British Academy Summer Showcase

The British Academy’s free festival of ideas returns with our Late on Friday 20 June (book here) and Saturday 21 June, 11am-5pm.

Through interactive exhibits and workshops, inspiring performances and screenings, and thought-provoking talks, our funded researchers will share their innovative social sciences and humanities research that is shaping the society we live in – and informing the one we want to create.

Their curiosity-driven projects have been funded by our various project grants and individual fellowships; and will be joined in our vibrant programme by our world-renowned Fellows and wider experts.

Come along, try something new, and be inspired to think differently about the world around you.

#ForCuriousMinds

Explore Saturday's full programme here – and book tickets for our free Friday LATE here.

This event is free, but booking is required.

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The programme

Our exhibits will take you back to an ancient Roman laundry, through the Great Plague of 1665-6, across the fashion of 1800s ballrooms, around an iconic Birmingham bus route and into the soundscape and lights of Antarctica’s Aurora Australis. Learn to make your own comic, navigate gender inequality in sport, and sample the evocative tastes of UK-Chinese food. Our digital exhibits will explore the clothing of Muslim men at Jummah (Friday prayers), as well as a VR reimagining of a baroque chapel.

Workshops will engage you with issues from the world around us, such as memory recall, social media influencing and antimicrobial resistance – and we will have performances from internationally renowned MC Rider Shafique.

Ross Perlin, winner of the British Academy Book Prize, will make a rare UK appearance to share the importance of preserving mother tongues – and our Ask the Experts series will discuss the future of fertility, and how our disciplines can help us better understand global population change and challenges. Our 10-Minute Talks offer insights into our funded research, varying from biosecurity to interactive theatre – and activities on offer include an immersive sensory room and a bespoke VR experience.

The programme takes over every room of our newly relaunched home of 10-11 Carlton House Terrace. Tours will offer insights into its Grade I-listed status, our new state-of-the-art lower ground spaces and our world-class art collection.

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This event is free, but booking is required.

As tickets are free, people sometimes book and don't attend, so we have to issue more tickets than there are seats available to allow for this. Entry into the event is on a first-come, first-served basis and we recommend arriving in good time to avoid any disappointment.

If no tickets are available, please join the waitlist in case of any ticket cancellations. Attendees without tickets may be admitted on the day, depending on capacity. They will have to register on arrival.

All events and activities will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that, for health and safety reasons, you may not be admitted into an activity if the room has has reached capacity.

This event takes place in-person at the British Academy's home at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, St James, London, SW1Y 5AH.

Please read about accessibility at the British Academy to help plan your visit. Panel talks will have live subtitles provided by StageTEXT, delivered by MyClearText. If you have any questions about this event, please refer to our FAQs. If your question is not answered, or you require extra assistance or specialist facilities, please email events@thebritishacademy.ac.uk or call the Events Team on +44 (0) 20 7969 5210.

Photography will be taking place throughout the event. Please speak to a member of the team on arrival if you do not wish to feature in photographs.