Cambridge Festival of Ideas

Topic description and stories

Unexpected experiences: Lucy Spokes talks about the excitement of a newly digital Festival

29 Jul 2020

Head of Public Engagement, Dr Lucinda Spokes, describes the difficult decision to pull the plug on the 26th Cambridge Science Festival in March this...

Cambridge Festival of Ideas Launches Today

11 Oct 2019

The Cambridge Festival of Ideas launches today [14th October] with a huge array of events and cutting edge thinkers, tackling social, cultural and...

Bookings open for 12th Cambridge Festival of Ideas

23 Sep 2019

Bookings open today for this year’s Cambridge Festival of Ideas which takes place at a time of political upheaval across the world.

Cambridge Festival of Ideas opens for bookings

24 Sep 2018

How should we tackle apocalyptic terrorism? What can mystical experiences during epileptic seizures teach us about empathy? What purpose do angels...

Childrens talk, English & Latin : divided into several clauses

Opinion: ‘Difficult’ Latin risks remaining a qualification for elite pupils

02 Nov 2015

Francesca Middleton (Faculty of Classics) discusses the reform of GCSEs and Latin's reputation as an academically demanding subject.

Opinion: How free are we really?

30 Oct 2015

Priyamvada Gopal (Faculty of English) discusses freedom as a practice rather than a value to be worshipped.

Flashmobs and flamenco: how Spain’s greatest artform became a tool for political protest

23 Oct 2015

Matthew Machin-Autenrieth (Faculty of Music) discusses flamenco and its use as a tool of social activism.

Manuscript of Beowulf, in the British Library

Outlaws, trolls and beserkers: meet the hero-monsters of the Icelandic sagas

22 Oct 2015

Rebecca Merkelbach (Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic) discusses the monstrous heroes of Scandinavian mythology and literature.

Knowing me, knowing you

20 Oct 2015

What can museum collections tell us about people and their stories? On Sunday 25 October 2015, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology will host...

The 8th Cambridge Festival of Ideas launches

19 Oct 2015

Cambridge Festival of Ideas 2015 launches today with over 250 events exploring arts, society and culture.

Speaker spotlight: Professor David Runciman

23 Sep 2015

Professor David Runciman, Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), answers questions about UK politics, voting, and the...

Politics debates at the heart of the Cambridge Festival of Ideas

18 Sep 2015

Political issues ranging from the future of Europe, the US elections, immigration and how to deal with Islamic extremists will be at the heart of...