Now in its third year, the FT Weekend Festival 2018 drew nearly 3,000 people to the grounds of Kenwood House to hear from leading experts and commentators in arts, music, literature, food & drink, business and technology.

FT Weekend editor Alec Russell said in his opening remarks that "The FT Weekend Festival is a tribute to what every news organisation needs in these madcap times: innovation."  

Saluting how different parts of the business had collaborated to give readers a chance to meet and hear from their favourite writers and editors he added: "The festivals reflect the spirit of the FT Weekend - politics, economics and finance meet fine wines, ideas and the arts."

With more than 100 speakers, the festival has grown to include nine stages, with ‘Tech Tonic’ added this year to host big thinkers on the future of technology.

FT editor Lionel Barber’s opening fireside chat with Will Carling, former England rugby captain, covered the challenges of nurturing, coaching and keeping talent.

Sarah Sands, editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, and Katharine Viner, editor of the Guardian, joined Barber on stage for ‘Editors Fight Back’, a session tackling fake news, algorithms, populism and more.

Roula Khalaf, deputy editor, talked to authors Kwame Anthony Appiah, Afua Hirsch and Jason Cowley on identity politics, the future of the political landscape, the identity of immigrants in the UK and how Brexit will change what it means to be British.

Martha Lane Fox, founder of lastminute.com and leading tech entrepreneur, talked to John Thornhill, the FT’s innovation editor, about how to get the whole world online, how to make the internet more ethical, and who should be responsible for making AI friendly.

The full lineup of speakers is available here. Pictures from the event are available here. 

For more information please contact Ian Gustav Ahlberg, ian.ahlberg@ft.com

-ENDS-

About the Financial Times:
The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. The FT marks 130 years in 2018 with a record paying readership of more than 930,000, three-quarters of which are digital subscriptions. It is part of Nikkei Inc., which provides a broad range of information, news and services for the global business community.

About FT Weekend:
FT Weekend is the home of global lifestyle, arts and culture content. In addition to the main news section the product includes print or digital versions of the FT Magazine, Life & Arts, House & Home, FT Money, Travel, Books, Food & Drink and Style.