Welcome to HowTheLightGetsIn, the world's largest philosophy and music festival in Hay-on-Wye.

Set on the edge of the Black Mountains alongside the Wye in the famed book town of Hay, HowTheLightGetsIn has a magical location. But that is the backdrop for the real magic to come. "There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in" goes the Leonard Cohen song from which the festival gets its name. And HowTheLightGetsIn brings its own special form of magic to everyone. There is no other place on the planet where you can meet as many of the world's leading thinkers and dance until your feet ache. 

At HowTheLightGetsIn festival 2016 you can join a debate about the nature of the universe with the world's top scientists, laugh until your sides hurt with the UK's best comedians, dance by the river to the finest beats, dine with our speakers in Open Platform events or indulge yourself with four course long table banquets. You'll want to find time to fit in Cabaret at the Hat, view the Black Mountains from the top of our ferris wheel, find yourself spellbound at our riotous Spiegel Circus and enjoy some well earned relaxation and revival at the Spa. All in preparation of course for our nightly themed parties with the hottest bands and the country's leading soloists. With over 700 events, the range, choice and depth of the programme at HowTheLightGetsIn is unmatched. Yet, even though we have grown tenfold since we started, we've kept the intimate scale. Our venues are small enough to encourage real conversation, electric enough to make the dancing spin.

Our heart, though, is in ideas. When we began just six years ago philosophy was something of a joke. Locked in an ivory tower arguing over the meaning of words, to many it resembled the medieval church and had a similar level of relevance to our lives and culture. Our aim was to change this state of affairs.  Its goal then and now was to return philosophy to big ideas and put them at the centre of our culture. Not in aid of a more refined cultural life but as an urgent call to rethink where we are.   

Ideas are alive and evolving and at the edge there is rarely consensus. That's why ideas matter - because they are in dispute. When they turn into knowledge and are recylced in textbooks they are in a sense already dead. That's why debates are at the heart of our programme and why HowTheLightGetsIn is not about dusting off agreed areas of knowledge and conveying them to the public. Instead we try to stand at the edge and look forward in search of new and better ways to hold the world in an attempt to address the challenges that face us. 

HowTheLightGetsIn is not just another literary festival or music festival. There's something special in the air. It's alive with ideas in every field of endeavour. Our programme has many names you will recognise but HowTheLightGetsIn is not about status or celebrity. We are about ideas and wonder and creating a space where everyone's imagination can flourish. Find the bands you've never heard of, discover ground-breaking ideas that have yet to make their mark, contribute yourself and your thoughts, and magic will come your way.   

Play your part in the future of the IAI and enjoy benefits including accreditation, complimentary tickets and exclusive events.

IAI Patrons are an exciting and exclusive new way to support the growth and success of The Institute of Art and Ideas. In return for an annual membership, enjoy an intimate relationship with our speakers, performers, artists, and curators, and benefit from a bespoke programme of private events and priority access.

Festival Circle Patron

£2000

Festival Circle Patrons who donate £2000 per annum to the IAI receive acknowledgement in the following ways:

• Accreditation as an IAI Festival Circle Patron in all published materials, in print and online
  
  
• Complimentary tickets for you and a friend to 20 headline events at HowTheLightGetsIn
  
  
• Invitations to Speaker Breakfasts at the festival, led by the world's greatest thinkers
  
  
• Invitation to exclusive Members’ Events, including a Summer Drinks VIP Party and more

Production Circle Patron

£10,000

Production Circle Patrons who donate £2000 receive Festival Circle Patrons benefits, plus:

• Accreditation as an IAI Production Circle Patron in all published materials, in print and online
  
  
• Special access to requested events at HowTheLightGetsIn through the Individual Giving Manager
  
  
• The opportunity to input into IAI ideas generation and the editorial process behind our world-class talks, debates and academy courses

Founder Patron

Founder Patrons support the commissioning, conceptual design and production of cutting edge new thinking for the world of creativity and big thinking.

In return for your membership you will receive all the benefits of a Production Circle Patron plus:

• Accreditation as a Founder Patron in all published materials, in print and online
  
  
• Invitation to two exclusive Artist Parties with high-profile thinkers at HowTheLightGetsIn
  
  
• An annual headline debate and talk at the festival in your name
  
  
• The opportunity to host your own private reception for 12 guests at the Festival
  
  
• An annual dinner in London with the IAI Board of Trustees, Editorial Team and leading IAI speakers

All IAI Patron donations are eligible for Gift Aid

And from you:

"I know of nowhere else that provides such inspiration, opportunity and hedonistic delight. We look forward to it all year." 

"A really wonderful, creative and inclusive space"

"Informed, glorious, my utopia!"

Escape to a razzle-dazzle world of adrenaline-fuelled intrigue and pure imagination in The Spiegel Circus.

Gypsy Disco's roaming family have been in exile, somewhere we don't know, for causing havoc in the hills. Sent away for their infectious capacity to cause hysteria, delirium and frenzy among the people, we have welcomed them with opened arms and invited them to settle here at HowTheLightGetsIn.

Prepare for aerial and acrobatic wonder, contortionists and belly dancers for a celebration of the strange, odd and obscure.

After the circus, dance the night away with the Last Act hosted by Brighton's euphoric fire-breathing Gypsy Disco circus troupe.

Open Platform is your chance have your say on the day's topics over a drink and a meal.

These unique events sit you shoulder to shoulder with some of the world's great thinkers. If there's a question you've always wanted to ask a speaker, if you think they got it wrong in a debate, or if you just want to continue the conversation, here’s your chance. You might not get one anywhere else.

IAI Academy gives you the chance to take courses taught by a leading faculty of the world's greatest minds.  Throughout the festival, the big thinkers of our time gather to teach two-part courses, each presenting a course on the issues that they think matter to us all. There is plenty of opportunity to meet others attending the course as well as your lecturer over tea and coffee both before and during the course.

In a Wikipedia age our courses are not designed simply to convey the agreed facts since we can all look them up at the touch of a screen. Ideas are alive and evolving. At the leading edge of thought there is rarely consensus. The IAI Academy is about understanding those debates. It's about understanding that even our world-leading lecturers will be putting forward their opinion and their view. Sometimes controversial, but incisive, gripping and of real import.

With all the sensual delights and intellectual stimulation on offer, everyone needs a moment to pause. Gather your thoughts or simply let them drift away as you enter the serene haven of the Riverside spa.

Meditate your way into the morning as the sun rises over the Welsh Mountains, or catch a rare moment of pure tranquility at a lunchtime yoga session.

Let time stand still and feel your troubles melt away with a massage from welcoming and experienced practitioners, or take a breath and recover your strength before heading back out to dance all night.

Enter the immersive world of the Hat for a Cabaret experience unlike any other. Expect a kaleidoscope of colour and an electric atmosphere. Award-winning stars Bourgeois & Maurice and ballet dancer-turned-cabaret sensation Abigail Collins are among the dazzling array of new performers bringing something spectacular with each sunset. Bring your dancing shoes or just jazz up your wellies, but be prepared for a night of glamorous revelry.

After the euphoria of the circus comes the Masked Ball - the most decadent of parties where festival goers can shed their identities at the door and lose themselves in a sea of colourful masks, glitz, glamour and free-flowing libations.

We'll have a number of party legends and music luminaries on deck to kick up the jams. including King of Clubland Justin Roberston, DJ Jim Eliot and Magic Hatstand, bringing their trademark psychedelic hatstand with hundreds of hats to fuel the fun and keep you dancing until dawn.

If you don't regularly carry a mask about your person, never fear - masks will be on sale or return at the door (deposit required).

The Institute of Art and Ideas is the organisation behind HowTheLightGetsIn. By promoting and providing a platform for all forms of creative expression, the IAI fosters an open and vibrant intellectual culture in the UK, combining innovative thought with rich experience.

To continue bringing the very best in modern thought to the public arena, we need your help. Become a Friend of the IAI today and play your part in the cultural cutting edge.

Aside from knowing you are helping us to change the cultural landscape, one of the benefits of being a Friend is that we offer Friends a 10% discount on festival tickets, as well as the chance to be the first to see the full festival programme and reserve your seats before they're released to the public. Friends also receive an advance copy of our print programme in the post. Sign up here.

Membership is available at checkout and lasts for one year and costs £25 for single or £45 for double membership.

Friends of the IAI receive:

• Discounted ticket prices – enjoy the best of each festival for less.
• A hardcopy of our programme in advance of the festival through the post.
• Regular newsletters – keep up to date with special advanced previews of exclusive upcoming events, IAI video highlights and more throughout the year.

Our music programme is what makes HowTheLightGetsIn festival unique. Nowhere else do Nobel Prize-winners and Mercury Prize nominees gather for a week of philosophy and parties.

We carefully handpick a Festival Live programme that combines favourites with the cutting edge. From exhilarating dance beats to enchanting solo singers, every taste is catered to. Day and night, discover in the nooks and crannies of our idyllic sites every music genre from tribal dance to Welsh male choirs, and of course our legendary nightly themed parties.

Our full music line up is now live, with headliners like Gilles Peterson, Fairport Convention, Mercury Prize nominees ESKA and Ghostpoet as well as BBC Horizons 'ones to watch' joining us in Hay-on-Wye this summer.

HowTheLightGetsIn is supported by PRS for Music Foundation

Join the debate – featuring over 200 talks and debates to attend

Ideas are alive and evolving. At HowTheLightGetsIn, you’ll see the world’s leading thinkers spar with one another and wrestle with the heavy topics of our time.

This year, take a journey into mystery with 2016’s themed talks on 'The Known, the Strange and the New'. Every time we think we have got ‘the’ answer, be it in science, philosophy or politics, the unexpected and inexplicable have a habit of cropping up.

Book your place now to explore the world’s largest debate programme, or follow the debate highlights here.
 

It's not just minds that can feast at HowTheLightGetsIn. Every breakfast, lunch and evening, our resident chefs lay out a decadent four-course meal, ready for you to enter a world of spectacle and sensual delight.

This year's banquets will be hosted by Bristol's beloved Bell's Diner, combining the robust, explosive flavours of Spain, North Africa, Italy and France with the finest quality ingredients and wildly experimental combinations.

See the Mediterranean-inspired, deliciously fresh Festival Menu here...

'A whip-smart menu... Modern Brit with touches of Moro' - The Guardian

Recline in the candle-lit cosy hush of the cinema. A gateway to discovery and the perfect compliment to your festival experience, whether you need a night off from dancing or a different pathway into the strange realm of ideas.

Brought to you by TVF International – the world's leading independent provider of documentaries – HotDocs showcases a whole host of fascinating documentaries, so that you'll never lack for stimulation and intrigue between sessions. This year worldwide music trendsetter and HowTheLightGetsIn speaker Gilles Peterson delves into the roots and rhythms of Cuban music with the Havana Club Rumba Sessions, while a unique independent David Attenborough film, Wild City, explores the jungle that has become one of the world's fastest growing cities.

Settle down in the comfy shade of the pavillion and enjoy the show.

Our hand-picked comedy and cabaret festival lineup is not to be missed.

As night begins to fall, the Ring turns from a hub of intellectual activity into a den of hilarity and mayhem as our biggest comedy lineup to date descends upon the festival.

Join comedy lions Robin Ince and Katy Brand, alongside a selection of up-and-coming UK talent, including Lolly Adefope and Jonny Pelham, for a night of indecently funny comedy and smart-arsery – proving brains and banter go side-by-side.

Who said rides are only for children? Play on the Carousel, lose yourself on the Helter Skelter, and wonder at the Black Mountains from the Ferris Wheel. We're sure Wittgenstein would approve.

So, step right up - ladies and gentleman, young and old, boys and girls, nobel prize winning economists and members of the shadow cabinet - all the fun of the fair is waiting!