Fellows Festival 2025: The Power of Connection
The RSA Fellows Festival is back for 2025 and it’s bigger and bolder than ever. As one of our flagship annual events, prepare yourself for a celebration of compelling voices, new perspectives and a shared sense of optimism for the future. With events taking place in 12 locations worldwide, this will be our most ambitious Fellows Festival to date.
Back in 2024, the theme of ‘courage’ took centre stage. This year, we’re focusing on ‘The Power of Connection’ to bring together leading voices from across culture, media, policy, civil society, business, and social enterprise. Delve into intriguing discussions about why connection is so important, whether it’s through groundbreaking projects or enriching conversations to drive real change.
The London 2025 Fellows Festival will take place at RSA House and will be streamed online on Saturday, 17 May, from 11am to 5pm.
Events will also be hosted across the UK from 15–17 May in six locations: Bath, Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester, with global locations including Osaka, Toronto and Dublin.
This is your chance to engage with some of the world’s greatest minds. You don’t have to be an RSA Fellow to take part. So, read more below and book your place to be part of shaping a future where everyone can thrive.
It’s time to embrace the spirit of connection at RSA House. The London lineup has an extraordinary variety of speakers including Baroness Claire Fox, founder of the Academy of Ideas, who will bring her interesting perspectives on free speech and democracy, and Julie Etchingham, the award-winning ITV News at Ten anchor, offering her expertise on the evolving world of media and politics.
Voices from the worlds of design, technology, and policy will also take the stage. Lucy Musgrave RDI (Royal Designer for Industry), Director of Publica, will share her expertise in urban design and creating inclusive public spaces, while Mo Isap, Founder of Skills City, will discuss his mission to bridge the digital skills gap. Professor Michael Kenny, Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, will provide crucial insights into governance and political identity. These speakers, alongside many more, will ignite conversations that shape the future. Join us for a day of inspiring talks, building connections, and thought-provoking conversations with some of the most influential voices of our time.
Hosted in-person at The Lighthouse arts charity, we’ll uncover how we can design stronger, more connected communities that promote regional prosperity. Join the conversation with entrepreneurs and community leaders to build new connections in East Sussex and beyond.
Be inspired by lightning talks from compelling speakers and a showcase of game-changing local initiatives. Keeping the energy high, live entertainment while strengthening collaboration and magnifying impact.
The South West Fellows Festival in Bath explores the theme of “connections” through a creative intergenerational exchange of ideas. Be part of captivating talks, hands-on workshops, and performances that bridge past wisdom and present perspectives, while looking to the future.
Get involved with hands-on workshops both indoors and outdoors and experience the strength of performance and poetry bringing ideas to life. At the heart of it all, we’ll pose the question: “what does the future ask of us?”. Come for a delicious lunch, an afternoon of rich dialogue and raise a glass to a sustainable and peaceful future before you head home.
Discover Fellow-led initiatives from Birmingham, Lincolnshire and across the West Midlands at the Central Fellows Festival. First, The Big Brum Theatre group will take us on a deep dive into the enchantment of storytelling. Find out how stories build communities, weave shared histories and create a sense of belonging.
Lincolnshire-based Wood for the Trees will challenge the way we solve problems – not in boardrooms, but in the open air. Walking, talking, and thinking amid nature, they’ve created a new approach to problem-solving, finding clarity where walls often create limits.
Finally, Kaleem Hussain FRSA will be asking: “what role do we play in shaping more peaceful local communities?”. Learn about the value of small actions creating ripples of lasting change, and how you can be proactively part of that transformation.
This enlightening event will include speakers from creative industries, each sharing their extraordinary journeys of impact and innovation. From the evolution of the Manchester International Festival to the power of music, theatre, and dance, expect a day filled with compelling narratives and interactive experiences.
Hear from Paul Moore as he reveals how a small but passionate team built one of the world’s most exciting theatre festivals. Experience the uplifting power of group singing with Emma Baylin, founder of Shared Harmonies, and watch real-life community stories come to life through performance with Katie Mahon of Bloomin’ Buds Theatre Company. Be captivated by the vibrant energy of Indian dance with Dr (h,c) Ria Meera Munshi of Ri Ri’s Dance Academy. Get involved, try out new creative techniques, and make new connections.
The Scotland Fellows Festival offers a compelling afternoon of creativity and connection. We’ll be joined in Edinburgh by experts on public health and childhood development to discuss education initiatives for children through outdoor play.
The afternoon will feature Professor Linda Bauld, the Bruce and John Usher Chair of Public Health in The Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh and Chief Social Policy Advisor. Drawing on extensive experience, Professor Bauld will share valuable insights from her expertise in public health and social policy. We’re also delighted to welcome Sue Palmer, renowned author of Toxic Childhood, as she explores the profound impact of love and play on childhood development
Learn more about the RSA’s Playful Green Planet initiative transforming unused green spaces into outdoor play and learning areas. Joining PGP will be some of our Dundee based stewards who are empowering communities through storytelling, art, youth work, gardening, and environmental education.
The Welsh Fellows Festival in Cardiff will analyse how language can shape our collective futures. Join us for a panel discussion, interactive conversations and a celebration of Welsh literary heritage and bold contemporary voices.
RSA Fellowship Councillor, Anna Nicholl will lead a captivating discussion with an extraordinary panel of thinkers and storytellers. Anna will be in conversation with theatre director Iwan Brioc, policy expert David Clubb, creative writer Kate North and TV presenter Sita Thomas. Drawing on extensive experience, they’ll examine the potency of words to unite or fracture our communities.
Continue the discussion over a well-earned drink and hwyl at the bar until 9pm, as we raise a glass to a future where people, places, and planet flourish in harmony.
Bringing thought leaders together in Dublin, join the RSA in tackling major societal challenges through connection and collaboration.
Claire MacNamee is Head of Enterprise Engagement and the creator and Director of TrailblazHER, TU Dublin’s flagship gender equality initiative. She’s on a mission to ignite change. With relentless passion, she crafts environments in which innovation, equality and enterprise can coexist and prosper.
Elaine Fugard was instrumental in creating and developing Ulster University’s 25@25 Programme, a valiant initiative marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement. By investing in 25 young leaders, the programme expanded experiences, grew leadership capacity and built a long-lasting community of future leaders.
Michael Dunlop, RSA Fellowship Councillor for Ireland, CEO of Power of Choice Ltd, and an award-winning NLP Trainer and Master Practitioner, will lead an electrifying group session. Here, we’ll harness the potential of storytelling to develop deep connections and push real societal change.
Join us virtually to learn about the collaboration between the RSA and the Rethink Sustainability Institute (RSI), featuring expert talks on resilience, sustainability and global peacebuilding.
This collaboration brings together two organisations committed to driving social change and making a lasting impact across Canada and the rest of the world. Expertly hosted by Olivier Cappon, Vice Chair of RSI, the evening will feature invigorating and captivating talks from distinguished speakers. Dr. Alec Hay, RSI Chair & RSA Fellow, will impart his knowledge on resilience and innovation. Similarly, Yasmin Glanville, RSI Founder & Foresight Strategist, will present her pioneering case study on collaborative urban community climate action. And, finally, we’ll hear from Tucker Robbins Spalding who will explore global peacebuilding through art, creativity, and community. All tickets to this event are free of charge.
Our Fellows Festival in Osaka celebrates the power of art to connect people and places through theatre, music and film. With compelling documentaries, live performances and immersive soundscapes, we will uncover how creativity goes beyond time and space.
Professor Brendan F.D. Barrett will showcase his student’s absorbing documentaries made during a joint course between the University of Osaka and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The evening will also feature a spellbinding live performance by Tania Coke and Kentaro Suyama of tarinainanika theatre company, accompanied by the immersive sounds of Nick Luscombe from MSCTY. Celebrate the power of art to connect people and places together! All tickets are free of charge.
As we prepare for an exciting May filled with Fellow-led talks and activities, we encourage you to secure your tickets early! We’ll be adding more locations in the coming weeks, so stay tuned via our website, emails, and Circle for the latest updates. Early-bird tickets start at just £12 (with national and regional variations) and are available until 9:30am on 31 March. Standard pricing starts after that, so don’t miss your chance to be part of the 2025 RSA Fellows Festival. For any queries, please reach out to fellowship@rsa.org.uk.
Looking for more details? Find out more and visit our official Fellows Festival page
