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.
 (1).png)
Michael Morpurgo Celebration Day
Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain’s best loved writers for children with sales of over 35 million copies.
To mark Michael’s eighth appearance at York Festival of Ideas – and his first as Patron – we’re designating Tuesday 3 June as Michael Morpurgo Celebration Day. We hope you’ll join us and embrace the opportunity to celebrate the acclaimed author’s amazing power as a writer, communicator and advocate of the arts.
Making Waves: Building on Joseph Rowntree’s legacy
Friday 6 June
In collaboration with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, we commemorate the remarkable life of York confectionery businessman, social reformer and philanthropist Joseph Rowntree. Discover how his legacy continues to support a vision of a more equal society, free from poverty.
'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.