ESRC Festival of Social Science

The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual United Kingdom-wide celebration of the social sciences sponsored by the nation’s Economic and Social Research Council, one of nine research councils that compose UK Research Innovation

The free festival consists of a series of events run each autumn, delivered by ESRC’s ‘festival partners’, higher education institutions spread across the UK. Events range from exhibitions, lectures and panel debates through to performances, guided walks and workshops.

The festival is an opportunity for anyone to explore topics relating to social science, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education and identity, through events run by researchers from UK universities.

The 2024 festival includes hundreds of events delivered by 41 partner institutions across the UK. The 2024 festival theme is “our digital lives,” with a number of events exploring this area as well as many others covering a wide range of social science topics.

There’s no cost to attend, and most events are open to everyone, though some are aimed at specific groups.