Information from the Festival Organisers:
York Festival of Ideas 2026 has a wide range of inspiring events to attend and engage with, both in person and online – most of them free. A sample of the history-related events in this year’s programme is outlined below.
The Festival is led by the University of York, UK, working in partnership with more than 100 local and national organisations, and is made possible by the generosity of our supporters and donors. The full Festival programme can be explored at yorkfestivalofideas.com.
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First Helpings: A history of children and food, Sat 30 May, 10.30am to 11.30am (in person)
What should children eat and why? How should they eat it and what should they learn about food? Answers to questions like these have differed over time. Writers Deborah Albon and Amy Palmer explore the relationship between children and food in history, covering topics including breast versus bottle feeding, the difference between ‘adult’ and ‘children’s’ food and drink, table manners, school meals and learning to cook.
Regina: A new history of women and power, Fri 5 June, 7.30pm to 8.30pm (in person)
Stories about royal women form some of our most foundational myths about femininity – yet their legacies have been almost entirely constructed by the words and images of men. Delving into the lives of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and ladies-in-waiting, historian Kate Williams shatters these myths, revealing women’s remarkable lives. Join Kate as she redefines our views on women, politics and power.
This Little World: Tudor narratives of India and England, Tues 9 June, 8pm to 9pm (in person)
Across oceans and centuries, England and India emerge not as distant worlds but as entangled histories of movement, trade and imagination. Drawing on rich archival fragments, author Nandini Das traces merchants, migrants, sailors and spies who moved between Tudor and Stuart England and India, unsettling ideas of nation, identity and belonging. Together with historian, author and Jaipur Literature Festival Co-Director William Dalrymple, they evaluate the encounter and exchanges that reshapes our understanding of an interconnected world.
The Age of Hitler and How We Will Survive It, Tues 2 June, 1pm to 2pm (online)
We live in an age where Hitler and the Nazis dominate our cultural imagination, shaping values once defined by religion. Historian Alec Ryrie explores why society remains captivated by this struggle, from history and fiction to modern myths such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. Join Alec, author of The Age of Hitler, as he examines the costs of our Nazi obsession and questions what will come as our anti-Nazi moral consensus frays and both the Left and Right begin to move on.
Plunder? How museums got their treasures, Tues 2 June, 6pm to 7pm (online)
Join historian Justin M Jacobs as he challenges the widely accepted belief that many of Western museums’ treasures were acquired by imperialist plunder and theft.Drawing on his book, Plunder? How Museums Got Their Treasures, he will re-examine the allegedly immoral provenance of Western collections, advocating for a nuanced understanding of how artefacts reached Western shores. Exploring the perspectives of Chinese, Egyptian and other participants in the global antiquities trade over the past two and a half centuries, he will reveal that Western collectors were often willingly embraced by locals.
They Called It Peace: Worlds of imperial violence, Wed 3 June, 6pm to 7pm (online)
Imperial conquest and colonisation depended on pervasive raiding, slaving and plunder. European empires amassed global power by asserting a right to use unilateral force at their discretion. Historian Lauren Benton, author of They Called It Peace, offers a panoramic history of how these routines of violence remapped the contours of empire and reordered the world from the 15th to the 20th centuries. In an account spanning from Asia to the Americas, Lauren will show how imperial violence redefined the very nature of war and peace. Instead of preparing lasting peace, fragile truces ensured an easy return to war. Serial conflicts and armed interventions projected a de facto state of perpetual war across the globe.
What is Public History? Saturday 6 June 2026, 10.50am to 11.30am (in person)
Public History is a fast-growing field, with postgraduate courses and research centres expanding across the globe. But just what do we mean by Public History? What does it mean to be a public historian? Which ‘publics’ are we talking about? Join Director of the Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past (IPUP) Lizzy Spencer of the University of York for an introduction to the field of Public History, its development, and the key questions which face public historians today. Lizzy will also share examples from the work of IPUP and its postgraduate students.
Things We Found in the Ground, Sun 7 June, 3pm to 4pm (in person)
Join writers Eleanor Bruce and Lucilla Gray on a metal detecting journey through Britain as they share their fascination with unearthing historical artefacts. Hear about the cousins’ startling discoveries over many weeks and months of digging countless holes: about the objects they found and what they tell us about our ancestors, about the power of community – and what they found out about themselves along the way.
Royal Observatory Greenwich: A history in objects, Sun 7 June, 6pm to 7pm (in person)
Explore the enduring history of the Royal Observatory Greenwich as we celebrate its collections and the varied work of three centuries of astronomers, navigators and clockmakers. The Observatory’s Senior Curator Louise Devoy presents a beautifully illustrated talk charting the development of Britain’s first state-funded scientific institution, from its founding by royal warrant in 1675 to the present day.
Chasing Jessop, Tues 9 June, 7.30pm to 8.30pm (in person)
In 1902, playing for England against Australia, Gilbert Jessop set a record for the fastest Test century for England – a milestone which still stands today. But the precise circumstances of England cricket’s oldest record have long been a mystery. Journalist Simon Wilde reconstructs one of the game’s most famous matches to establish what really happened. Might Jessop have got to his hundred even faster than previously believed? Join Simon in conversation with former CEO of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Stewart Regan.
Don’t miss our Festival Focus series including:
Democracy on Trial, Sun 7 June (in person)
Every day it feels like the world is fracturing. Trust in leaders is gone, money dictates politics and the future can seem bleak. Has democracy outlived its usefulness – or is it our only hope? Join our citizens’ jury as we put our system on trial. Hear the evidence, witness the crossexamination and cast your vote. The defendant is democracy. The verdict is yours. Join us for one session or stay for the day.
Session 1: The Promise of Democracy, 10.45am to 1pm
Democracy is in the dock. Looking back at its origins, was the system always flawed? Is the current crisis simply the result of an economic model that was always at odds with political equality – the ‘one person, one vote’ ideal? Big tech insider-turned-critic Dex Hunter-Torricke takes to the stand, followed by other expert witnesses.
Session 2: The Stress Test: Can democracy survive? 2pm to 3.30pm
Digital disruption, the rise of authoritarianism and polarisation, a failure to deliver for marginalised groups and future generations. Is democracy fundamentally incapable of navigating 21st-century threats? Expert witnesses present the evidence of modern-day collapse.
Session 3: The Verdict and the Road Ahead, 4pm to 5.30pm
Members of the citizens’ jury, the evidence is in. Now we decide: is democracy too flawed to save or can it be reclaimed? Our expert witnesses examine whether a radical shift to hyper-local, citizen-driven action could be the way forward. After the summing up, the verdict is yours.