Hove is adding a new one to its autumn cultural calendar. The Brighton and Hove Speakers Festival arrives on Sunday 11 October at The Old Market on Upper Market Street, a recently refurbished mixed arts venue that takes in gigs, comedy, theatre and film with a main room that holds between 200 and 500 people. The festival is a spin-off of the Lewes Speakers Festival, now in its fifteenth year, and it packs seven sessions into a single day, each one paired with a public Q&A so you can ask your own questions after the talk.
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The morning opens at 10:20 with Peter Kyle, the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, in conversation with Dr Fola Yahaya on 'AI: Threat, Tool or Transformation?'. Kyle has worn a lot of hats since being elected in 2015, including Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and, more recently, Secretary of State for Business and Trade. At 11:50, Sam Freedman brings his Sunday Times bestseller 'Failed State', an investigation into why Britain is struggling, and at 13:20 John Kampfner discusses 'Braver New World', his eighth book, which takes in ten countries from Taiwan to Finland in search of solutions to Britain's challenges.
The afternoon keeps the political thread going. At 14:50 Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative MP for Godalming and Ash and former Chancellor, asks 'Can We Be Rich Again?' and looks at the potential of the British economy. At 16:20 Jeremy Corbyn reflects on 'A Life in Politics', from the backbenches to the door of Downing Street, and at 17:50 Rachel Millward, Wealden District Councillor and Deputy Leader of the Green Party, talks about her journey 'From Film Festivals to Frontline Politics'.
The day closes on a more literary note. At 19:20 Jung Chang sits down with economist Linda Yueh to discuss 'Fly, Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself and China', the new book that picks up where 'Wild Swans' left off. Chang, who left China in 1978 and became the first person from the PRC to earn a PhD from a British university, was named a CBE in 2024.
On the practical side, standard tickets sit between £16 and £20, with a £2 venue levy on top. A small batch of discounted tickets goes through the festival's own booking system, while the rest are sold via The Old Market. The venue is fully accessible, with a bar and toilets on site, and the whole day runs from morning to evening so you can drop in for a single session or stay for the lot. It is aimed at ages 14 and over, with under-16s needing an adult with them. If you want to pick your sessions in advance, the full programme with times and speaker bios is worth a look before you commit.
Published Date
22 September 2026
