How The Light Gets In 2026 - Music and Philosophy FestivalBack to Events
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HowTheLightGetsIn London 2026 is a two-day ideas festival organised by the Institute of Art and Ideas (IAI). It runs 19–20 September 2026 and brings together leading voices from philosophy, science, politics, economics, the arts, and culture for conversations, debates, and talks on the big questions of the moment. The festival’s stated aim is to explore “the questions that define our times” through thought-provoking discussions and fresh perspectives, inviting new ways of understanding the world. Tickets (including student options) are available via the official site; the page notes that certain tiers are selling out fast. Notable speakers The line-up is extensive and deliberately wide-ranging. Highlighted participants include: Science & physics Roger Penrose (Nobel Laureate in Physics) Sabrina Pasterski (theoretical physicist, often tipped as a leading young talent in quantum gravity/holography) Sabine Hossenfelder, Neil Turok, Ivette Fuentes, Thomas Hertog, Adam Frank, Philip Ball, Daniel Whiteson, Melvin Vopson, Priya Natarajan, Antony Valentini, and others working on cosmology, quantum foundations, consciousness, and the nature of reality. Philosophy & ideas John Gray, Galen Strawson, Rebecca Goldstein, Hilary Lawson, Victoria Trumbull, Sebastian Rödl, Divya Dwivedi, Alister McGrath, Steve Fuller, Sally Haslanger, Babette Babich, and many more covering consciousness, realism, ethics, identity, caste, and post-truth themes. Politics & public life Jeremy Hunt, Nicola Sturgeon, Leo Varadkar, John Bolton, Michael Gove, Kwasi Kwarteng, Torsten Bell, Laila Cunningham, Rachel Millward, Malcolm Rifkind, Thangam Debbonaire, and others spanning major UK and international political figures across the spectrum. Economics, technology & society Mariana Mazzucato, Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia founder), Bryan Johnson, Daniel Susskind, Deirdre McCloskey, Steve Keen, Martin Wolf, Gillian Tett, and voices on AI, the future of work, inequality, surveillance, and capitalism. Arts, culture & media Emily Wilson (classicist and Homeric translator), Dasha Nekrasova, Will Self, Patricia Lockwood, Jordan Stephens, Laurie Penny, Tariq Ali, and others. Additional speakers cover neuroscience and mental health (Mark Solms, Edward Bullmore, Joanna Moncrieff), climate and risk (Laurie Laybourn, David Spiegelhalter), longevity (Aubrey de Grey), digital culture, and more. Many profiles are marked “New” for the 2026 edition. The event mixes high-profile names with specialised thinkers and is designed as a platform for cross-disciplinary debate rather than a conventional academic conference. Full speaker details, bios, and ticketing are on the official HowTheLightGetsIn London site.
Standard Ticket Price
$174.00
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