One month to go until #LIFI22 and discussions begin

With only one month to go, the Leeds International Festival of Ideas (LIFI22) is shaping up to be a must-see event.

The festival is back from September 22nd-25th with an incredible lineup of panels and keynotes, addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time. This progressive, diverse festival features five keynote talks and six panels as well as a warm-up show on September 21st at Leeds’ new premier venue, the Howard Assembly Room and Howard Opera Centre.

Yotam Ottolenghi, David Olusoga, Rosie Jones, Gail Porter, Mary Beard, Simon Jordan, Christopher Wylie, David Harewood, Lara Lewington, Judy Ling Wong CBE, and Jamali Maddix are among the incredible 36-speaker lineup. The festival’s themes explore What can you laugh about?, Is the Metaverse our future reality? How do we talk about mental health? What’s wrong with climate activism? Is social media ruling the world? and finally, Does sport have a social duty?

The festival kicks off with a UK-only performance of Jon Hopkins‘ Polarity. A must-see performance which brings together two disparate elements of harsh and fragile in his music and creates some profound moments of stillness by moving between the two. Long-time friends acclaimed producer and guitarist Leo Abrahams, violinist and arranger Emma Smith, and cellist Daisy Vatalaro will join Hopkins on stage.

Kevin McCloud MBE, a broadcaster, writer, and designer, joins the programme for a special lunchtime talk about the built environment. Best known for the internationally acclaimed Channel 4 show Grand Designs, which has been running for over 20 years. Kevin, in addition to Grand Designs, broadcasts extensively about design and architecture and has written several books and numerous articles on the subject. In 2014, he was awarded an MBE for his services to architecture, and he advocates for sustainable development, context, the historic environment, and ecological construction.

The overwhelming demand for Mary Beard’s sell-out talk on arts and culture has seen the venue upgraded, with additional tickets now on sale, while Tayshan Hayden-Smith (BBC2’s resident gardener on Your Garden Made Perfect!) replaces Strictly Come Dancing bound Hamza Yassin on the climate panel, the last change to the Metaverse panel, which sees Matt Warneford replaced by Stephanie Whitley, Chief of Staff at Dubit (a Metaverse gaming company). Finally, Waterstones have formed a partnership with the festival to create a one-of-a-kind bookstore at all festival dates, stocking books by all speakers, from Yotam’s latest cookbook to Christopher Wylie’s Mindf**k.

Martin Dickson, Festival Manager at Leeds International Festival of Ideas, said:

“The festival is shaping up to be bigger than last year, with only a month until we present this fantastic lineup, and we are looking forward to an incredible five days in the city’s newest premier venue, the Howard Assembly Room and Howard Opera Centre.”

Dominic Gray, Projects Director at Opera North

“Leeds International Festival of Ideas is a unique celebration of creative thought and innovation. We can’t wait for it to get started, right in the centre of our brilliant city!”

Leeds International Festival of Ideas is brought to the city by LeedsBID, working in partnership with Howard Assembly Room, Opera North, Weightmans and Bruntwood, with Yorkshire Evening Post as media partners.

With the full programme now revealed, tickets are on sale now. Explore the full line-up and buy tickets here.