Kite Festival Announces More Exciting Names To The Line-up

9-11 June 2023 at Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire

George The Poet, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Sally Wainwright, Kit de Waal, Susie Dent, Prue Leith, Henry Dimbleby, Clare Gereda, Brian Bilston join Alastair Campbell, Chris Patten, David Baddiel, Elizabeth Day, Simon Sinek Dame Joan Collins, Adam Kay, Susanna Hoffs and so many more

KITE is back for its second ever live edition of ideas and music for curious, inquisitive, and cultural minds. Blending a unique line-up from across the worlds of literature, music, politics, art, culture and comedy, KITE is a festival like no other: half music and half ideas, with even more additions being made to their eclectic 2023 line-up.

Joining KITE is London-born spoken word performer George The Poet will be sharing insights into his incredible career both as a musical poet and social commentator. His music has won an NME Award, two x Gold ARIAS, three x New York Festival awards and more. His audio show ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’ has won a Peabody award and 5 x Gold British Podcast Awards. He is currently completing a PhD at UCL, focusing on the socio-economic potential of black music. He will be joined on stage at KITE by Yassmin Abdel-Magied, author of 4 x books including essay collection Talking About A Revolution and Listen Layla, which she is adapting for television. They will be in conversation discussing their careers and lives together on the KITE stage.

Also in conversation will be television writer, producer and director Sally Wainwright alongside author Kit de Waal. Sally created her first original drama series over 20-years ago and has since won Best Drama Writer Award by BAFTA in 2013 for Last Tango In Halifax, and in 2015 and 2017 for Happy Valley. Kit’s debut novel My Name Is Leon was a bestseller adapted for TV in 2022. Kit founded her own TV production company and the Big Book Weekend, a free digital literary festival in 2020. She and Sally will talk together about their fascinating experiences as leading writers and discuss television for women in the UK.

Hot off the heels of her critically acclaimed one woman show Dame Prue Leith, judge of The Great British Bake Off and author of 8 novels and 14 cookbooks will be giving audiences a fascinating insight into the mind of a paramount figure in the culinary world.

Susie Dent, will be joining the “lessons” program at exploring “How to Say what you really feel.” She has been impressing with her vast vocabulary and understanding of words for over 30 years on Countdown. Dent will be exploring how words can communicate our true feelings and discussing her book ‘An Emotional Dictionary’.

The Review, a morning discussion of that day’s papers, will include Marina Hyde, Layla Moran and Michael Gove on Saturday, followed by Ian Goldin, Sonia Sodha and Mandu Reid on Sunday.

Co-founder of Leon and the Sustainable Restaurant Association Henry Dimbleby will be hosting Appetite for Destruction: Why Don’t We All Just Eat Better? , which will explore the relationship the public has with the processed food market, despite the damage it does to the planet and us.

Leading Historian Peter Frankopan and environmental journalist Gaia Vince present A Climate Reckoning: What Can History Tell Us About the Future of the People and the Planet? ,where they will weave together startling new information about the history of humankind’s relationship with the planet and how it has shaped our history, mapping out possible solutions to help save the natural world.

Clare Gereda presents Can the NHS be Mended?, looking at the current state of our health service and the issues facing it, examining if there is any possible way for the damage to be reversed.

Brian Bilston will be performing poems from his latest poetry collection Days Like These, which contains a poem for every day of the year.  

Assaad Razzouk will be hosting Why Most of What You’re Doing to Go Green is Pointless, where his climate analysis will challenge the way you think about how we are going about tackling the climate crisis.

Reporter Luke Gbedemah presents CHATGPT WTF? Exploring what really is this artificial intelligence, who is in charge, and how long until it takes our jobs?

Click here for more