Highlights
16th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Why We Make Bad Judgments and What We Can Do About It
Daniel Kahneman, Cass Sunstein and Olivier Sibony In Conversation With Diana Fox Carney
Why are humans so bad at making good judgements? Join ground-breaking psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Nudge co-author Cass Sunstein.
GO TO EVENT19th May 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - BST
Olivia Laing and Susie Orbach – On Bodies, Protest, Gender and Freedom
Hear the acclaimed author Olivia Laing discuss her timely new book, Everybody, in conversation with leading psychotherapist Susie Orbach.
GO TO EVENT26th May 2021 - 7:30 pm
Online - BST
A Night In With Stacey Abrams
In conversation with Karin Slaughter
Don’t miss the opportunity to spend a thought-provoking and entertaining evening with one of the most compelling political figures in America today.
GO TO EVENT10th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
An Evening With David Hare
In Conversation with Hannah MacInnes
The legendary playwright joins us to reflect on his life and career as the most prolific, influential and respected dramatist of his generation.
GO TO EVENT4th May 2021 - 9:00 pm
Online - EST
Senator Elizabeth Warren in conversation with Amber Tamblyn
The inspiring, influential senator and bestselling author mixes vivid personal stories with a passionate plea for political transformation.
GO TO EVENTFeatured Events
9th May 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - BST
Plague and Prejudice
Hadley Freeman and Simon Schama
During the course of the pandemic – when the benefits of cooperative pursuit of knowledge have been so obvious – ignorance-based hatred and prejudice have seen a rapid rate of infection....
10th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
An Evening With David Hare
In Conversation with Hannah MacInnes
The legendary playwright joins us to reflect on his life and career as the most prolific, influential and respected dramatist of his generation....
10th May 2021 - 9:00 pm
Online - EST
Seth Rogen in conversation with Evan Goldberg
A collection of funny personal essays from one of the writers of Superbad and Pineapple Express and one of the producers of The Disaster Artist, Neighbors, and The Boys....
11th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Free Online - BST
Bettany Hughes and Natalie Haynes
Join 5x15 with Natalie Haynes and Bettany Hughes- two leading historians who are giving voice to the women, girls and goddesses of the ancient world....
11th May 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - ET
Reimagining Health Care in America
Dr. Robert Pearl in Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell
Join Dr. Robert Pearl in conversation with Malcolm Gladwell about the underlying crisis in the American health care system that existed long before Covid-19....
12th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Sir Michael Barber – How To Achieve Ambitious and Challenging Things
In Conversation With Diana Fox Carney
What if there were a roadmap for success, helping you to navigate obstacles and reach your destination? Sir Michael Barber helps Prime Ministers to deliver and guides elite athletes to victory. He joins us to share his insights....
13th May 2021 - 11:00 am
Free Online - EST
Power of the Purse with Congressman Brendan F. Boyle
SALT Talks provides a window into the minds of noteworthy business leaders, policy experts and innovators shaping the future....
13th May 2021 - 7:30 pm
Online - BST
A Night In with Pandora Sykes
With Yomi Adegoke
Join the journalist and podcaster as she explores the anxieties and myths that consume our everyday lives and the tools that we use to muddle through....
14th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
The Reset – Ideas To Change How We Work and Live
Elizabeth Uviebinené, author of Slay In Your Lane
The award-winning author and FT columnist has spent a year investigating how to radically shift how we live. She joins us to share fresh, provocative and optimistic new perspectives....
16th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Why We Make Bad Judgments and What We Can Do About It
Daniel Kahneman, Cass Sunstein and Olivier Sibony In Conversation With Diana Fox Carney
Why are humans so bad at making good judgements? Join ground-breaking psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Nudge co-author Cass Sunstein....
16th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Unwinding Anxiety – Train Your Brain to Heal Your Mind
Dr Judson Brewer In Conversation With Matthew Stadlen
‘You cannot thrive if you’re perpetually anxious. It’s that simple. Jud Brewer has given us a plan that can help us overcome our anxious thoughts, feelings and habits, to create true well-being. It is absolutely game-changing.’ – Arianna Huffington...
18th May 2021 - 6:00 pm
Online - EST
The World—A Brief Introduction
Dr. Richard Haass in Conversation with Juju Chang
Dr. Richard Haass, an experienced diplomat and policymaker, joins us to navigate a time in which many of our biggest challenges come from the world beyond our borders....
19th May 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - BST
Olivia Laing and Susie Orbach – On Bodies, Protest, Gender and Freedom
Hear the acclaimed author Olivia Laing discuss her timely new book, Everybody, in conversation with leading psychotherapist Susie Orbach....
24th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
How to Save Our Planet – The Facts
Mark Maslin
It’s time to face the facts and save our planet from, and for, ourselves. Earth System scientist Mark Maslin is here with an indispensable guide to the greatest war humanity will ever face....
24th May 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - BST
The Company of Birds
on Day, Tim Dee, Zakiya Mckenzie & Paul Theroux
A conversation about the company of birds in a pandemic with Jon Day, Tim Dee, Zakiya Mckenzie and Paul Theroux...
25th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Mark Carney – How To Build a Better World For All
In Conversation with Matthew d’Ancona
The former Bank of England governor has created a ‘handbook for 21st century leaders, policymakers and everyone who wants to build a fair and sustainable world’ (Christine Lagarde). He joins us to share its insights....
26th May 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism
Duke University Professor Herman Pontzer in Conversation with Robin Ince
Did you know a hunter-gatherer burns the same calories each day as a sedentary North American? Evolutionary biologist Herman Pontzer is here to change the way you think about food, exercise and life....
26th May 2021 - 7:30 pm
Online - BST
A Night In With Stacey Abrams
In conversation with Karin Slaughter
Don’t miss the opportunity to spend a thought-provoking and entertaining evening with one of the most compelling political figures in America today....
26th May 2021 - 8:00 pm
Online - BST
Opening Gala: A Night of Hope
Hay Festival
On the opening night of Hay Festival 2021, writers join forces with stars of stage and screen in a unique celebration of the power of words....
1st June 2021 - 8:00 pm
Online - BST
A Night In With Alexandra Wilson and the Secret Barrister
Two junior barristers will share their experiences of the law, and how it is broken – even more so, for both barristers and the public, if they are black, working class, or both....
3rd June 2021 - 8:00 pm
Online - ET
Munk Debates: Nesrine Malik
Nesrine Malik challenges conventional thinking underpinning the great debates animating democracies, from the myth of gender equality to political correctness to “damaging” identity politics....
8th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Pandora’s Jar – Women in the Greek Myths
Natalie Haynes
In traditional retellings of the Greek myths, the focus is invariably on gods and men. Natalie Haynes refocuses our gaze on the remarkable women at the centre of these ancient stories....
9th June 2021 - 6:00 pm
Online - EST
Edward St. Aubyn: Double Blind
In conversation with Adam Gopnik
Edward St. Aubyn’s Patrick Melrose series marked him as “the most brilliant English novelist of his generation” (Alan Hollinghurst)....
14th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
A Life in Beauty
Leonard Lauder, Chairman Emeritus and Former CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies
Leonard Lauder joins us with business and life lessons learned transforming his mother’s business into an iconic and beloved global beauty brand....
14th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Martin Rees Meets Ian Goldin
From Global Crisis to a Better World
Join Astronomer Royal and futurist Martin Rees and Oxford Martin School founder Ian Goldin for a vision of the post-COVID world that goes far beyond recovery....
15th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Heather McGhee
‘With intelligence and care (as well as with a trove of sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes heart-opening true stories) Heather McGhee shows us what racism has cost all of us’ – Elizabeth Gilbert...
18th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet – From Theranos to Fyre Festival
Gabrielle Bluestone
Vice journalist and producer of the Netflix Fyre documentary Gabrielle Bluestone joins us with an eye-opening look at the con artists of the digital age – and why we can’t stop falling for them....
18th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Sebastian Junger on Freedom
In Conversation With Sophy Roberts
New York Times bestselling author Sebastian Junger joins us with a powerful examination of a tension that lies at the heart of what it means to be human....
International Highlights
UPDATE
As all talks are currently online only, we are incorporating Unmissable talks organised outside the UK in the UK section so you don’t have to look in two sections. When live talks start to happen again we will revert to UK and International....
Museums and Galleries
6th May 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
Everyday Egyptian Art
Jen Thum
Join Assistant Director of Academic Engagement and Assistant Research Curator at the Harvard Art Museums Jen Thum for an exploration of Egyptian artifacts that speak to our present moment.
7th May 2021 - 5:30 pm
Free Online - BST
Thomas Becket: Murder and the Making of a Saint
British Museum Curators, Lloyd de Beer and Naomi Speakma
Discover the murder that shook the Middle Ages in this curators’ introduction to Thomas Becket: murder and the making of a saint.
Free Online
Virtual Wednesdays at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Join the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco every Wednesday at 5 PST as we celebrate the Bay Area’s artist voices.
The Frick Collection’s Cocktails with a Curator
Every Friday at 5:00 p.m., join The Frick Collection for happy hour as a Frick curator (remotely) offers insights on a work of art with a complementary cocktail. Bring your own beverage to this virtual event.
Art History in 10 Minutes – Cosimo Tura’s ‘A Muse (Calliope?)’
The National Gallery
Imogen Tedbury, Simon Sainsbury Curatorial Fellow, discusses Tura’s ‘A Muse (Calliope?)’ in ten minutes.
Free Online
Meditation & Mindfulness: Plum Blossoms
Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Meditation helps us build a relationship to a place of inner quietude. To contribute to a sense of calm in this uncertain time, we are offering free 30-minute online meditations three times each week led by DC-based meditation teachers. These free sessions are appropriate for
Free Online
Sue Takes on the Sutton Hoo Helmet
British Museum's "Curator's Corner"
The excavations at Sutton Hoo during 1939 were unique for a number reasons. We’re not sure the exact number of reasons (like Irving, maths really isn’t our thing), but there were definitely enough for Netflix to make an original, dramatized version of it in the
Curator Chats Series: The Significance of African Americans in Sports
With Dr. Damion L. Thomas
Damion Thomas discusses experiences that sparked his interest in researching the history of African Americans in sports, and some of his favorite objects in our Sports: Leveling the Playing Field exhibition.
Theatre, Opera and Concerts
Free Online
Berliner Philharmoniker
Various Artists
Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall presents a variety of free concerts in the upcoming weeks and months....
Online
Phantom Of The Opera at the Royal Albert Hall-25th Anniversary Celebration
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Cameron Mackintosh produced a unique, spectacular staging of the musical on a scale which had never been seen before....
Festival Highlights
7th July 2021
Online
Vogue Forces of Fashion 2021
Anna Wintour, Pat McGrath, John Galliano and More
As we slowly reemerge from the last year or so, it will be the place to celebrate fashion’s welcome return—and to understand more clearly how fashion is transforming to reflect our new and very different world....
18th November 2021
Royal Geographical Society, London
How to Change the World 2021
Supported by The New York Times
Supported by The New York Times, How To Change The World 2021 is your guide to the future. We bring together globally renowned innovators, engineers, activists and entrepreneurs to share their insights into paradigm-shifting technologies, ground-breaking campaigns, and exhilarating new scientific research....
Unmissable Long Reads
What PwC Learned from Its Policy of Flexible Work for Everyone
Anne Donovan
I remind people that we place our trust in employees from the moment they start working for us, so why wouldn’t that same theory apply when it comes to flexibility?
The Computers Are Getting Better at Writing
Stephen Marche
Whatever field you are in, if it uses language, it is about to be transformed.
‘We are witnessing a crime against humanity’: Arundhati Roy on India’s Covid catastrophe
Arundhati Roy
It’s hard to convey the full depth and range of the trauma, the chaos and the indignity that people are being subjected to. Meanwhile, Modi and his allies are telling us not to complain.
Reinventing the Uterus, One Organoid at a Time
Rachel E. Gross
Bioengineer Linda Griffith once grew a human ear on the back of a mouse. Now she is reframing endometriosis — a “women’s disease” — as a key to unlocking some of biology’s greatest secrets.
There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing
Adam Grant
The neglected middle child of mental health can dull your motivation and focus — and it may be the dominant emotion of 2021.
The Incredible Rise of North Korea’s Hacking Army
Ed Caesar
The country’s cyber forces have raked in billions of dollars for the regime by pulling off schemes ranging from A.T.M. heists to cryptocurrency thefts. Can they be stopped?
The Woman Who Made van Gogh
Russell Shorto
Neglected by art history for decades, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, the painter’s sister-in-law, is finally being recognized as the force who opened the world’s eyes to his genius.
How New York Was Named
Joshua Jelly-Schapiro
For centuries, settlers pushed Natives off the land. But they continued to use indigenous language to name, describe, and anoint the world around them.
A Chinese ‘Auntie’ Went on a Solo Road Trip. Now, She’s a Feminist Icon.
Joy Dong and Vivian Wang
Tired of housework and an unhappy marriage, a 56-year-old woman has been on a six-month jaunt across China that has challenged deep-rooted gender norms.
Sherry Turkle’s Plugged-In Year
Corinne Purtill
The sociologist has critiqued our digital addictions. Now, like the rest of us, she’s been trapped behind her screens.
Unmissable Podcasts
Humor Us
Hidden Brain
The average four-year-old child laughs 300 times a day. By contrast, it takes more than two months for the average 40-year-old adult to laugh that many times. This week, we talk with behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker of Stanford University about why so many of us fall off a “humor cliff” as we become adults....
Elizabeth Gilbert Meets Julia Cameron – The Path to Higher Creativity
How To Academy Podcast
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way has inspired millions to realise their passions – including Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. Coming together for this podcast, they show us the path to a creatively-fulfilling life....
Dr Gabor Maté on Why We Are All Addicts
Feel Better Live More
In conversation with Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Dr Gabor Mate talks about how we now live in a culture that doesn’t meet our human needs....
Derren Brown – How To Be a Little Happier
Learn how to think differently and overcome anxiety in a difficult world with the legendary star of stage and screen....
The Quarantine Tapes 155: Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth has spent the pandemic living alone and she tells Paul about gifts she has found in that experience. She shares a poem she wrote on the subject for a friend and talks about what it means to savor the small things nicely done....
Israel Story – Ep. 1: Faking It
Mishy Harman and Ira Glass
From our relationship with Ira Glass to priceless antiquities all the way to coveted sick passes – Israeli stories that are anything but real. In our very first episode, the Israel Story team delves into the realm of fakes, forgeries, and mimicry. Three stories, from different periods and places, of people pretending to to be something they are not....
The Portal
Eric Weinstein
The Portal is an exploration into discovery, including conversations with thought leaders....
Revisionist Revisited: A Good Walk Spoiled
Malcolm Gladwell
Golfers everywhere love to hate this episode. Since its debut in Season 2, the subject of golf ignites Malcolm's Twitter feed like no other. Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood....
Normal People, The How To: Academy, The Ultimate Top 100 Classical Music Hits and the Virtual Great Wall of China
Lockdown Culture With Ed Vaizey by Country and Town House
Our Culture Editor Ed Vaizey is finally taking to the airwaves, recording from his bedroom, to give you his tips for staying in touch with all things cultural, highbrow, lowbrow and everything in between....
How to Fail: Mo Gawdat on how to cope with anxiety in a time of Coronavirus
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day and Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer for Google [X], talk about how to handle negative thoughts, how to practise gratitude and the concept of 'committed acceptance', working out what you can actively do to make life better....
