York Festival of Ideas 2023 - Get your free tickets!
York Festival of Ideas returns from 2 to 15 June with an exciting programme of over 150 FREE online and in-person events inviting you to ‘Rediscover, Reimagine, Rebuild’.

The Festival promises to educate, entertain and inspire with an array of talks, concerts, exhibitions, panel discussions, and more, featuring a host of world-class speakers and performers as well as contributions from University staff and postgraduate students.
With events covering 15 different themes and topics ranging from archaeology to art, music to mental health and politics to psychology, the Festival offers something for all interests.
“I'm an archaeology student here at Uni of York, and this is some of the most fun I've had at open lectures. [...] All the speakers had so much enthusiasm presenting their subjects, and it really showed their expertise and joy of sharing that knowledge.”
- (Survey respondent, 2022 Festival)
Event highlights
- Avocado Anxiety
- The Anne Lister Diaries
- The Uncomfortable York Tour
- Queer Futures in Science Fiction Theatre
- Rebel Bodies: How to bridge the gender health gap
- Picking a Partner in Medieval York - ‘dating show’ with Q&A and voting
- Performing Intimacy: Conversations and relationships in a world of social media
- On Being Unreasonable: Breaking the rules and making things better
- Different Class: The untold story of English cricket
- War Horse: The concert - with Michael Morpurgo
- Sita: The multifaceted heroine of Ramayana
- The Nature of Mindfulness in Buddhism
- Transitioning to a Poverty-Free Future
- Happy Dog, Happy You
- Who Shot Van Gogh?
- A Queer Walk of York
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