Educating, entertaining and inspiring
through public engagement

Infinite horizons 

Joan Concannon, Director of York Festival of Ideas, said:

“Once again this year has been unexpected and extraordinary. Our delivery of the 2020 Festival was a leap into the dark - a response to the closing down of society and an experiment in reaching out to our existing and first-time audiences in a new format. The 2021 Festival was programmed in an evolving environment, with ongoing and frequently changing restrictions. Despite this, we were determined to deliver a Festival full of ideas and inspiration. I am proud to say that we achieved this.

“Under the banner of Infinite Horizons, the generosity of our festival sponsors and partners allowed us to present a diverse programme of over 200 mostly online events, reaching a larger audience than ever before. In these difficult times it was a privilege to make such a wide variety of events available for free to so many. We have loved hearing how audience members have shared the ideas from Festival talks with friends and family, and been inspired to find out more about new topics.

“But this is not to say that the delivery of this year’s online events hasn’t been without its ‘interesting moments’.  From dodgy WiFi to occasional guest appearances by speakers’ family members and pets, our audience members have shared a roller-coaster ride with us!  

“We’re already looking forward to our next chapter of engagement in 2022 and exploring how we can continue to deliver a high-quality programme to our audiences throughout the world. We hope to see you there!”

Key facts

• 66,953 audience members
• 215 events
• 112 partners
• 204,383 website views from 130 countries
• Over 14,500 followers across four social media platforms

Almost 1,000 people responded to a survey circulated to ticket-holders. Of these:

99% would recommend the Festival to a friend
92% rated the Festival as Excellent or Very Good
60% had not attended the Festival before
78% of people would like to watch future events in an online format (live or recorded)

At York Festival of Ideas, we are proud to enable our audiences to engage with, and reflect on, what are often challenging topical issues. In an age of increasing societal polarisation, we bring people with different experiences, opinions and cultures together. This year was no exception. 

Our opening events set the scene for what was to come. Mariana Mazzucato, one of the most influential economists in the world, discussed how we can improve the quality of people’s lives with Kate Pickett, co-author of The Spirit Level and The Inner Level; Sir Michael Morpurgo’s emotive and inspirational Song of Gladness followed; and the day closed with an internationally curated celebration of women’s creativity, incorporating a spectacular performance of music and poetry filmed in York Minster with Anna Phoebe and delivered in partnership with the Jaipur and Dhaka Literature Festivals.

Showcasing the challenges of achieving equality and diversity were key themes throughout the Festival. We were delighted to once again work with Festival partner and supporter Friends Provident Foundation to create opportunities to discuss levelling up the economy, and green growth and community wealth creation. Other events explored male privilege, the lack of diversity in the arts and the film and TV industry, and LGBT+ in the workplace. In addition, more than 55% of the contributors to this year’s Festival were women.

Our programme also included discussions around topics including fake news, digital inclusion and social activism. And in the run-up to COP26, several events - including a panel discussion from France and the UK - provided in-depth access to expertise on the climate and sustainability crises. All of these events included an opportunity for audience members to ask questions to extend their engagement with these stimulating topics.

A festival with international reach

With the delivery of a mostly virtual festival, we were delighted to welcome speakers, partners and audience members from 130 countries, clearly demonstrating how we are all citizens of the world. 

We were particularly proud this year to extend our international partnerships, and in so doing to celebrate some of the University’s new European strategic alliances. The York Maastricht Partnership and the University of York Europe Campus: CITY College in Greece, brought new dimensions to the programme with explorations of sustainable consumption, climate change, and how we can control computers with the human brain.

On a wider international scale, delivering the Festival online enabled us to continue to develop our relationship with the Jaipur Literature Festival, and to explore a new collaboration with the Dhaka Lit Fest in Bangladesh. Our launch event, She-Energy: Women as Creators, was a particularly powerful evocation of the benefits of these worldwide cultural exchanges. A panel debate and performance with contributors from across the globe explored the common challenges facing women in different cultures, while also celebrating the power of women’s creativity around the world. 

Our Festival finale, featuring acclaimed historian William Dalrymple, was presented in partnership with the Jaipur Literature Festival, while hard-hitting, topical issues benefited from cross-cultural analysis through our continuing partnership with the French Embassy in the UK. Meanwhile, our Festival Focus exploring democracy, debate and disagreement with the Morrell Centre for Legal and Political Philosophy featured an international cast of speakers from the USA, Africa, and Europe. 

The next chapter

As the Festival moves into its second decade, we find ourselves in a world that has altered in myriad ways, providing both new opportunities and challenges. In the last two years, online content has led to new and more socially and geographically diverse audiences, as well as increasing our ability to develop international partnerships. At the same time, it has helped reduce some of our operational costs and environmental impact. 

Audience feedback leaves us in no doubt that an online offer is desirable in future and digital inclusion is high on our agenda. We are also looking at ways of bringing a real sense of ‘York’ to our virtual events. At the same time, we are also mindful that there are some audience segments who are highly unlikely to access online content. We are therefore keen to continue to produce in-person content.

Building on our pilot YuStart crowdfunding campaign in 2021, we will be developing our funding model as we invite audience members to contribute to ensuring the Festival continues to grow and flourish in the years to come and that we can continue to deliver events for free. 

We are immensely proud of how the Festival has grown in its first decade and look forward to working with our partners and supporters in writing the next chapter.

Thanks to the generosity of our Festival supporters and donors we continue to be able to make the majority of the Festival free to our audience. We are so grateful for their continued commitment and generosity.

York Festival of Ideas 2021 supporters and donors

• The Holbeck Charitable Trust
• University of York
• C & JB Morrell Trust and the Morrell Centre for Legal and Political Philosophy
• Friends Provident Foundation
• John Templeton Foundation 
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Shepherd Group
• French Embassy in the UK
• York-Maastricht Partnership 
• The Institution of Engineering and Technology
• Ron and Barbara Cooke 
• Lorna and David Foster 

Our sincere thanks also to those donors and supporters who wish to remain anonymous and to all the audience members who very kindly donated through YuStart.

Joan Concannon

Director, York Festival of Ideas
Director of External Relations, University of York

Contact:
Telephone: ++44 (0)1904 322193
Email: joan.concannon@york.ac.uk

For sponsorship and donation opportunities, please contact:

Edward Joyner

Relationship Manager, Corporate and Foundation Philanthropy, University of York

Contact:
Telephone: ++44 (0)1904 324389
Email: edward.joyner@york.ac.uk

Connect with the Festival online:

• Facebook: YorkFestivalofIdeas
• Twitter: @YorkFestofIdeas
• Instagram: yorkfestivalofideas
• YouTube: YorkIdeas

#YorkIdeas