We are excited to share the new illustration by Olivia Boutrou for our festival theme Crossroads! We love how it captures collaboration and creative activity at a place of decision, encounter, and consequence.
From the streets of protest to the meeting points of cultures, from moments when society pivots to the choices we face today about climate, democracy, and technological change, we invite researchers to explore spaces of convergence and divergence, where paths meet, decisions will be made, and history turns.
Interested in taking part in Being Human Festival 2026? Our Festival Event (unfunded) pathway is open for applications for researchers and event organisers to organise an activity that does not require funding from us.
Head to the link in our bio to find out more! 💫
@oliviaboutrou_illustration
#beinghuman2026
The Being Human Festival team had a fantastic day at the Engage Summit this week presenting our 'Threads of Engagement' encounter. We had so many great conversations about how to deliver creative and innovative public engagement in humanities research. Thank you to everyone who came to speak to us and join in the activity!
The team from the Centre of Public Engagement Practice (CPEP) ran a workshop about imaginative cross-sector collaborations as well as their 'Innovation Roulette' encounter. The Collaboration and Innovation Grant is open for applications until 26 May. Head to the link in our bio for further info.
Thank you to NCCPE for having us, and for all the talks, workshops and sharing of ideas!
#NCCPEEngage2026
✨ Book onto our upcoming free online Introduction to Engagement and Inclusion Training on Thursday 14 May ✨
The session will be led by Sarah Cosgriff and will cover:
⭐ What is equity, diversity and inclusion?
⭐ What does inclusive practice look like?
⭐ Strategies for embedding inclusive practices
⭐ Good practice examples and guidance
Head to the link in our bio, or visit our website, to find out more and book!
#BeingHuman2026
As part of Earth Day we would like to share our Sustainability Toolkit 🌍 offering top tips, considerations and a handy checklist to get you started on running an environmentally friendly public engagement event.
Head to our Linktree or the Toolkits page of our website to find out more!
#EarthDay #Sustainability
✨ Book onto our upcoming free online Partnerships training on Thursday 26 March ✨
The session will be led by Dr Dominic Galliano and will cover:
⭐ Developing partnerships
⭐ Planning public engagement in partnership
⭐ Inclusive partnership approaches
⭐ Community engagement
⭐ Defining values and ways of working with your partners
Head to the link in our bio, or visit our website, to find out more and book!
#BeingHuman2026
Happy International Women's Day! 📢
This International Women's Day we want to highlight women's creativity and collaboration by spotlighting 'The Sisterhood of the Ring', a Being Human Festival event run by Professor Vanessa Toulmin and the public engagement team at the University of Sheffield in 2018.
They explored the role of race and gender in the circus, and merged this research with high quality physical performance to create an innovative and empowering show for audiences. 🎪
Read about their event 'The Sisterhood of the Ring' to find out how they combined research and performance to create a brilliant festival event! Link in bio…
#IWD2026 #GainToGive
✨ Book onto our upcoming free online 'Creative Engagement Workshop - Designing activities from your research' training on Thursday 12 March ✨
The session will be led by Professor Sarah Churchwell and the Being Human Festival team!
What will be covered?
⭐ Planning a creative public engagement event based on your research, drawing on real-world examples
⭐ Inspiration and ideas for different event formats
⭐ Going beyond the ‘general public’: choosing a target audience
⭐ Tailoring event formats to your target audience
⭐ Interactive activities to help start the planning process
Head to the link in our bio, or visit our website, to find out more and book!
#BeingHuman2026
✨ Book onto our upcoming free online Introduction to Creative Public Engagement training on Thursday 5 March ✨
The session will be led by Engagement Strategist and Facilitator Rosie Stanbury!
What will be covered?
⭐ An introduction to designing a creative public engagement event
⭐ Inspiration for different event formats and methods
⭐ Audience-centred approaches
Head to the link in our bio, or visit our website, to find out more and book!
#BeingHuman2026
Just one week til our Apply to Being Human Festival 2026 Webinar, where you can learn more about the festival and the application process.
We’ll discuss best practice public engagement, the key elements for putting together a festival application, and festival priorities.
You will also hear from Dr Lucy Ella Rose from the @uniofsurrey , who ran Surrey’s Festival Hub in 2025, to learn more about her experience putting together an application.
Wednesday 25 February, 11am - 12pm.
Sign up via the link in our bio
#BeingHuman2026
Our 2026 Public Engagement training programme is now live!
Calling all humanities researchers! Whether you're a researcher with some experience in engagement, or are trying out public engagement for the first time, our training series has been designed to cover some of the key knowledge and skills to help you connect the wider public with your research.
As well as our Apply to Being Human Festival 2026 Webinar on 25 February, we've got eight upcoming training sessions, running between March and October! All sessions are free and take place online, but booking is required.
🔸 Introduction to Creative Public Engagement (5 March)
🔸 Creative Engagement Workshop - Designing activities from your research (12 March)
🔸 Partnerships (26 March)
🔸 An Introduction to Engagement and Inclusion (14 May)
🔸 Audiences and Planning (18 June)
🔸 Promoting Public Engagement Events (9 July)
🔸 Working with Press and Media (22 July)
🔸 Event Delivery and Top Tips (1 October)
Find out more and book on our website! (Link in bio).
#BeingHumanFestival
The School of Advanced Study, University of London, is pleased to announce two calls for applications for researchers at universities and research organisations across the UK, to collaborate with local community and cultural partners to create exciting and innovative public engagement projects.
Applications for Being Human Festival 2026 are now open, taking place from 5 - 14 November 2026, with the theme Crossroads. Funding grants are available to connect your research with local audiences through inspiring public engagement events. Celebrate and demonstrate the ways in which the humanities enrich our everyday lives by organising a public engagement event, activity or project for the UK’s national festival of the humanities.
The Centre for Public Engagement Practice in Arts and Humanities (CPEP) is inviting applications for the Collaboration and Innovation Grant, which supports new cross-sector collaborations of researchers, engagement professionals, and partners from cultural, creative, charity, and community organisations. Experimental, practice-led teams will co-design and deliver innovative projects, focusing on meaningful knowledge exchange and sustainable relationship-building.
Head to our Linktree in bio to find out more!
Save the date! Being Human Festival 2026 will take place from 5 to 14 November across the UK.
More information coming in early February about how to get involved!
#BeingHumanFestival
