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York Festival of Ideas

York Festival of Ideas was launched by the University of York in 2011. The Festival is a partnership between the University and cultural, social and business organisations in the city and at a national level.

Explore this year's festival

The objective of the Festival of Ideas is to enhance York’s reputation as a city of ideas and innovation by offering the highest calibre of public events to local, regional and visitor audiences and to demonstrate to the widest possible audiences the transformative power of education and ideas.

The Festival ethos is to educate, entertain and inspire. Its mission is to attract diverse audiences from the UK and abroad by delivering an accessible, stimulating programme of talks, workshops, performances, exhibitions and panel discussions. It has become the largest free festival in the UK.

The Festival provides an opportunity to showcase your research to a general audience or to engage groups in a dialogue with your research, and there is the opportunity to target specific groups within the community, eg school students; older people etc, depending on the type of event you contribute.

Get involved

Submissions for the 2025 Festival are now closed.

To get involved in future years, you'll need to complete an internal application form with an outline of what you would like to contribute. All submissions will be moderated by a Festival panel.

What to expect

If your event submission is successful, you'll be supported by the Festival team with full venue and logistical support, marketing and a small event budget. If an event is more complex than a standard talk, and more expensive, then you will be required to find extra alternative funds for your event.

You'll need to coordinate the creation and delivery of the material for your event, for example writing and delivering a talk. You'll also need to arrange the involvement of colleagues and/or students in delivering your event, if required.

Benefits

  • Engaging the general public, or a more specific interest group, in your research
  • Opportunity for PhD students to showcase their research and learn public engagement skills
  • Opportunity to contribute to the educational, social and cultural development of York and Yorkshire
  • Opportunity to invite key stakeholders and potential funders to the event