One Month to Go: Fresh Faces and a New Youth Strand at LIFI25
The countdown is on as we bring #LIFI25 back in just under one month. Running from Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 October 2025, across five days at Leeds Playhouse, the city will welcome leading voices from across culture, politics, science and entertainment for a programme of urgent conversations, inspiring debates, and headline appearances.
And with only weeks to go, we are adding even more to this year’s line-up.
New names join the programme
The thought-provoking panel Can Mums Have It All? gains a new perspective with Annie Price – presenter, speaker and founder of the Well Woman Club – who will join Myleene Klass MBE for a frank exploration of modern motherhood and the mental load.
Meanwhile, Joanna Reeve, UK Director at Intrepid Travel, joins Fred Sirieix and fellow experts on Who Picks Up the Tab for a Hospitable City?. With over a decade leading Intrepid’s UK business and a background in media, Jo brings a wealth of insight into responsible adventure travel and the balance between work, family, and life by the coast.
Introducing Young LIFI
Brand new for 2025, Young LIFI is a festival strand designed to inspire the next generation, created in partnership with The Ruth Gorse Academy.
Its debut event, How do young people acquire bouncebackability?, will explore resilience in an age of online noise, academic pressures and societal expectations. Taking place on Friday 17 October (12:30–14:00), this special schools-only event will be hosted by BBC Newsround presenter Shanequa Paris and feature a panel of role models including:
Jamie Jones Buchanan MBE – rugby league legend and Chief Executive of Leeds Rhinos
Dr Radha Modgil – NHS GP, broadcaster and wellbeing expert
Matthew Akpan – entrepreneur, educator and youth advocate
Ami Charlize – social media personality and motivational speaker
A record-breaking festival
With headline appearances from Chuck D, David Baddiel, Vicky McClure MBE, Caitlin Moran, Sally Wainwright OBE, Fara Williams MBE, Victoria Derbyshire, William Hanson and many more, #LIFI25 is already the fastest-selling edition to date.
From power and politics to parenthood, resilience, identity and equality in sport, this year’s festival promises to be its most urgent and inspiring yet.
“This year, we’re opening up the conversation to younger audiences with the launch of Young LIFI. Resilience and mental health are among the most important issues for the next generation, and by creating a platform for role models to share their stories, we hope to equip young people with tools to face challenges head-on. Leeds is a city of voices and it’s vital that our younger voices are part of that.”Festival Director Martin Dickson
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