Leeds International Festival of Ideas is swiftly becoming a stand-out festival across the county and beyond.
As Yorkshire’s biggest celebration of ideas and culture, the four-day festival held annually at the end of September brings together a range of speakers and always leaves us with some food for thought.
And this year was no different.
2023 welcomed an electric line-up of the UK’s biggest names, including the likes of Steven Bartlett, Ruby Wax OBE, Davina McCall MBE and Bimini.
An estimated audience of 5,000 people visited Leeds Playhouse over the four days, listening to a whopping 39 different speakers across 11 events and two stages – making this the biggest LIFI to date.
As (very proud) media partners for Leeds International Festival of Ideas, you might have spotted The Hoot team out and about at the events, or asking people ‘what do you think will be the next big thing’, inspired by Dragon’s Den speaker Steven Bartlett on the opening night.
Curiosity and conversation are always two key expectations at each festival but the themes always range vastly. The 2023 festival brought us thoughts on mindfulness and mental health; class and the arts; ‘a world beyond binary’ and panels discussing everything from true crime and politics to women’s health and grief.
You can find the full list of events here.
Ahead of the festival, organiser Martin Dickson, Leeds International Festival of Ideas said : “This year’s festival promises to be an exciting and thought-provoking event, and we are proud to have an exceptional line-up of speakers and performers. We look forward to welcoming attendees from all over the world to Leeds and creating a space for dialogue and discussion.”
And we couldn’t agree more.
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There’s no announcements just yet for 2024, but we already can’t wait to do it all again next September.
Feature Image – The Hoot Leeds
