Just over two weeks until our big festival!
What's on, festival hacks, competition!
With just over two weeks to go until our big annual festival at the British Library, London, we thought we’d take the opportunity to remind your about some of the exciting events we have coming up. While weekend tickets have now sold out, we still plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy the festival - in-person and online!
*There’s an unlimited number of online tickets available to all events, so much of what we say below applies to those wishing to attend in person.
Seven Wonders with Bettany Hughes
7pm, Thurs 11 April
First up is our launch event! To celebrate the release of her brand new, Sunday Times bestselling book, Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Bettany Hughes will be in conversation with HistFest director (and writer of this very post *waves*) Rebecca Rideal to tour the landscapes of both ancient and modern times. This will be the third time Bettany Hughes has appeared at HistFest, and there is a reason for that. Bettany is a wonderful speaker who brings to life the ancient world with so much wit, passion and warmth. She first headlined the inaugural festival in 2018, speaking on her book Istanbul, before returning in 2023 to talk about her book Venus and Aphrodite. We are delighted to host Bettany once more.
Tickets to this event are selling fast, so if you want to attend in person, we’d advise grabbing yours quickly.
The Festival Weekend, 13-14 April
Weekend Passes have now sold out, but you can still purchase tickets to individual events and by getting a Saturday and a Sunday pass, you can experience the entire weekend in the same was as you would with a Weekend Pass. On last checking, Saturday Passes are very close to selling out. There are a few more Sunday passes, but you’d be wise to get your tickets sooner rather than later.
To remind you what we have lined up for the festival weekend.
On Saturday, we begin with a fun event exploring Tudor and Stuart courts with author, comedian and podcaster Charlie Higson and a crack team of experts. Next is a fascinating event, chaired by Angela Saini, looking as women and medicine - from plague nurses to some of the first women doctors. After that, William Dalrymple speaks to Prof. Nandini Das about his magisterial study of the East India Company, The Anarchy. Finally, we end the day with a special event with award-winning author Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, who tells the gripping story of the pioneering WWI surgeon, Harold Gillies.
Sunday sees us start Dr Hannah Durkin’s moving account of the last captives of the Atlantic slave trade. We then shift focus to the world of twentieth century espionage as critically acclaimed authors Clare Mulley and Henry Hemming draw on their extensive archival research to bring stories of spies and spycraft to light. Our penultimate event sees us turn back the clock to the ancient world as Dr Islam Issa explores the creation of Alexandria and its crucial role in world history. Finally, the festival concludes with award-winning star of screen and stage Brian Cox as he looks back over his illustrious career through the lens of the historical roles he has played - from Braveheart to King Lear.
Ticket Hacks
Online Tickets: There are a limitless number of online tickets available - from Weekend Passes and Day Passes to tickets to individual events.
Individual tickets to Saturday’s event with William Dalrymple (The Anarchy) have now SOLD OUT. You can still access his talk with a Saturday Pass. Please note, Saturday Passes are very close to selling out too, so you will need to be quick if you want to grab one.
Individual tickets to Sunday’s event with Brian Cox (History on Stage and Screen) have also SOLD OUT. You can still access this talk with a Sunday Pass.
Competition: Win Tickets to HistFest 2024!
We’re offering readers the chance to win tickets to a number of HistFest events! Depending on where you are in the world, these can be either in-person or online tickets. Winners will be selected at random on Tuesday 2 April.
To win two tickets to Bettany Hughes’s launch event on Thursday 11 April, simply subscribe to All Things History and post ‘Seven Wonders’ in the comments.
To win two tickets to Dr Lindsey Fitzharris’s WWI event on Saturday 13 April, simply subscribe to All Things History and post ‘Facemaker’ in the comments.
To win two tickets to Clare Mulley and Henry Hemming’s event on Sunday 14 April, simply subscribe to All Things History and post ‘Espionage’ in the comments.
Facemaker