Over 6,000 attend Leeds International Festival of Ideas as star-studded 2026 event hailed a triumph

More than 6,000 people descended on Leeds Playhouse last week as the Leeds International Festival of Ideas (LIFI26) wrapped up its fourth - and largest - edition to date.

Running across five days from October 6 to 10, the festival took over both the Quarry and Courtyard theatres for a series of high-profile keynote talks, debates, and panel discussions.

The event kicked off with documentary legend Louis Theroux in conversation on opening night, before closing on Saturday evening with comedian and composer Tim Minchin, alongside a panel featuring Ashley James, Samira Ahmed, Afua Hirsch, James O'Brien, and Ash Palmisciano.

Across the week, audiences heard from a stellar line-up including Elizabeth Day, Chris Packham CBE, Dr Mya-Rose Craig, Roman Kemp, Rachel Riley MBE, Tasha Ghouri, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Tulisa Contostavlos, Laura Hamilton, and Olivia Bentley.

Conversations covered critical themes ranging from climate change, suicide prevention, and men's mental health to social media, parenthood, deafness in music, and the cultural legacy of the 1990s.

This year also marked the launch of LIFI Futures, an expanded outreach initiative for young people.

Tied to Leeds being named the UK’s first City of Maths, the initiative hosted three free events for local schools and colleges, alongside a public event fronted by Rachel Riley MBE.

Brought to the city by LeedsBID with Welcome to Leeds as headline partner, LIFI operates on a not-for-profit model, meaning all ticket income goes directly back into funding the following year's programme.

“Over 6,000 people chose to spend an evening, or several, at Leeds Playhouse talking about the things that matter,” said Martin Dickson, Festival Director. “That tells you something about this city. Leeds is curious, it’s open and it isn’t afraid of a difficult conversation.

“Because LIFI is not-for-profit, ticket sales are invested back into the festival for the following year, so everyone who came this year has already helped shape LIFI27.”

He added: “We were blown away by the support and the huge, positive reaction. Audiences are telling us they had an inspiring, thoughtful and hopeful experience, and that’s one of the main reasons we do this festival. The eyes of the UK are on us, so look out for LIFI27, which we start planning next week!”

A highlights reel from LIFI26 is available to watch now, with full panel coverage and LIFITV content rolling out from late October.