The four-day festival welcomed an electric lineup of celebrity speakers, including Steven Bartlett, Ruby Wax OBE, Davina McCall MBE and Bimini

Leeds International Festival of Ideas 2023 (LIFI23) brought four days of powerful talks from some of the country’s most influential faces to Leeds Playhouse.

The festival saw a stellar lineup deliver personal conversations on some of the most pressing topics of our generation.

In front of an estimated audience of 5,000 people, the festival brought together incredible names to delve into conversation, connection and curiosity.

The event brought to the stage stars such as Steven Bartlett, Davina McCall MBE, Ruby Wax OBE, Bimini, Christopher Eccleston, and Rob Rinder. The stars were amongst 39 speakers, across 11 events and 2 stages.

Martin Dickson, Festival Director said: “What a week – the atmosphere each day at the iconic Leeds Playhouse was amazing and the conversations that you could hear were inspiring to say the least. Huge thanks to all our speakers and the audiences who attended and got involved with the diverse discussions going on. Work on LIFI24 begins next week.”

LIFI23 explored pressing topics of the modern day, including women’s health, climate change, cryptocurrency, true crime and gender fluidity through a series of panelled discussions and one-on-one ‘fireside chats’.