Welcome to York Festival of Ideas 2025
Join us for York Festival of Ideas 2025 as we explore 'Making Waves' with over 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire.
Made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, the Festival - which is led by the University of York - features world-class speakers, performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities, and much more. And with topics ranging from archaeology to art, history to health and politics to psychology, the programme promises something for all ages and interests.
Browse our diverse programme - by theme, date or format - and find out everything you need to know about the Festival.
Please note: All event timings are British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1), so please check your specific time zone if you are joining us for online events from outside the UK.
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Beyond the Tracks: Innovation and transformation
Saturday 7 June
York has a proud history as a rail hub and ambitious plans for the future. In partnership with LNER, we celebrate 200 years of the modern railway with a series of events examining the transformational power of rail – past, present and future.
A World in Crisis?
Sunday 8 June
Democracy, national security and sovereignty all appear to be under threat. With a handful of powerful men seemingly dictating world politics, what does the future hold? Our experts discuss issues including disinformation, Trump’s second presidency and the security of Europe.
'I love the Festival - it's such a great way to learn about things that you don't always come across in your day to day, and the range of events and speakers is brilliant. It's particularly great being a free resource.'
Feedback from a 2024 Festival attendee
The Northern Agenda Media Partnership
We’re delighted to announce a new Festival media partnership with The Northern Agenda. Read and listened to by policymakers from the North's town halls to Whitehall, the free daily newsletter provides a bitesize guide to the stories that matter in our region from journalists outside the Westminster bubble.