| This weekend, Leeds International Festival kicks off for its second year!
A festival that celebrates innovation, imagination and invention across all fields, the stellar line-up has something for everyone.
With more than 50 events in 15 days, featuring over 40 speakers, there is something fascinating going on in Leeds – whatever your interests. What’s more, people can still get in on the action, despite a number of sell-out events.
From children’s live art sessions to renowned plays, a gospel choir in Millennium Square’s Spielgeltent to a fashion takeover on Briggate, a specially-curated playtesting of a brand new interactive adventure to a talk from the first Briton in space – the exciting list of events goes on and on.
The festival, running Saturday 28thApril – Saturday 12thMay, showcases the city’s local creativity and talent alongside experts, speakers and performers from across the globe, through an eclectic mix of events and activities. Choose to participate, or to listen – choose the events that attract you; the conferences which could further your understanding, the workshops which might fuel your passions or the talks which could broaden your horizons.
World firsts, debates, thought-provoking talks, premieres, exhibitions and new music all come together over the fortnight. Leeds International Festival promotes and celebrates innovation, aspiration and imagination, in our city and beyond – across fields like technology, science, music, fashion, interactive media and world culture.
Sitting alongside key players in the UK fashion industry, both new and established alike, are sporting heroes, music icons and experts in their field- as well as a plethora of amazing women. The festival is filled with inspiring females, from the speakers at the Empowering women with Tech conference to amazing avant-garde pioneers like Cosey Fanni Tutti and Viv Albertine, to the first Brit in space, Helen Sharman. There are also artists, speakers and performers from countries as geographically distant as Brazil, Germany, Mexico, the US, India and Iran. We’ll be talking about the future of Artificial Intelligence, and the mission to put humans on Mars. This year’s line-up really does push the boundaries.
Some highlights include exploring how audiences can disconnect from tech, a premiere sharing in the passion and glory of the world’s greatest rugby league team, gaining an insight into how indigenous people are going digital through an NGO, and listening to the UK’s only ensemble of blind and visually impaired musicians, amongst many, many more fascinating events.
A team-up with Welcome to Yorkshire and Leeds City Council means that we’ll also see an additional element during the first week of the festival this year: the creation of a cultural hub in the heart of the city centre.
The Village in Millennium Square will be home to the Leeds International Festival Spiegeltent, as well as cycle-central for activities organised in conjunction with the celebration of the Tour de Yorkshire’s fourth edition.
FOR DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME GO TO www.leedsinternationalfestival.com
Picture above from a special performance of Damned United at West Yorkshire Playhouse. |