Calendar of events

Award-winning BBC broadcaster Emily Maitlis and journalist Isabel Berwick of the Financial Times discuss the fine art - and often chaotic result - of the interview.

What happens when a global pandemic shrinks life to a claustrophobic domestic sphere? Some of us adapt, some of us protest, and some of us, like Guardian writer Tim Dowling, barely notice the difference.

Historian Tom Pickles reveals a new interpretation of a curious medieval ritual – the Penny Hedge - which takes place in Whitby every year.

Do you ever feel dizzy when you think about the incomprehensible scale of space? We call that feeling Cosmic Vertigo. Join us to explore how music, poetry and design can help us to experience the unfathomable.

Join author Jen Gale to find out how to fit ‘sustainable living’ into your life in a way that works for you.

Discover how five extraordinary women’s lives intertwined around one address in London between the wars as they each sought a place to live, love and work independently.

Can we imagine a world in which humans and robots live side by side? Experts discuss the issues and moral questions this raises.

Social philosopher and author Roman Krznaric explains why the greatest challenge facing humankind is our inability to think long term.

Does your social media know you better than you know yourself? Experts discuss the confusion between what we really want and what we are told to like.

From veganism to sustainable fashion, meet the ‘eco-innovators’ who are sourcing new materials and finding their inspiration in the natural world.

Explore the contribution fiction and creative non-fiction make to the development of ideas and human exploration at a creative writing workshop.

Enjoy music by exceptional young artists as the NCEM presents a live Facebook stream featuring vocal group Fieri Consort and instrumental ensemble L’Apothéose.

Join award-winning psychology enthusiast Harriet Ennis for a workshop designed to give fresh insights and perspectives on how to cope and even flourish in challenging times.

Humanity’s devastating impact on the earth has led to a ‘sixth extinction’. Discover how individuals are finding ways to live and act politically within their communities in this time of environmental crisis.

Explore the cosmic mystery of dark matter in this special live episode of the Syzygy podcast. Astronomer Emily Brunsden and her co-host Chris Stewart are joined by nuclear physicists Mikhail Bashkanov and Dan Watts.

Join in the conversation as we explore how stories, things and thinking can bring comfort in times of stress.

Distinguished economist David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College, USA, and Martin Sandbu, European Economics Commentator at The Financial Times, discuss the economic impact of a world blighted by Covid-19.

Quantum physicist, bestselling author and broadcaster Jim Al-Khalili offers a fascinating and illuminating look at what physics reveals about the world.

Take a journey through Britain’s knitted history with author Esther Rutter and discover the fascinating histories of communities whose lives were shaped by wool.

Join us for a live performance as Ángel Cataño Flores plays sections of the University of York’s Gamelan Sekar Petak with Ben Eyes's modular synth electronics.

Learn about the health and wellbeing benefits of the arts and experience them for yourself at an informal singing workshop.

After rehearsing online in recent weeks, the University Baroque Ensemble performs the Rondeau from Purcell’s Abdelazer.

Most people now realise that economic growth, however desirable, will not solve all our problems. Richard Layard of LSE argues the goal for a society must be the greatest possible all round happiness.

Robin Dunbar of the University of Oxford explores why friendships can have a bigger effect on our quality of life, as well as our ability to resist and recover from illness, than almost any conventional medicine.

Enjoy Brahms and Fauré piano quartets as part of the University of York’s Lyons Live Lockdown programme.

Lottie Adcock of Dance the Past attempts a whistle-stop tour of the history of dance, exploring over 10,000 years of footwork, choreography and social etiquette.

Bringing together electronic music and voice using chants and music, Manasamitra presents Frangipani Nights, a piece inspired by the sights, smells and sounds of India.

Meet inspiring University of York PhD students and learn how their cutting-edge research is expanding knowledge and understanding of our world and beyond.

Enjoy some music in the sunshine as the National Centre for Early Music presents a live Facebook stream @yorkearlymusic featuring harpsichordist Steven Devine.

Biologist and broadcaster Adam Hart reveals the many ways in which biological adaptations that evolved to help us survive and thrive now make us 'unfit for purpose' in the modern world.

Let your creativity flow as you transform adverts, newspaper articles and even restaurant menus into unique works of literature at this virtual workshop.

Join us for a discussion on art censorship. Where are the boundaries between freedom of expression and social responsibility?

Philip Alston, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, examines responses to Covid-19 and the impact on those already experiencing poverty and inequality.

Ever wondered what a superhero eats for breakfast? Find out with Mark Lorch as he examines the underpinning chemistry, physics and biology needed for their superpowers.

Digital technologies seem to offer up infinite possibilities. But what are the essential skills we’ll need as we move into a future where multiple realities are a possibility?

Science writer Philip Ball examines what it means to be human and to have a 'self' in the face of new scientific developments in genetic editing, cloning and the growth of organs outside the body.

Sing some of the songs you know and love, and explore new ones from around the world at this feel-good digital singing session with the National Centre for Early Music.

Find out more about Invisible Cities, a community interest company that trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city.

Acclaimed poet Mary Jean Chan is the guest star in a reading and performance exploring desire, duelling, and more, via both words and swords.

Scientist Alice Courvoisier takes a hard look at some of the technologies we surround ourselves with. How do they impact on our lives, the environment and the lives of others?

Writer Edoardo Albert and archaeologist Paul Gething present the incredible story of a nameless Anglo-Saxon warrior whose bones were found at Bamburgh Castle.

Historian Thomas Penn explores how a dynasty that could have been as magnificent as the Tudors destroyed itself in the space of one generation.

Join international pianist and teacher Jakob Fichert in his music room as he plays popular classics, including pieces by Grieg and Gershwin.

Join community developer Yorspace for a fun workshop imagining and designing a post-Covid co-owned carbon-neutral neighbourhood.

Do you know where your shoes come from? Do you know where they go when you’re done with them? Join author Tansy E Hoskins to find out about the dark side of this industry.

Get creative at a virtual writing workshop and produce innovative poetry by cutting out the content of everyday texts.

Renowned health inequalities experts Sir Michael Marmot and Richard Wilkinson discuss the social and mental health effects of inequality, and the impacts of austerity pre and post Covid-19.

There are few politicians who could genuinely be described as a phenomenon. Boris Johnson is undoubtedly one. Join broadcaster Iain Dale for a talk that is big on fun and comedy.

Join Anna Jackson, curator of the V&A exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, as she reveals the history and significance of the iconic kimono.

Join Scott Carson and Oliver Matheau-Raven of the University of York for an informal session in the ancient and medieval arithmetical gymnasium.

Explore how co-designing neighbourhoods can lead to sustainable solutions for planning housing developments at our OpHouse York workshop.

How are museums and art galleries surviving the coronavirus lockdown? Our expert panel reveals the challenges and new opportunities the pandemic brings.

Join author Armand D'Angour for an innovative and insightful exploration of the passionate early life of Socrates.

Britain’s former Minister for Europe Denis MacShane discusses how we face a 'Brexiternity' of negotiations and internal political wrangling for many years to come.

Will Facebook be your funeral director? Psychologist Elaine Kasket takes you on a fascinating tour through the valley of the shadow of digital death.

Watch the Chimera Ensemble perform Lawrence Dunn’s Sentimental Drifting Music and David Lumsdaine’s Kali Dances.

Journalists Polly Toynbee and David Walker survey one of the most tumultuous periods in British history, the ten years from 2010, which explain much of our response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Enjoy a Twitter reading group led by Zoe Enstone and Adam Smith of York St John University looking at how York has been used in literature.

Learn how our 'unintentional' biases affect the way we communicate and perceive the world, and how they affect our decision-making, even in life and death situations.

How can cities like York, their businesses and their residents recover from the economic and social impacts of a pandemic like Covid-19? Join us as we explore how York might play a role in a national recovery plan.

Abhijit V Banerjee and Esther Duflo were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for their work on poverty alleviation. They speak of the human toll of the pandemic in the world economy