Channel 4, music industry heavyweights, actors, authors and more join FORWARDS festival for 2023, as the final reveal for its concept defining conversation stage: THE INFORMATION, in Bristol on 1st and 2nd September 2023.
Names added to to the programme include Great British Bake Off’s Briony May Williams, specialist in the research of drugs Professor David Nutt, Marvel’s Spider-Man India comic author Nikesh Shukla, Award winning activist on the food industry Christina Adane, Sunday Times food columnist, Xanthe Clay Channel 4’s Creative Diversity lead, Stacey Olika and The Outlaws actor Gamba Cole, alongside speakers from Extinction Rebellion, Lit in Colour, Climate Live, Team Canteen, Oatly, Glastonbury’s Shangri La and more.
The festival’s music programme is headlined by Erykah Badu and Aphex Twin for 2023, whilst urgent debates at the INFORMATION see trans activist Munroe Bergdorf, BBC historian David Olusoga, British artist Jeremey Deller and Sports Banger, already announced, tackling inequality in the media, the housing emergency, racism, sexism and queer storytelling, politics on TikTok and more.
Returning for its second year, FORWARDS aims to kickstart a new breed of city music festivals with social initiatives, underrepresented communities and sustainability built into its core infrastructure.
Full programme of THE INFORMATION stage panel talks for 2023 outlined below:
FRIDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER
SEX TALKS PRESENTS: NON-MONOGAMY MUSINGS BY RUBY RARE
13:30 – 14:30
Ruby Rares Sexy Sermon on non-monogamy – the advice you always secretly wanted from one of the UK’s most prominent sex positive superstars
HEADLINE TALK: LIV LITTLE IN CONVERSATION WITH MUNROE BERGDORF
Telling Our Stories – Reflections on sharing experiences with the world
14.30 -15.30
BIG TEAM PRESENTS: DIVERSITY – BUZZWORD, BOX TICKS AND POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION
14.40 -15:40
Kaden Gardener (Black Excellence Bristol), Poku Osei (Babbasa), Siggy Patchitt (Bristol Beacon) and Marvin Rees (Mayor of Bristol) hosted by NGAIO (Big Team CIC)
LIT IN COLOUR PRESENTS: REWRITING LITERATURE
15:50 – 16.50
Hafsa Zayyan (We Are All Birds of Uganda), Jade LB (Keisha The Sket), Moses McKenzie (An Olive Grove In The Ends), Nikesh Shukla (The Good Immigrant) and hosted by Dr. Zaahida Nabagereka (Lit In Colour/Penguin)
HEADLINE TALK: VICKY SPRATT TALKS TO DAVID OLUSOGA
Broadcasting Inequality – An urgent discussion on inequality in the media
16.30 -17.30
CHANNEL 4 PRESENTS: IS TV STILL RELEVANT
17:00 – 18:00
Briony May Williams (Chef, The Great British Bake Off), Gamba Cole (Actor, The Outlaws), Ny (Presenter and producer @nyswrldxo), Ola Labib (Writer, Broadcaster & Stand Up Comedian) and hosted by Stacey Olika (Channel 4, Creative Diversity)
SATURDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER
SOLIPHILIA PRESENTS:
INTERSECTIONAL ENVIRONMENTALISM, INVOLVING EVERYONE IN THE CLIMATE CONVERSATION
13:30 – 14:30
Domi Palmer (Climate Live), Frances Fox (Climate Live), Joycelyn Longdon (Climate in Colour) Tori Tsui (Climate Justice Activist) and hosted by Clare Farrell (Extinction Rebellion)
HEADLINE TALK: DANNY PRICE INVESTIGATES – WITH GRACE CAMPBELL AND JOSH BERRY
Seriously Funny – Is politics a joke? – current affairs for content
14.30 -15.30
SENTIA PRESENTS: SOBER CURIOUS – ARE PEOPLE BORED OF BOOZE?
14:40 – 15:40
Professor David Nutt (Sentia), Millie Gooch (Sober Girl Society Founder), Moya Lothian-McLean (Novara / The Guardian), Richard Batts (Ecstatic Dance /Sober Rave) and hosted by Noah Villeneuve (Club Soda / beyond booze podcast)
TEAM CANTEEN CIC PRESENTS:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT – THE ETHICS OF CONSUMPTION WITH JOSH EGGLETON
15:50 – 16:50
Christina Adane (Bite Back Founder / Award winning activist on the food industry), Jasmine Clark (Viva Charity’s Environmental Campaigner), Josh Eggleton (Team Canteen), Rob Percival (Author of THE MEAT PARADOX), Shaunagh Duncan (Oatly Head of Sustainability), Xanthe Clay (Telegraph food writer / President of Guild of Food Writers)
HEADLINE TALK: JONNY BANGER IN CONVERSATION WITH JEREMY DELLER:
“We’re not sure where this conversation will go!”
16.30 -17.30
TEAM LOVE PRESENTS – CAN FESTIVALS BE A FORCE FOR GOOD
17:00 – 18:00
Kaye Dunnings (Glastonbury’s Shangri La), Nadine Noor (Pxssy Palace), Tom Paine (Team Love) and hosted by Matt Annis (Join the Future).
