Festival of Debate 2025
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festofdebate.bsky.social
Festival of Debate 2025
@festofdebate.bsky.social
Festival of Debate returns from 22 April – 30 May 2025.

The largest grassroots politics festival in the UK. A @weareopus.bsky.social project.

#FofD

👉 festivalofdebate.com
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💥BIG NEWS💥

Here's your full lineup for Festival of Debate 2025! 🎉

Join us in Sheffield for the UK's biggest politics festival, with more than 50 events exploring responses to some of the most urgent issues of our time.

Discover the programme ➡️ festivalofdebate.com

#FofD #Sheffield #Politics
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
📢 Abolitionist collective Cradle Community are hosting an event in #Sheffield on 31 January, in collaboration with local poet Sarah Lasoye.

Expect an afternoon of creativity, learning and experimentation, exploring how we can become active bystanders in our communities.

Tickets ⬇️
We Keep us Safe: Active Bystander Workshop · Luma
In collaboration with Sheffield-based poet Sarah Lasoye, Cradle is hosting a special event in Sheffield! We’ve come together to plan an afternoon of…
loom.ly
January 23, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
"When we look at complex problems, they often fall outside any one remit – but if we're to overcome them, that needs to change"

Over on our blog, Opus co-founder James Lock shares his thoughts on how we can begin to tackle the most urgent problems we collectively face ⬇️

#SystemsChange
Where the old maps and mandates fail: civic work in the spaces between
When we look at complex problems, they often fall outside any one remit – but if we're to overcome them, that needs to change.
www.weareopus.org
January 13, 2026 at 10:51 AM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
"The United States’ illegal incursion into Venezuela is the latest and most full-throated assertion of a return to colonial logics, as the old liberal-democratic order continues its precipitous collapse"

Read reflections from the Opus team on the criminal invasion of #Venezuela ⬇️
Reflections on the criminal invasion of Venezuela
The United States’ illegal incursion into Venezuela, universally regarded by legal scholars as a crime under international law, is the latest and most full-throated assertion of a return to colonial l...
www.weareopus.org
January 8, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
On the Opus Blog, we've started sharing a monthly round-up of articles, podcasts, books and more that our team have been learning from each month 📚

Here's the first edition – featuring @georgemonbiot.bsky.social, @graceblakeley.substack.com, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira and more.

#SystemsChange
What we've been learning from: December 2025
Here's our regular round-up of some of the most interesting and thought-provoking things our team have been reading, watching and listening to over the past month.
www.weareopus.org
December 11, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
🚨🚨🚨

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation's Ideas and Pioneers Fund has reopened.

The fund offers grants of up to £20,000 to individuals and organisations who want to explore a bold and brave idea for social change that is still forming/emerging

⏰ Hurry: applications close 2 December
Ideas and Pioneers Fund
We support individuals and groups who want to explore ideas for social change.
www.phf.org.uk
November 28, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
We're super excited to see the new play from our friends at Utopia Theatre, working with @sheffieldtheatres.bsky.social, in February 🤩

Set in nineteenth century Yorubaland, #CrownOfBlood is a Yoruba retelling of Macbeth, filled with heritage, spirituality and movement.

More info and tickets ⬇️
Crown of Blood | Sheffield Theatres
'Of what use is a good man without ambition' A powerful retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth set during the civil wars of 19th-century Yorubaland. General A
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
We've just invested £250 in @musicvenuetrust.bsky.social's brilliant initiative to help secure the future of some of the UK's best grassroots music venues, including #Sheffield's beloved Gut Level.

They're still £150k short of their target with 12 hours to go – consider investing if you can 👇
Own Our Venues 2025
Your chance to invest and help secure the very buildings that host some of the UK's iconic and community-focussed Grassroots Music Venues.
www.crowdfunder.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
"This is your chance to recognise the deep challenges we face in #Sheffield and beyond, and be part of responding to them together"

We've got the full low-down on this year's @sheffieldtransformed.org, which returns to South Yorkshire later this month.

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social
Sheffield Transformed - Sheffield Transformed reveal line-up for 2025 festival, with organisers promising “bigger and more diverse” programme
The annual festival of left-wing politics features sessions on anti far-right organising and clean energy transitions, as well as zine-making, poetry writing and folk singing.
nowthenmagazine.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Next Thursday, we're inviting the team behind Regen Melbourne – a community of more than 200 organisations committed to creating a thriving city living within our planetary boundaries – to Sheffield 🌏

Find out more at the link below, or grab a ticket ⬇

www.tickettailor.com/events/wordl...
November 10, 2025 at 10:54 AM
🚨 We've decided to take a year out from our full Festival of Debate programme in 2026

But don’t worry – we’ll still be hosting six headline events throughout the year that will welcome some of the most interesting and radical systems change thinkers to #Sheffield

@nowthenmag.bsky.social have more⬇️
Festival of Debate - We’re taking a break from the full Festival of Debate next year – here’s why
We have an exciting lineup of keynotes talks in 2026, but we’re taking time to think about how the festival can play a more active role in building the new systems that we urgently need.
nowthenmagazine.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
We live in a world where we have too much of what we don't need and too little of what we do – but it doesn't have to be this way 🌱

This Thursday, join us for an exciting conversation about Radical Abundance with Keir Milburn.

🕖 7pm
📌 The Workstation
🎫 tickettailor.com/events/wordlife/1838497
September 29, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
Here's an exclusive extract in @nowthenmag.bsky.social from Keir Milburn, @kaiheron.bsky.social & @bertrussell.bsky.social's new book 'Radical Abundance'

Keir is coming to #Sheffield next Thursday to explore how we can “create a world of true abundance” 📚

Tickets 👉 buytickets.at/wordlife/183...
We live in a world where we have too much of what we don't need and too little of what we do – but it doesn't have to be this way
Ahead of in-conversation in Sheffield next Thursday, we have an exclusive extract from a new book that makes the case for creating a world of “radical abundance”.
nowthenmagazine.com
September 26, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
Next Thursday, Keir will be joining us to discuss 'Radical Abundance' with Debs Grayson.

In a discussion session hosted by Now Then, we'll explore how we can “create a world of true abundance” right here in Sheffield.

@plutopress.bsky.social

Tickets ➡️ tickettailor.com/events/wordlife/1838497
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
"Under capitalism, for the sake of generating a bullshit abundance of privatised wealth for the few, our collective freedom and capacity to flourish is constrained"

Here's an exclusive extract from Keir Milburn, @kaiheron.bsky.social and @bertrussell.bsky.social's new book 'Radical Abundance' 🌱
We live in a world where we have too much of what we don't need and too little of what we do – but it doesn't have to be this way
Ahead of in-conversation in Sheffield next Thursday, we have an exclusive extract from a new book that makes the case for creating a world of “radical abundance”.
nowthenmagazine.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
Capitalism has created a world of bullshit abundance, where we have too much of what we don’t need and too little of what we do.

Join us in Sheffield on 2 October to hear Keir Milburn in conversation about the alternative: Radical Abundance ✨

Tickets 👉 tickettailor.com/events/wordlife/1838497
September 16, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
Join us in #Sheffield on 2 October for an exciting in conversation between Keir Milburn and Debs Grayson about Keir’s new book 'Radical Abundance', co-written with Kai Heron and Bertie Russell.

📅 2 October
📌 Workstation
💷 £5 (£10 solidarity)

Tickets 👉 tickettailor.com/events/wordlife/1838497
September 5, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
At Opus, we’re in the process of moving our company savings to a more ethical platform with better interest rates.

@sammgreg.bsky.social spoke to colleague Bashkim Muca about the thinking behind the switch, and what learning we hope to offer to other organisations devoted to systems change ⬇️
Where should systems change organisations keep their money?
At Opus, we’re in the process of moving our savings to a more ethical platform with better interest returns. Team member Sam Gregory spoke to colleague Bashkim Muca about the thinking behind the switc...
www.weareopus.org
September 1, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
"This year’s programme is a true reflection of our city – diverse, vibrant and welcoming to all"

We're super excited about the lineup for this year's @otsfestival.bsky.social, led by Lemn Sissay, @lucyworsley.bsky.social and @kenanmalik.bsky.social, plus loads more 📚

@sammgreg.bsky.social ✍️
Off the Shelf - Off the Shelf Festival of Words returns to Sheffield in 2025 with Lucy Worsley and Lemn Sissay
The 34th edition of the book-based event series also features Alison Steadman, Simon Armitage and Sheffield’s own Graham Fellows among more than 60 events.
nowthenmagazine.com
August 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM
📢 "Westminster didn't fix anything for us. We demanded the right to do more for ourselves."

Andy Burnham @mayorofgm.bsky.social‬ speaks on the power of devolution and the future of the North of England at Festival of Debate 2025, with ‪@metromayorsteve.bsky.social‬.
July 7, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
A statement from Opus on the government's decision to proscribe @palaction.bsky.social.

You can also read the full statement on our website, where all of our sources are linked.

➡️ weareopus.org/post/opus-te...

#PalestineAction
June 24, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Festival of Debate 2025
Climate change is here. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone won’t save us — we must adapt and act now! ⚠️

You can now watch the full recording of this fascinating @festofdebate.bsky.social event hosted by our Grantham Scholars. ⬇️

📽️ youtu.be/IxV3D7t3Oxg?...

#FoD2025 #ClimateCrisis
Adapt or Collapse? The Radical Overhaul Our Living World Needs in the Age of Climate Crisis
YouTube video by Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures
youtu.be
June 19, 2025 at 1:52 PM
🌱 "There's a quiet nagging, an imperceptible whisper just out of earshot, calling us to witness our collective grief."

It was an honour to have award-winning environmental justice researcher and educator Joycelyn Longdon at the festival this year, to discuss her book Natural Connection.
June 10, 2025 at 11:35 AM
🚨 "What's being promised to us as a shiny new world of tomorrow is actually just recycling old forms of misogyny, and baking them into the building blocks of our future society."

Laura Bates speaks on AI and misogyny at Festival of Debate 2025.
June 5, 2025 at 3:54 PM
✨ Our 2025 programme is now over - thank you all so much for coming along and taking part for another year. It's such a source of hope to see people coming together to explore some of the most important issues we face. See you next year!

Photos by Adva Photography 📸
June 3, 2025 at 10:01 AM