Leeds Playhouse for another year, Leeds International Festival of Ideas is bringing together four nights of worldwide speakers, performers and thought leaders to discuss some of the biggest questions of our time.

This year, conversations span from addiction, artificial intelligence, care, neurodiversity, and the impact of reality TV on our perception of reality amongst other exciting topics.⁠

Notable names scheduled to grace the festival stages include: Kate Adie, Stacey Dooley, Kate Garraway, Goldie, Paterson Joseph, Nile Rodgers, Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem, Tim Spector, Carol Vorderman, Matt Willis and many more.

What events can we look forward to at this year's festival?

The panel chats this year are the strongest the festival has had. Get ready for an engaging lineup as Matt Willis from the pop-punk band Busted and Lauren Windle, an esteemed author and journalist and more as they tackle the topic of addiction.

Delve into the realm of AI with Georgie Barrat, host of Gadget Show, along with NHS Digital's Dr. Nisha Sharma and the talented actor Paterson Joseph, who brings a sceptical yet insightful perspective.

Professor Tim Wilson (The Circle) joins forces with Rylan (X Factor, Big Brother) alongside Charlotte Armitage, an expert on the duty of care for production companies, to explore the impact of reality TV on our perception of reality.

Discover the diverse facets of neurodiversity with Ellie Middleton, an impassioned activist, Christine McGuiness, a model, and Tumi Sotire, founder of The Black Dyspraxic, in what promises to be a highlight of the discussion as they discuss “We’re all neurodiverse aren’t we?”.

And ponder the question of care with Kate Garraway as she leads a conversation with Goldie, a renowned music producer, and Lizzy Oma, an advocate for cohousing, about who steps in when basic human needs are left unmet due to illness, age, disability, or poverty.

Carol Vorderman / Grace Beverley / Kate Garraway /
Images: Supplied, Chapter 81

When is LIFI24?

Taking place from Wednesday 2 October - Saturday 5 October 2024, the full event timetable for 2024 is as follows:⁠

Courtyard TheatreQuarry Theatre
Wed 2 Oct
7pm - How do we talk about addiction?7:30pm - The evolution of creativity with Nile Rodgers (hosted by BEKA)
Thu 3 Oct12pm - How to break moulds and influence people with Grace Beverley
7pm - Could AI be humanity’s saviour?7:30pm - Trust your gut with Tim Spector (hosted by Dr Amir Khan)
Fri 4 Oct7pm - How is TV distorting our reality?7:30pm - Does the media need to grow a pair? With Carol Vorderman and Self Esteem
Sat 5 Oct2pm - We’re all neurodiverse aren’t we?
7pm - Who really cares?7:30pm - This means war with Kate Adie (hosted by Stacey Dooley)

Martin Dickson, Festival Manager, says, “The power of LIFI to bring the people of Leeds together and have a courageous, open, and honest conversation about major issues affecting us all in society today is one of the unique elements that sets this festival apart. There’s nothing as bold, confident, or influential in the UK today as a people-focused festival.”

“LIFI aims to shout louder about the city, confidently and boldly projecting an innovative, creative, exciting place to be and amplifying that to the world; that is what makes it the ultimate place-marketing festival of its type, not only in Leeds but the UK. The heartbeat of the festival lies in the experiences and sentiments shared by the people who came to witness it. After last year's sell-out, we are super proud of this year's line-up and hope many people join the conversation!”

How can I get tickets for Leeds International Festival of Ideas 2024?

Tickets go on sale on Friday 10 May 2024 via the LIFI website here.

Read More:

Feature Image - Supplied, Chapter 81

Audio

Courteeners to play huge Leeds gig as part of upcoming UK tour

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Courteeners have just announced a UK tour including a date at Leeds' First Direct Bank Arena.

The indie rock legends have just confirmed that they're heading back out on tour, and of course they'll be returning to Leeds.

The news comes alongside an announcement for a best-of album, God Bless The Band.

Courteeners will be playing the Leeds First Direct Arena, London’s Alexandra Palace, Cardiff Utilita Arena, Liverpool M&S Bank Arena, Glasgow OVO Hydro and Birmingham Utilita Arena this autumn.

That comes in addition to their existing live shows this summer, which include an almighty outdoor summer show at Wythenshawe Park.

Courteeners have also released a new single, The Luckiest Man Alive.

£1 + VAT from every ticket sold will be donated to the newly launched LIVE Trust, a new funding initiative from LIVE that will offer much-needed financial support to those working across live music.

“It’s fantastic to see Courteeners supporting the LIVE Trust with a £1 per ticket contribution on their upcoming tour, building on their commitment for the Wythenshawe Park show in August,” said Jon Collins, CEO of the LIVE Trust. “This donation will directly benefit the full grassroots ecosystem – from venues and artists to promoters and festivals – helping to protect, expand and support grassroots music across the UK.”

Speaking about the release, Liam Fray says “In October it’s 20 years since our first gig, so with a couple of new songs fresh from the studio, the timing just seemed right for a Best Of. If we mean half as much to people as they have done to us over the years, then we’ve not done too bad. We look forward to seeing you down the front God Bless The Fans x”

Newly Announced Courteeners Arena Dates

  • Fri 06 Nov Leeds, First Direct Arena
  • Sat 07 Nov Cardiff, Utilita Arena
  • Fri 13 Nov Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
  • Sat 14 Nov London, Alexandra Palace
  • Fri 20 Nov Glasgow, OVO Hydro
  • Sat 21 Nov Birmingham, Utilita Arena

Pre-sale tickets go on sale Wednesday 15 April. General sale from Friday 17 April from ticketmaster.co.uk and gigsandtours.com.

Additional Summer Shows already announced:

  • Thu 23 Jul Stoke-On-Trent, Victoria Hall (sold out)
  • Sat 25 July Sheffield, Tramlines (festival headline, sold out)
  • Thu 27 Aug Leicester, O2 Academy (sold out)
  • Sat 29 Aug Manchester, Wythenshawe Park (sold out)

Read more: A boutique house and disco music festival is coming to the grounds of Harewood House this summer

Featured image - Supplied

Audio

A boutique house and disco music festival is coming to the grounds of Harewood House this summer

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

After welcoming around 4,500 attendees in its first year, the intimate house and disco festival is coming back.

Goodlife, held in the beautiful grounds of Harewood House, has fast established itself as one of the region’s most exciting new music events.

After its huge success last year, Goodlife will be back this year even bigger and better than before with a capacity ready to welcome 12,000 festival-goers.

The festival will take place on Saturday 6 June, and the lineup is already stacked.

The Main Stage will host an incredible line up of house music heavyweights including Armand Van Helden, Groove Armada, Alison Limerick, Roger Sanchez and Inner City (Live).

The Downtown Disco Stage will once again bring its signature blend of soulful house to the fields of Harewood House with artists announced including The Shapeshifters, Craig Charles, Michael Gray and Ian Ossia.

This year sees a brand-new stage being thrown into the mix called The Goodlife Tavern that will celebrate Yorkshire’s thriving DJ scene, showcasing local artists and shining a spotlight on regional talent.

Artists performing at The Goodlife Tavern will include Darren Cross, Smudged Soul, Alex Malam, Emiiyuu, Kavita, PJ Gardner and Lee Wright.

Liam Hardy, co-founder of New Vision Events, said: "The response to Goodlife’s first year was incredible and we’ve been stunned by the extremely high demand for tickets for this years’ event so far. We always believed there was room for a dedicated house and disco festival in the region, but the atmosphere and support from the crowd last year completely exceeded our expectations.

“For 2026 we wanted to take things up a notch and create something even better. Introducing a third stage allows us to bring more artists to the festival and showcase some amazing local talent, while the increased capacity means even more people can enjoy the Goodlife experience."

Goodlife Festival takes place on Saturday 6 June and you can buy your tickets here.

Read more: Leeds Festival announces second wave of artists including Skepta b2b set

Featured image - Supplied

More Audio

Affiliate

Leeds Festival announces second wave of artists including Skepta b2b set

Audio

Jungle are back and have announced a huge Leeds gig for later this year

Audio

Leeds band Yard Act announce 2026 UK tour including homecoming gig