Launched in 2016, the Night of Ideas has become a worldwide project staged in 190 cities and 104 different countries. In London and Edinburgh, the French Institute convenes free debates and performances to challenge our understanding of the world.
This year’s edition will be opened by Hélène Duchêne, French Ambassador to the UK, Thomas Jolly, Artistic Director of the 2024 Olympic Games ceremonies and Alexander Zeldin, writer and director for theatre and film, on 6 February.
They will be joined by 30 leading experts, including former French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna.
Crossing perspectives, guest speakers from both sides of the Channel will address burning issues from war and geopolitics to the climate crisis, AI and disinformation and share their visions for a brighter future.
The central theme of this year’s edition, Taking Action, invites us to reflect on the ability of governments, civil society and individuals to respond effectively to the world’s geopolitical disorder. It also questions the growing polarisation within our societies and the frailty of social contracts in democratic heartlands.
In the run-up to the Night of Ideas in London, the Little Night invites students from British and French primary schools in the UK to reflect on how to Take Action in today’s world through their own involvement in the school community. The French Institute in Edinburgh will host a discussion with Camilla Toulmin author of Land, Investment and Migration, on 4 February.
The Night of Ideas is organised by the French Institute in London, in collaboration with the French Embassy to the United Kingdom, and the Embassy’s Higher Education, Research and Innovation Department, in partnership with the Maison française d’Oxford, University College London, the UCL European Institute, Imperial College London, King’s College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science. It is supported by the French Institute in Paris, the French Institute’s Trust and the Patrons’ Circle.
Venue
Night of Ideas – 6 February 2025 at the French Institute in London
Free entrance – Registration, programme & biographies on www.nightofideas.co.uk
Press contact
Natacha Antolini: natacha.antolini@institut-francais.org.uk / 020 7871 3520