Welsh industrial mining landscape in South Wales Valley Sneak preview of Being Human 2021 This year’s festival is drawing ever closer, and it’s time to share some early news and highlights with you as activities begin to develop across the country. Being Human 2021 will take place 11-20 November and will explore the theme of ‘renewal’ – from renewed relationships with the environment and climate change, to renewed identities, narratives and histories. This year we are delighted to have allocated grants to researchers at 29 universities and research organisations across the country, made possib ..read more

Moving On, Staying Human By Dr Michael Eades, Being Human festival manager and curator Nearly eight years ago, I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. In the summer of 2013, discussions started to happen at the School of Advanced Study, University of London about the idea of starting a national festival of the humanities. The opportunity that came my way was this: did I want to be the person who helped make the national humanities festival happen? Did I want to be its manager and curator? At that time, we didn’t have a name for it, but this was the start of my involvement in the Being Hum ..read more

Job opportunity: Public Engagement and Festival Manager We’re hiring! An exciting opportunity has opened to join the Being Human festival team. Love festivals? Love the humanities? Passionate about public engagement? Then read on! The Public Engagement and Festival Manager plays a pivotal role in the continued success and strategic growth of the national Being Human festival, as well as being instrumental in the development of new initiatives for humanities public engagement at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. The post holder will oversee the success of the Being Human festi ..read more

Take part in Being Human 2021 Our call for applications is now live! Here are a few words on what we expect this year’s festival to look like. If you’re interested in applying to take part, read on. Being Human festival returns in November 2021. Amidst continued uncertainty, we still aim to deliver a national celebration of the humanities that inspires people and shows the resilience, creativity and imagination in communities across the UK. To enable planning to begin, we are committing to a hybrid-delivery festival this November that combines the best of online engagement with safe in-person ..read more

Masterclasses Our free masterclass sessions are aimed primarily at Being Human festival organisers, as well as those interested in public engagement in the humanities. Throughout the year there will be chances for everyone to discuss the opportunities and challenges of conducting public engagement with research in 2021 and how we can continue to deliver entertaining experiences in ways that will appeal to our intended audiences. Upcoming events Being Human 2021 webinar | Thursday 18 March Find out more about this year’s festival and the application process. Further events will be listed here a ..read more

Being Human 2021: Renewal The past twelve months have brought enormous challenges across the globe. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, have been world-changing and are from over. Whilst we continue to live through a moment of unprecedented challenge, strain, and change, however, one thing is clear for many people: whatever follows on from Covid-19 must, if nothing else, be an opportunity to do things differently. Whether in relation to our political systems, the cities in which we live, the ways in which we work and spend our leisure time, or our relationship with the planet ..read more

Being Human 2020 round-up! The annual Being Human festival drew to a close last week following 11 days of events held across the UK and beyond. This year researchers and staff from 80 different universities and research organisations across the country presented over 260 free, public events and activities inspired by this year’s theme of ‘new worlds’ and all exploring fascinating humanities research. The majority of events took place online, but were still very much rooted in their local communities and contexts, with festival activity taking place from 54 different towns and cities across the ..read more

Being Human at Home This is a funny year for festivals. With most events happening online this year, we recognise that our social media for the festival is going to look a little different! That’s why we’ve decided to run a little competition – Being Human at Home. We want to see photos of you enjoying the festival from the comfort of your living room. Whether you are taking part in an online workshop, tuning in to a performance, taking part in an art class or brewing up to join one of our Being Human cafes – we want to see how you are bringing the festival to life from the comfort of your ow ..read more

Being Human in Melbourne We’re delighted that Being Human festival is going global for another year, with an international hub hosted by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. The 2020 Melbourne hub invites you to discover the thrill of Being Human with a series of fun and interactive events. Inspired by this year’s festival theme ‘New Worlds’, there are a range of online activities to explore: lose yourself in an immersive audio experience; contemplate the beauty of the natural world through guided meditations; contribute to robust discussions at the Being Human Cafes; and bring ..read more

Halloween Humanities In honour of the spookiest time of the year, we’ve rounded up a few of the most haunting highlights from the Being Human 2020 programme! Join in with #HalloweenHumanities on Twitter and share the most frightening books, objects, historical facts or folklore you’ve come across – from haunted places and harrowing art works, to mythical monsters, mysterious traditions and chilling archaeological finds… Black Vampyre and Other Creations 14 November, 12:00–15:00  Explore Gothic dreams of new worlds and the creatures that inhabit them, including Mary Shelley ..read more