Festival Directors Top Pick’s

With over 250 events covering everything from Indian feasts to radical technologies our programme has something for everyone but we know it can also be difficult trying to decide what to see.

But don’t worry, Festival Director Rachel Feldberg has picked her top 5 must-see events to help you narrow it down!

Historical Fiction from Latvia

As someone who loves history and literature, I’m fascinated by the idea of exploring how historical fiction can be used to reframe and make sense of a country’s past. And after the trend for scandi-noir, I think it’s time to discover more amazing writers from across Europe.

Saturday 30 September, 5.30pm, Church House, £7/5

Jane Austen and Landscape: Kathryn Sutherland and Steffie Shields

We know Jane Austen enjoyed walking in the countryside and visited the big houses around the Hampshire village where she grew up. I’m looking forward to finding out more about how the rapidly changing landscape of the 18th century influenced her writing from these two experts in their fields.

Sunday 8 October, 7.45pm, Ilkley Playhouse, £7/5

Arundhati Subramaniam with Richard Scott and Edward Doegar

We are very lucky to have Arundhati Subramanian coming to the Festival this year. She is one of the most respected and talented poets in India at the moment and I’ve really enjoyed videos of her readings.

Thursday 12 October, 7.30pm, St Margaret’s Hall, £7/5 (including a glass of wine)

Borders: Kamila Shamsie, Adbdulrazak Gurnah and Fergal Keane

This is the kind of event I love to programme – three people from very different perspectives and backgrounds exploring and debating an idea. We have a whole strand of events this year exploring Borders, Partitions and Boundaries and this conversation really gets to the heart of it.

Saturday 14 October, 7.45pm, Ilkley Playhouse, £7/5

Northanger Abbey presented by Box Tale Soup

I recently saw this production and was blown away – it’s visually stunning and really brings Austen’s gothic tale to life. The use of puppets adds a different twist to this classic which will enthral Austen fans young and old.

Sunday 15 October, 8pm, Ilkley Playhouse, £8/6

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