Created by Salon London, Also festival brings to life the biggest, boldest and most exciting ideas from art, science, psychology and philosophy in immersive talks and experiences over the summer solstice weekend. Across the programme Also seeks to find out more, from the personal to the universe itself. Talks with authors, professors and Nobel Peace Prize nominees explore how to survive an apocalypse, how to play a role in world peace through forgiveness and explore the future of artificial intelligence. DJs and live musicians provide the soundtrack to the weekend, Also's beautiful lakeside banqueting tent hosts a range of dining experiences, and there are a range of workshops are designed to get children engaged with big ideas. The theme for 2016 is Chance as festival-goers of all levels are given plenty of opportunities to get involved, from the philosophy of wine tasting to wild swimming in a perfumed lake. Also takes place 17th – 19th June and tickets start at just £75. For more information visit www.also-festival.com.
The third Also Festival takes place in the stunning lake-side setting of Park Farm, Warwickshire, within 50 acres of beautiful 'Capability' Brown-designed
This year Also organisers have cherry-picked some of their favourite thinkers to come and stoke the cognitive fires with a series of interactive sessions. Cambridge University Professor for Risk Sir David Spiegelhalter helps us make considered decisions about how much risk we want to take in our life in Risky Business, while How To Forgive sees three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr Scilla Ellworthy talk about forgiveness and how to actively create peace in life. Down by the lake it's Time To Consider as renowned psychotherapist Philippa Perry discusses philosophy over breakfast and author and classicist Natalie Haynes explains how to learn transcendent lessons about life, love and beauty from the Ancient World. A Bear Grylls for the mind, Dr Lewis Dartnell of the UK Space Agency gives an insight into how to restart the world in the event of a catastrophe in Creative Surge and leading artificial intelligence expert, UCL’s Dr Robert E Smith, will be on hand to answer questions on the future of Artificial Intelligence and how we'll co-exist with super smart computers.
Magic meets science with Dr Gustav Kuhn of Goldsmith's University as he brings experts from both sides to see what they can learn from each other. Having worked on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and currently a professor at the University of Cambridge, Dr Ben Allanach is something of an authority on particle theory. He'll be bringing festival-goers up to speed on what the LHC could tell us about life, the universe and beyond. Oxford University's Professor of Social Geography Danny Dorling looks at how and why to redress the balance between the powerful 1% and everyone else.
Also's food raises the bar for festival dining. A Friday night three-course dinner whets the appetite, hosted in Also's dining tent down by the lake and serving a seasonal menu sourced within 10 miles of the festival, while The Fat Chance Banquet is a Saturday night highlight with a menu curated by James Knight and Rebecca Otero served with a game of chance, magic and psychology developed by a leading illusionist to satisfy both the stomach and mind. French comedian and connoisseur Marcel Lucont pairs Wine and Philosophy in an exciting new tasting session for Also Festival and throughout the weekend there will be a whole host of pop up food events to enjoy.
Also is open to all the family and the ethos of the festival spreads to the children's programme. Astrobiologist Dr Lewis Dartnell separates science fact from science fiction and invites young budding astronauts to ask anything they want about space and beyond. DJing for Kids is back as DJ Vertigoshares all tricks of the trade in a hands-on session behind the decks. Also is partnering with multi-arts group As-Creatives to deliver even more children-friendly content and for teenagers only, Sir David Spiegelhalter gives advice on navigating the teenage years in a special q&a.
Following the theme of Chance, festival-goers are encouraged to experience something new over the weekend. The Also Choir sessions sees festival co-founder and lead vocal coach for The Voice, Juliet Russell, help novice and experienced singers raise their game before a performance with a festival artist. Who are we really? With Psycho Games, Redstone Press and Also team up to present innovative and playful takes on famous personality tests like the Rorschach Inkblot Test and the Thematic Apperception Test to find out just that and how other people might see differently. New Bollywood dance moves are up for grabs at Bhangra on the Beach, spend Cocktail Hour in the Orangery with Oxford University Experimental Psychology Departments group of Crossmodalists, map areas of the brain and recreating scientific experiments with leading academics. Also welcomes Cabaret Fantastique to the festival, a truly incredible show that showcases the best, boldest and most beautiful in cabaret and scent expert Lizzie Ostrom, a.k.a Odette Toilette, pushes the brain's capacity of sensation with a perfumed swim in the lake. Further highlights across the weekend include Rockaoke, Rave Yoga, Lip Sync Battles and for the brave, open-mic stand up comedy with The Taste of Funny Gong Show.
Also Festival is proud to welcome Faithless founding member Jamie Catto to the line-up for 2016 as he helms a session on how to unlock passions and will also take part in Also's Soundtrack to My Life, sharing the tracks that mean the most to him. Music at Also comes courtesy of Andro, the soulful crooner from the band Jungle who is breaking out on his own as well as Afropean choir Mizike, while DJs provide the soundtrack for Sunday with previous guests including Justin Robertson and Greg Wilson.
Weekend tickets with camping start at just £75, with luxury camping available with the Safari Hotel option. Tickets are available here – http://www.also-festival.