Feature

Leeds International Festival of Ideas announces incredible new speakers with 80% of tickets already sold

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

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall - 29th July 2024

The countdown is on until one the Yorkshire’s biggest festivals of culture kicks off – and the line-up just keeps getting better and better.

If you haven't got your tickets yet for the Leeds International Festival of Ideas, then there's no time like the present as a whopping 80% of tickets are already sold.

And it comes as no surprise, as this year's festival boasts a fantastic lineup presenting a diverse array of topics and discussion.

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.⁠

Image: Supplied

LIFI 2024 will see the likes of Kate Adie, Stacey Dooley, Kate Garraway, Goldie, Paterson Joseph, Nile Rodgers, Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem, Tim Spector, Carol Vorderman and many more take to the stage.

If you're not sold quite yet, then allow the four new speakers tempt you to get your ticket and join the discussions.

Jazz Boatswain, a former contestant on the second series of the BBC hit show The Traitors, will delve into reality television and ask 'How is TV Distorting our Reality?'.

Images: Supplied

Taylor Little, a plaintiff in the ongoing U.S. lawsuit In Re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, joins the panel on addiction along side Chris Sylvester, founder of Getting Clean CIC - an innovative project that aims to change the perception of addiction while addressing environmental issues.

Last but not least, renowned jewellery designer Daniella Draper will be hosting an engaging afternoon session with Grace Beverley, discussing everything from the gender pay gap to what it truly takes to be an important business woman.

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.”

Images: Supplied

“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 are on sale and you can buy yours via the LIFI website here.

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

Feature Image – Supplied, Chapter 81

Feature

The 42-year-old Kirkgate Market stall serving freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 a pop

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

Tucked away in Leeds Kirkgate Market you'll find a wonderful seafood stall selling freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 each.

It's places like these that remind us why we love Leeds so much.

Established in 1880, Hayes Seafood is widely regarded as the oldest trader within the historic Kirkgate Market.

For the past 42 years, it has been run by Cliff and Michelle, the loveliest couple who welcome every customer with open arms.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

The menu here is small but perfectly formed, focusing on fresh, ready-to-eat seafood that you can enjoy with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of mayonnaise at most.

Delivered fresh every morning, there's pre-cracked crab shells, brown and white crab meat, cockles, crawfish tails - all perfectly prepared for you to eat at their bar or high tables opposite.

But, it's the oysters that you'll see people queueing for. And rightly so.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Everything here is prepared to order right in front of you, and for no extra fee. You can choose from two types of oysters: super salty Lindisfarne oysters or the slightly sweeter English Loch Fyne.

We recommend having a couple of each, pulling up a stool right by the counter and getting stuck in. If you ask Cliff nicely, he might tell you a bit about the history of the place - but you may have to order a couple more oysters for that.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

You're left to dress them yourself, whether you prefer dash of fiery tabasco or a few pickled shallots. But to be honest, they're delicious just as they come.

This spot is a real piece of Leeds history, and the queues at lunchtime as well as the repeat regular customers proves just how special it is.

All it's missing is a champagne stall next to it...now wouldn't that be perfect?

Read more: Yorkshire-set Christmas film by Leeds director starring Richard E. Grant set to hit UK cinemas next month

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

Feature

Yorkshire-set Christmas film by Leeds director starring Richard E. Grant set to hit UK cinemas next month

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

A brand-new Christmas film is hitting cinemas nationwide next month - and it’s a proper Leeds success story.

Jack Spring directed his first feature film at just 19 years old and has spent the last decade carving out a career in independent film, as well as co-founding Leeds-based production company Shush Films.

His first movie, Destination: Dewsbury, was shot just down the road in - you guessed it - Dewsbury. And after moving to Leeds from Grimsby, Jack became determined to build his business from the city, putting down roots and growing his production company here.

Image: Supplied

Now, after years of working on independent projects, Jack has taken his biggest leap yet with a brand-new Christmas film, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint.

Set in Yorkshire, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint follows Aubrey Flint, a reclusive model soldier painter with a lifelong hatred of Christmas, who is sentenced to community service at Willow Lodge - a retirement home on the brink of closure.

Roped into helping with a chaotic production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Aubrey clashes with its interesting set of residents...

And the cast is about as star-studded as it gets, featuring Richard E. Grant, John Bradley, Celia Imrie, Adjoa Andoh, Sophia Di Martino, Adrian Rawlins and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.

Image: Supplied

The heartwarming festive comedy will hit cinemas nationwide on Friday 6 November - a huge milestone for a Leeds-based director and production company, taking a homegrown Yorkshire story to audiences across the country.

You just can't beat a proper wholesome British Christmas film, so you can best believe we'll be watching in the cinema, popcorn in hand.

Read more from The Hoot Leeds:

Featured images - Supplied


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