Over 70 Debates & Talks and 40 Music & Comedy Acts across 8 Stages.
HowTheLightGetsIn is back! Hidden away on the top of Hampstead Heath in the enchanting grounds of Kenwood House, we've brought together the world's leading thinkers and a spectacular medley of musicians, performers and artists for just one weekend. It's a fleeting oasis of ideas and imagination... There's just no other place like it!
HowTheLightGetsIn gathers the world's leading thinkers, including Nobel laureates, prize-winning journalists, and radical new philosophers, to explore the frontiers of philosophy, map uncharted territories, and forge new paths ahead in edge-of-your-seat debates.
Check out our newly released full programme and our complete speaker line-up for more info.
Our music programme is what makes HowTheLightGetsIn unique. We carefully hand-pick our music acts to mix household names with the best up-and-coming talent the UK has to offer.
"An ambitious event....the music lineup would shame your average summer festival"
★★★★★
The Independent
HowTheLightGetsIn is so much more than its music and debate programme… there's a whole kaleidoscope of other experiences on offer too.
Inner Circle events are a unique opportunity to dine with the world's leading thinkers and discuss their ideas. You can see the world afresh with our HotDocs programme, specially curated from award-winning independent filmmakers. Hear the best of Britain's up-and-coming comedy acts just after their Edinburgh shows. Explore a range of traditional crafts, artisan stalls and micro-music venues in the Fayre, and much, much more....
Festival Tickets provide access to all events in our main programme including Debates, Talks, Music, DJs, Performance, Comedy, Art, HotDocs, and IAI Academy Courses, throughout the weekend.
Full weekend tickets have now sold out, but a limited number of day tickets are still remaining!
We have a queuing system for each event but if you want to skip the queue and guarentee one of the best seats, head over to our programme page to buy a £5 fast pass. We also have additional tickets for Inner Cirlce events, Salons, and Long Table Banquets, which can be purchased from our programme page.
"There is a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in" - Leonard Cohen, Anthem.
2019 marks our tenth anniversary year. In the decade since the first festival the world has become a very different place. In a world that seems more divided and uncertain than it has for a generation, we believe that now - more than ever - we need an open space where big ideas can be put forward and then challenged. The debates at HowTheLightGetsIn aren't just about the pursuit of knowledge and a joy of learning. Nor just about celebrating the impressive intellectual contributions of those involved. Instead, through its editorial programme, the IAI sets to find new ways forward and out of the contemporary intellectual impasse.
But it's not just about the ideas. It's a place for celebration and extravagance too. There is no other place on the planet where you can meet as many of the world's leading thinkers, discover the most cutting-edge ideas, and party into the sunset. At HowTheLightGetsIn London you can join a debate about the nature of the universe with the world's top scientists, laugh until your sides hurt with the UK's best comedians, dance to the freshest musical talent, dine with our speakers in Open Platform events or indulge yourself with four course long table banquets.
HowTheLightGetsIn is not just another festival...Our programme has many names you will recognise but HowTheLightGetsIn is not about status or celebrity. We are about ideas and wonder and creating a space where everyone's imagination can flourish. Find the bands you've never heard of, discover ground-breaking ideas that have yet to make their mark, contribute yourself and your thoughts, and magic will come your way.
Our luxurious long table banquets form the heart of the HowTheLightGetsIn experience. With the grandeur of Kenwood House as a backdrop to the festivities, sit down to a sumptuous four-course experience prepared with love by our incomparable chefs.
You'll be joined by fellow festivalgoers and HowTheLightGetsIn speakers alike, so there'll be no shortage of food for thought alongside the fare on the table.
Menus
Saturday Lunch
Kohlrabi, fennel and heritage radish slaw with apple, chilli & poppy seed dressing and toasted quinoa pops (vegan)
-
English split pea dahl, spiced courgette fritter, crispy parsnip, tamarind and apple reduction
(vegan, GF)
OR
Slow roasted lamb shoulder, courgette baba ganoush, , spiced barley , tamarind & apple reduction
-
Beetroot & parsnip brownie , toasted cashew & almond nut cream , candied apple crumb
(vegan, GF)
Saturday Night of the Stars
Amuse bouche
-
Kohlrabi, fennel and heritage radish slaw with apple, chilli & poppy seed dressing and toasted quinoa pops (vegan)
-
English split pea dahl, spiced courgette fritter, crispy parsnip, tamarind and apple reduction (vegan, GF)
OR
Slow roasted lamb shoulder, courgette baba ganoush, spiced barley , tamarind & apple reduction
-
Beetroot & parsnip brownie, toasted cashew & almond nut cream, candied apple crumb ( vegan, GF )
-
Selection of cheeses , crackers and quince chutney (vegan cheese available)
The Sunday Roast
Kohlrabi, fennel and heritage radish slaw with apple, chilli & poppy seed dressing and toasted quinoa pops (vegan)
-
Soy, ginger and lemon glazed lamb shoulder, charred baby leeks, Colcannon sweet potato and star anise jus (GF)
OR
Sage, barley and apricot roast, blistered heritage tomatoes, rape seed roasted potatoes, carrot & caraway mash , with a foraged wild veg gravy (vegan)
Roasted cauliflower cheese
Yorkshire puddings
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Beetroot & parsnip brownie , toasted cashew & almond nut cream , candied apple crumb ( vegan, GF )
-
Selection of cheeses , crackers and quince chutney (vegan cheese available)
"Europe's answer to TED"
Total Politics
"I barely saw anyone without a smile"
★★★★★
The Independent
"A UK first. Back to big thinking"
The Guardian
"The art and soul of the party"
Harpers Bazaar
"A storming success"
New Scientist
"Dunno why it exists. Glad it does."
Ahir Shah
Set in the majestic grounds of Kenwood House on the crest of Hampstead Heath, HowTheLightGetsIn London keeps the intimate feel of our world-renowned festival in Hay-on-Wye and tops it with the grand atmosphere of the capital.
Our venues are intimate enough to spark real conversation during the day and keep you dancing into the sunset. If you've been to HowTheLightGetsIn, you'll know why this festival draws award-winning musicians and Nobel prize-winners, critics and intellectuals alike into its orbit. If you haven't, it's time to see what all the fuss is about!
Volunteers are at the heart of HowTheLightGetsIn, and we're always looking for passionate, engaged, cooperative people to play a key role in making the festival a reality. Simply follow the links below to learn more about our schemes.
Whether you're after a spectacular four course banquet or a quick snack between sessions, innovative street food, local London craft beers or a glass of perfectly chilled champagne, you'll find a whole range of exceptional eateries across our festival site.
"An impressive variety of popups, stands and gastro-yurts that would satisfy even the most discerning of foodies. "
★★★★★
The Independent
12.09.2019
There are just under 150 Festival Tickets left for HowTheLightGetsIn London next week and we're expecting they'll all have sold out very soon.
For just one weekend, you can hear from the world's leading thinkers, be blown away by chart-topping musicians, laugh until your sides hurt with some of the UK's most talented comedians, and much, much more.
If you're planning to join us in the glorious grounds of Kenwood House for HowTheLightGetsIn London 2019, now is the time to book. You can purchase your tickets here.
We can't wait to welcome you!
As seen in Flightnetwork's pick of UK Festivals
08.08.2019
The Full Programme for HowTheLightGetsIn London 2019 is now available to view! Browse events by theme or date.
We've got a packed weekend full of Debates & Talks, Music, Performance, Inner Circle events, Long Table Banquets, Academy Courses, Comedy, Festival Experiences, award-winning documentaries, and so much more.
Your weekend can span the future of space travel to contemporary feminism, the mystery of life to the rise of tech giants, party-starting DJs and inspiring films, indulgent four course banquets and unmissable stand-up comedy.
View the full 2019 programme here.
Fast Passes, offering priority access to our most popular events, are now on sale, plus a host of extra experiences - from breakfasts with headline speakers to freewheeling evening evening Philosophy Salons.
We can't wait to welcome you...
01.08.2019
We've just announced another wave of speakers, including Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis, science journalist Angela Saini, and art rock legend and ambient pioneer Brian Eno.
25.07.2019
Less than two months to go and we've just announced our comedy line up for HowTheLightGetsIn London 2019.
'Rising star of the British stand-up science' (List) Alex Kealy has brought brilliants acts like Nish Kumar, Aisling Bea and Phil Wang to HowTheLightGetsIn before they became household names.
Fresh from their Edinburgh Fringe shows, we're sure this year's line up will be no exception.
Click here to find out who they are.
11.07.19
We've just announced another wave of speakers! Scholar of "surveillance capitalism", Shoshana Zuboff, award-winning journalist, David Aaronovitch, documentary maker, Sophie Fiennes, and pioneering chemist and outspoken atheist, Peter Atkins, join a host of other world-leading thinkers for a weekend of intellectual fireworks.
We've also announced a trio of new debates on the potential return to a theology of nature, the cycle of satisfaction and desire, and the return to moralism. This September's programme is shaping up to be our most vibrant one yet - and there are plenty more fascinating debates to come!
27.06.19
We've just announced our first speakers! Across a weekend programme of over 50 debates and talks with 100 of the world’s leading thinkers, you'll get to see philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Žižek, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable, economist and best-selling author Mariana Mazzucato, and Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, along with Guy Standing, Chantal Mouffe, Aaron Bastani, Natalie Bennett, Natalie Kofler, Joanna Gosling and many more. Check out the first speakers here.
13.06.19
We’ve just announced the first of over 50 debates & talks you can see across the HowTheLightGetsIn weekend.
Uncharted Territory is our theme, and each debate will confront a big contemporary issue where the future looks precarious, dangerous and uncertain. Speakers from around the world will be putting forward their ideas on what to do about climate breakdown, fake news, political division and the risk of global conflict. But it's not just politics - we'll be asking big questions on the possibility of progress, morality in a godless world, biotechnology, social relationships, rationality and the paradoxes that lie at the heart of current theory.
You can find out more about the first debates here.
A limited number of tickets are available here.
A UK First. Back To Big Thinking
The Guardian
Press
