Talks

Explore the impact of air pollution on our health through talks and a special meditative musical performance by Sonic Threads.

Explore the hidden history of a remarkable hovercraft that whizzed passengers directly between Hull and Grimsby in the late 1960s. Join Paul Drury-Bradey of the Humber Hovercraft project.

Postgraduate researcher Hannah Armstrong of the University of York examines a 19th-century form of literary tourism which saw readers of medieval sagas sail to Iceland to see where their Viking heroes lived and died.

Join retired US Marine Steve Van Riper as he discusses the cultures of the US military services - Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines - through some rather interesting analogies.

Join us for the launch of a thought-provoking exhibition by an eclectic group of artists exploring the theme of 'fragments' in varied media.

Maisie Green and Rebecca Naylor of the York Health Economics Consortium explain inequalities associated with meningitis and why treatments should target socioeconomically deprived areas.

Discover how stem cell and bone marrow research at York could help improve the effectiveness of transplants for patients. Join postgraduate student Charlotte Titterington-Colman.

Using the medium of art, Robert Malcolm, Project Director at York Health Economics Consortium, explores the trade-offs that need to be made when funding medical interventions.

North, south, east and west: almost all societies for millennia have used the four cardinal directions to orientate themselves. Historian Jerry Brotton promises a journey of directional discovery.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the legendary British Vogue magazine as author Julie Summers presents a beautifully illustrated talk about its fascinating and glamorous history.

What sort of music did diarist Jane Ewbank hear and perform as a well-to-do young woman living in early 19th-century York? Join musicologist Rachel Cowgill for a new take on Georgian York.

Join Pat Cullum, lead volunteer at Holy Trinity Goodramgate and learn how former York MPs Robert de Holme Sr and Nicholas de Blackburn made waves by taking to the waves.

Writer Max Adams discusses a fascinating century of change in early Medieval Britain when kings Æthelbald and Offa dominated the political landscape of the rising power of Mercia.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making waves and changing the world around us. Join us for an exploration of how Christian faith is affected by AI within the context of Choral Evensong.

Writer John Higgs invites you to step into his TARDIS on a journey to discover how ideas emerge and survive despite the odds, and why a wonderful wandering time traveller means so much to so many.

Leading archaeologist Duncan Sayer reveals how ancient DNA is helping us explore the movement of people in the early Middle Ages, from AD 450–750.

Benito Juárez Aubry of the University of York explores whether the final description of the Universe will be that everything is just wavy.

Join David Trousdale, Principal Advisor for Climate Change and Net Zero at Newcastle City Council and hear how he and his team are successfully driving change in the city.

Discover how to communicate with clarity and confidence with BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos.

Award-winning barrister Charlotte Proudman highlights the troubling biases and shocking prejudice that underlie our legal system, putting forward her own inspiring vision for long-term change.

Discover the benefits of community singing and acting at an event combining speaking/singing performance, documentary footage of singing groups and live analysis of vocal recordings.

What makes the perfect British pub across the four seasons? Find out with journalist and beer-expert Adrian Tierney-Jones.

How can we use land cleverly to give both humanity and nature the space to thrive on just the one planet? Join BBC Countryside presenter Tom Heap to find out.

Archaeologist Julian Richards explores the genetic history of the British Isles from hunter gatherers to Huguenots and beyond, as well as the evidence provided by archaeology.

Author Frederik Cryns traces William Adams’s remarkable rise from humble English pilot to a position of immense influence in Japan’s foreign relations in the 1600s.

Discover how specialised brain training programmes can boost recovery and quality of life after heart surgery with clinical neuropsychologist Kalliopi Megari.

Take a journey into the soul of Northumbria with writer Jake Morris-Campbell as he seeks to understand the deep past and uncertain future of his homeland.

Hear the incredible story of how globally renowned motorcycle track instructor Andy Ibbott turned adversity into opportunity after suffering a life-changing stroke.

Join author Jean Strouse for the riveting story of portrait artist John Singer Sargent and his relationship with an eminent Edwardian family, the Wertheimers.

Rebecca Earle of the University of Warwick reveals how, alongside painters, patrons and dealers, privateers formed part of Europe’s early modern art world.

Find out about the development of an evidence-based mental health and wellbeing curriculum for primary schools with Joshua Stubbs, Head of Research at the PSHE Association.

Join palaeontologist and artist Mark P Witton for a stunningly illustrated talk on what we now know about the fearsome and extraordinary king of the dinosaurs.

Historian Allen Warren explores the life and legacy of York’s most remarkable 20th-century Dean, Eric Milner-White.

Join James Ratcliffe, Deputy Head at Bootham School, for a whistle-stop tour of the mathematical world from 25000 BCE to 1000 CE

We're living in the technological future, but is it the one we want? Join in the discussion as we explore if digital technologies are solving the right problems of the modern age.

Discover how bacteriophage (viruses) can help tackle the problem of increasing antimicrobial resistance with Martha Clokie of the University of Leicester.

As the epidemic of male violence towards women and young girls reaches new heights, women’s rights campaigner Jess Davies provides a toolkit to understand and tackle online misogyny.

Discover the science of why we aren’t and can’t be perfect with Laurence Hurst, an expert on evolution and genetics from the University of Bath.

Prepare for a rip-roaring adventure through science gone wrong with author Tim James and discover how accidental discoveries have changed humanity for the better.

Take a journey through the backstreets of Asia at this in conversation event with writer Shamini Flint, best known for her Inspector Singh Investigates series.

Join leading UK geographer Danny Dorling as he unpacks polling data and shows that our global crises are often very different from what’s in the headlines.

Find out how ancient peoples dealt with death as classicist Robert Garland explores the beliefs and practices of a wide range of cultures and traditions.

Writer Anna Sulan Masing explores what it means to be East and South East Asian in Britain today and celebrates the varied experiences that make up ESEA identity.

From emojis to like Hello Kitty, philosopher Simon May explores the worldwide obsession with cuteness and what it reveals about our age.

Sociologist Mikael Klintman offers a toolkit for exposing and analysing the rhetoric that saturates our everyday lives in today's chaotic media landscape.

Take a trip through time with Lottie Adcock of Dance the Past to find those dances that broke boundaries and shocked polite society.

Join biologist Jaap de Roode of Emory University, US, to hear the astonishing story of how animals from ants to apes use medicine and what it can teach us about healing ourselves.

From Europe's earliest wallpaper to printing on ice, join Helen Smith, Director of Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print, to learn about the history of printing in York.

Learn what alien microbes living in the deepest, darkest recesses of Earth’s crust can reveal about the dawn and future of our planet with biologist Karen Lloyd.

Lauded as ‘the greatest public servant of our time’, Jeremy Heywood was confidant and trouble shooter for both Conservative and Labour Prime Ministers. Suzanne Heywood talks about her late husband and his life of public service.

From decrypting enemy messages to penning propaganda and infiltrating organisations, writer Claire Hubbard-Hall reveals women’s pivotal role in the history of the British intelligence services.

Immerse yourself in the world of the Vikings as expert speakers look at the past, present and future of festivals and public events on a Viking theme.

Visit a letterpress display reimagining women’s knowledge about plants. Join in a botanical printing activity and discover a book of flowers written for a queen.

Join us for a challenge against the clock as competing finalists each have just three minutes to outline the power of their research in the annual York Three Minute Thesis competition.

York Lindy invites you to a free one-day swing dance festival, featuring a pop-up exhibition, dance classes, history and music talks.

Why does the burden of housework still fall on women? Sociologist Emma Casey offers a powerful call to challenge the prevailing myths around housework.

Visit a letterpress display reimagining women’s knowledge about plants. Join in a botanical printing activity and discover a book of flowers written for a queen.

Join historian Tracy Borman as she unlocks the mysteries of Holbein’s enigmatic artwork The Ambassadors, revealing the secrets it tells us about the Tudor court.

Writer Pippa Stacey guides you through the key things you should know about non-visible disabilities in 2025, sharing her own lived experiences of managing a chronic illness and non-visible symptoms in everyday life.

Listen to top female and nonbinary scientists as they take science to the streets of York - while standing on a soapbox.

Find out how the data revolution in sport is influencing decision making in areas such as tactics, strategy and recruitment with statisticians from the University of York.

Explore real-world stories of community-led projects that are making a difference by combining environmental action with social equity. Join Dilay Celebi Gonidis of CITY College, University of York Europe campus.

Michael Guilding, a retired psychotherapist, examines fear and love from the perspective of human biology and reflects on what each of us might do to shift the balance between these powerful forces.

Join one of the Guardian’s most beloved columnists, political sketch writer John Crace, for some hilarious insights into politics and modern-day Britain.

From the beauty of floodlights to the glorious moment when a referee falls over, join author Daniel Gray as he lyrically celebrates the simple joys of the beautiful game.

Join Arthur Bradley of the University of Lancaster as he explores the relationship between theatre and sovereignty in modern political theory, philosophy and performance.

Learn more about Alexander the Great’s life, personality and impact as historian Stephen Harrison of Swansea University offers a fresh perspective on his reign.

As part of the Joseph Rowntree Centenary, The Rowntree Society explores the story of Rowntree’s relationship with Trade Unions during the 1920s.

Writer Ian Leslie traces the twists and turns of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s relationship through the music it produced, offering insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection.

Richard and Chris Gale, leading consultants in ophthalmology and cardiology, explore how early diagnosis and intervention can transform outcomes for age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Atrial Fibrillation (AF).

Hear the story of the production of the five groundbreaking Royal Commission volumes on the archaeology and Architecture of the City of York from Roman times to the 20th century. Join Peter Addyman, former Director of York Archaeology.

Join biochemist Jenny Hayes of the University of York on a DNA adventure as she reveals the background to new medical discoveries and treatments.

Join Heather Conway, an expert on death law, as she explores some of the complex legal questions about the disposal and post-mortem fate of the dead.

Celebrate the comedic genius of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson (Hancock’s Half Hour and Steptoe and Son) at an event showcasing the archive acquired by the University of York in 2024.

Modesty, flamboyance, filth. Join writer Nina Edwards as she unravels the intimate narratives woven into the fabric of our most personal garments.

Join bestselling author and journalist Sonia Purnell for a discussion of the complexities, intricacies and mysteries of leadership, focusing on Pamela Churchill Harriman, daughter-in-law of Winston Churchill.

Join author Paula Akpan for a revelatory history as she takes you into the fascinating worlds of the queens and warriors who ruled vast swathes of the African continent.

Throughout time, there have been stories of people being visited or attacked by nocturnal monsters. How can modern science help us to understand this cultural history? Join psychologist Dan Denis.

Historian Eleanor Barnett charts the ingenious ways people have sought to extend the life of food and reuse leftovers from the 16th-century kitchen to the present day.

Simon Gilbody, a leader in the field of mental health interventions, discusses a toolkit to help those experiencing long-term sickness absence back into work.

Discover what linked York and Münster historically, the background to the cities’ twinning, and how links are ongoing today.

Join us for a ground-breaking exploration of African culture and identity as author Luke Pepera journeys through 500,000 years of history to connect with his extraordinary heritage.

Find out how researchers study the sounds of the past with Mariana López of the University of York.

Psychologist Ben Alderson-Day digs into historical accounts and contemporary cases of 'felt presence', hunting for the key to unlock this strange phenomenon.

Join historian and bestselling author William Dalrymple as he explores how India transformed the culture and technology of its ancient world - and our world today as we know it.

Join Jahnavi Phalkey, Founding Director of Science Gallery Bengaluru, as she delves into the emergence of big science in 20th-century India and shares her vision for the scientific future of the country.

Discover how trees contribute to our sense of place within urban communities and explore how a space-based approach could colour a green-print for York as a White Rose Forest city.

Take a journey across time and space, and explore the history of medieval Britain through the biographies of illuminated manuscripts and their creators with author Michelle P. Brown.

Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, rail historian Roger Backhouse examines how railway posters developed from the mid-19th century.

Join Barbara Brend, a specialist in the field of Persian painting, as she examines two manuscripts illustrated in late 15th-century Herat.

What was life really like aboard a pirate ship? Join historian Rebecca Simon for a rollicking account of pirates’ codes - the strict rules essential for survival at sea.

Join archaeologists as they discuss the damaging effects of global warming on waterlogged archaeological sites and explain how two projects aim to tackle this issue in York.

Join Emma Waring and Donna Yates of the York Maastricht Partnership as they explore some of the ethical dilemmas surrounding T-Rex fossils, controversial art and human remains in museums and galleries today.

From the 3,500-year-old Ringlemere Cup to the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard, hear about amazing treasures unearthed by detectorists, mudlarks and fieldwalkers.

Join historian Carolyn Twomey as she explores the various social and ritual roles of the baptismal font in the premodern past and its significance to parish communities.

Enjoy a filmed performance of Clay Fever and accompanying talk with pottery handling by York Museums Trust curator Helen Walsh and playwright Bridget Foreman.

Isabel Berwick, host of the award-winning Financial Times Working It podcast and Simon Gilbody of the University of York discuss loneliness at work and offer some practical advice and solutions.

Michael Guilding, a retired psychotherapist, examines fear and love from the perspective of human biology and reflects on what each of us might do to shift the balance between these powerful forces.

Join Deneal Smith, Head of Bootham School as he examines the core values of Quaker action through the lens of education in the 21st century. What should schools be doing for their students and local community?

Come along to St Olave’s Church to celebrate all things time related. Enjoy a series of short talks during the day, and poetry and music presented by Navigators Art & Performance in the evening.