19/05/2026
We’re very pleased to welcome Byline Times back to WOMAD for a second year, returning to World of Words with a deep and expansive programme of talks, panels, theatre and public discussion at Neston Park this summer.
Across journalism, literature, politics, activism and performance, Byline Times has consistently asked what independent media can still be in an age of noise, disinformation and shrinking public trust. Their work feels grounded in the belief that conversation still matters… that difficult questions are worth asking collectively and in person.
This year’s programme brings together voices including Zack Polanski, Rosie Holt, Clare Farrell, Clive Lewis MP, Sarah Churchwell, Baroness Chakrabarti, Katherine Stewart, Lord Adebowale and many more, exploring subjects that sit close to contemporary public life; democracy, loneliness, extremism, technology, opposition, political imagination and the social pressures shaping the present moment.
At a time when public life can often feel fragmented and hostile, creating spaces for reflection, disagreement, curiosity and shared attention feels increasingly important. In many ways, it speaks to the same principles that have always sat beneath WOMAD itself… bringing people together across different experiences and perspectives to encounter culture, conversation and one another more openly.
Very excited to see these conversations unfold among the trees at Neston Park this July.
