Founded in 2015, Festival of Debate is an annual series of panel discussions, debates, Q&As, artistic responses, keynote speeches and other public events in Sheffield, exploring politics, economics and society. It’s coordinated in collaboration with over 50 partners across the city, from grassroots campaign groups to the city’s largest institutions.

Headliners on this year's programme are Gloria Steinem, David Wengrow, Jeremy Corbyn, Led By Donkeys, Shon Faye, and George Monbiot.

Our highlights for Festival of Debate 2022 include: feminist icon Gloria Steinem in an online conversation with writer Desiree Reynolds. Writer and journalist Shon Faye on her book The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice, exploring how trans experiences expose the reality that the systems we rely on are fundamentally broken. Festival of Debate's take on Question Time with special guest Jackie Weaver. And poetry from the satirist and Alan Partridge creator Armando Iannucci.

Other topics up for discussion include: the future of the news, combatting racism in the context of violence against women and girls, the criminalisation of Gypsies and Travellers, and lots more. There'll also be interactive workshops including an invitation to dream up 100 ideas to make the North a better place to live, and a chance to discover how to be a better LGBTQ+ ally.

See the full programme and book now.

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