Battle of Ideas festival archive
Find links here to all our previous festivals.
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2015
17 & 18 October 2015, Barbican, London
Festival website
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2014
18 & 19 October 2014, Barbican, London
Festival website
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2013
19 & 20 October 2013, Barbican, London
Festival website
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2012
20 & 21 October 2012, Barbican, London
Festival website
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2011
29 & 30 October, Royal College of Art, London
Festival website
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2010
30 & 31 October, Royal College of Art, London
Festival website
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2009
31 October & 1 November, Royal College of Art, London
Festival website
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2008
1 & 2 November, Royal College of Art, London
Festival website
BATTLE OF IDEAS 2006
28 & 29 October, Royal College of Art, London
Festival website
Battle Buzz 2016
Lesley Curwen
award-winning journalist, broadcaster and writer, BBC
Beware, you might find yourself throwing long-held views out of the window in the heat of the Battle of Ideas. I have.
Battle Buzz 2016
Professor Constantine Sandis
professor of philosophy, University of Hertfordshire
Nowhere else will you find such variety of important issues debated with the openness they deserve - the battles were epic!
Battle Buzz 2016
Bridget Rosewell
commissioner, National Infrastructure Commission; author, Reinventing London
The Battle of Ideas is one of the few events that attracts a wide range of people of all ages, ethnicities, preferences and views. It is exhilarating.
Battle Buzz 2016
Nick Cater
executive director, Menzies Research Centre, Australia; columnist, The Australian
Those who enjoy the comfort of conventional wisdom will find the Battle of Ideas a very unsafe space.
Battle Buzz 2016
Sir Nicholas Kenyon
managing director, Barbican Centre; presenter, BBC Radio 4’s Cities From The Ashes; former director, BBC Proms
The Battle of Ideas is a fantastic meeting place for public debate, intelligent interaction, and powerful ideas. It brought a real buzz to the Barbican in 2016, and at a time of profound national debate we greatly look forward to working together on the next event in 2017.