How the Light Gets In

Thursday, May 26 to Sunday, June 5

HowTheLightGetsIn, the world’s largest philosophy and music festival returns to Hay-on-Wye with more thought-provoking debates, infectious music and legendary themed parties than ever before.

This year the festival will explore the theme of “The Known, The Strange and the New.” Expect all-day entertainment to include cutting-edge debate and intoxicating music, as well as comedy, cabaret, circus performance, vintage rides, artisan food stalls, pop up venues and a market fayre.

The 2016 programme is set to be bigger and better than ever, with a line-up of over 200 world-leading speakers and over 250 music acts.

On the line-up are Nobel Prize winners Frank Wilczek and Steven Weinberg, former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett, former leader of the Conservatives Michael Howard, philosophers David Chalmers and Roger Scruton, Smack the Pony star Sally Phillips, and journalist Owen Jones.

Music this year includes2015 Mercury Prize Nominees C Duncan, ESKA and Ghostpoet, Gilles Peterson, Folk legends Fairport Convention, musical cavalier King Charles, singer-songwriters Gwenno, Gemma Hayes and Jane Weaver, and DJs Gilles Peterson, Andrew Weatherall and Annie Nightingale.

Among the HowTheLightGetsIn debate highlights are Dreaming the Future in which Mary Ann Sieghart will ask philosopher and author Roger Scruton, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and MP and former radical Islamist Maajid Nawaz to confront the future; The Dance of Life - hard problem of consciousness formulator David Chalmers, Oxford philosopher Peter Hacker and New York neuroscientist Susana Martinez-Conde debate the mystery of experience; and Beware Bankers Bearing Gifts when Capitalism 4.0 author Anatole Kaletsky, Senior Economic Adviser at HSBC Stephen King and former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone talk morality and money.

On Thursday, June 2 Zero Degrees of Empathy author Simon Baron-Cohen, Kids Company founder Camila Batmanghelidjh and Oxford transhumanist Anders Sandberg will dispute how to be good.

TICKET INFORMATION

All you need is one festival ticket. Festival Tickets are available for the first Bank Holiday weekend, Midweek or second Finale weekend, or a special discounted 3 in 1 Festival Ticket to cover the whole 11 days. Prices begin at £64 for a midweek ticket to £178+ for the whole 11 days. To book, visit howthelightgetsin.iai.tv