Festival set to celebrate impact of humanities research

Cardiff University has been chosen as one of five flagship hubs across the UK – and the only in Wales – for Being Human Festival, a national celebration of humanities research through public engagement.

Being Human Festival celebrates the ways humanities research inspire and enrich our everyday lives, helping us to understand ourselves, our community, and the challenges we face in a changing world.

Taking place from 7-16 November 2024, the Cardiff University Hub will provide a regional programme of festival events connecting research to the histories, cultures and communities of our local areas. This year’s theme of ‘Landmarks’ also marks the 10th anniversary of the festival. There’s no cost to attend, and most events are open to everyone, though some are aimed at specific underrepresented groups.

Dr Jenny Kidd, Festival Academic Lead for Cardiff University, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen, once again, as a flagship hub for Being Human Festival. The range of activities that we will be hosting is testament to the vibrancy of arts and humanities research and public engagement from within the Cardiff University community and amongst the groups with whom we collaborate. We look forward to welcoming people to the festival.”

Our wide range of festival events, delivered alongside a host of community partners, aim to celebrate and take place in or around our iconic Welsh landmarks. The festival programme includes walks and tours to uncover the hidden and overlooked history of the city, a two-day family-friendly celebration of 6,000 years of Welsh history, a co-produced exhibition and listening tour exploring sleeping and nature for city park volunteers, and a showcase of local landmark businesses in Grangetown.

Events will draw on a range of humanities research - from community archaeology, sleep justice in the city, unlocking university archives and rare books, the role our research played in the curation of the War and the Mind exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, and a workshop exploring the role of women in the industrial history of Swansea-Dulais-Neath valleys.

View our 2024 festival programme.

Our Hub programme collaborates with a wide variety of community and cultural partners to include Imperial War Museums, CAER Heritage, Grange Pavilion, Cardiff Council, and DOVE Workshop - an organisation in the Dulais Valley committed to the provision of learning opportunities in the community.

Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of humanities takes place 7-16 November 2024. Being Human is led by the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. Further information at beinghumanfestival.org