Festival of Ideas
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Bristol Festival of Ideas is an inspiring programme of discussion and debate throughout the year that aims to stimulate people’s minds and passions.
Go to Attend for details of all upcoming events, including booking links. Go to Listen and Watch for a selection of recordings of past events. Go to Read for reviews, interviews and other written background material. Our full audio archive – dating back to 2007 – is on SoundCloud. We also have a YouTube channel. We also have an archive of PDFs of past brochures dating back to 2005.
In 2020 David Olusoga was appointed the festival’s first patron (press release here).
Photo of audience members by Bhagesh-Sachania-Photography.
Projects within Festival of Ideas
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Festival of Ideas
Democracy Season, 2021
Our series of events in 2021 on democracy and freedom of expression.
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Festival of Ideas
David Olusoga Appointed Festival of Ideas Patron
Announcement in 2020 of David Olusoga’s appointment as Festival of Ideas patron.
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Festival of Ideas
Novel Writers
The series in which debut novelists talk about their work.
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Festival of Ideas
Coleridge Series
The annual series inspired by the lectures delivered in Bristol by Coleridge in 1795.
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Festival of Ideas
Malcolm X
The 2015 project marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X.
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Festival of Ideas
Brochure Archive
Links to PDFs of brochures for past events.
The Festival of Ideas Story
The Bristol Festival of Ideas was launched in 2005. In 2018, as part of the 25th anniversary of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership (now Bristol Ideas) we looked back at how the festival began and how it had developed over the years. You can read more by clicking on the link below.