The Edinburgh International Festival has expanded its 2026 programme with the launch of the inaugural Global Ideas Stage, a new platform bringing together leading thinkers, artists and cultural voices from around the world.
Curated and hosted by Harvard professor and award-winning author Sarah Lewis alongside Festival Director Nicola Benedetti, the Global Ideas Stage will feature an influential line-up including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, social justice lawyer Bryan Stevenson and journalist Amy Goodman.
The new strand responds to this year’s Festival theme, All Rise – a rallying call of resilience and ascendance marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. Through a series of intimate conversations, contributors will explore themes ranging from the Scottish Enlightenment’s influence on America to the role of the arts in shaping ideas and the current state of democracy. The event will culminate in a full hour-long panel discussion featuring all speakers.
Designed as a model for future editions, the Global Ideas Stage represents an ambitious evolution in the Festival’s format, blending artistic exploration with civic and intellectual dialogue.
Presented in collaboration with Professor Adam Dixon and Panmure House – the final home of Adam Smith – the initiative draws inspiration from both the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations. Organisers say it aims to revive the spirit of Edinburgh’s Enlightenment-era coffeehouse debates at a time when the relevance of these foundational ideas is being reassessed.
Nicola Benedetti said: “This year’s Edinburgh International Festival examines both the dark and dazzling possibilities of the American Dream under our theme All Rise, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. Exceptional artists from across the United States and around the world present stories and artistic achievements born from – and inspired by – its cultural melting pot, with all the friction and energy that this inspires.
“When we rise, we question. Our first ever Global Ideas Stage brings together a curated group of influential thinkers as we tackle urgent universal questions around justice, liberty and the role of the arts in expressing ideas. This inaugural gathering is a testament to our belief that when the abstractness of art and the pragmatism of conversation come together, the deepest impact is possible.
“With a call to action that resonates far beyond one nation, our Global Ideas Stage and full Festival programme celebrates the peak of human creativity, proposes how we can rise above adversity and implores us to stand together.”
Professor Adam Dixon added: “This August, Edinburgh International Festival and Panmure House will reignite the coffeehouse discussions of Edinburgh’s Enlightenment past. These conversations gave the world a new language of freedom, rights and human potential, and reaffirm the Festival’s founding conviction that through culture and exchange we will see each other more truthfully and more tolerantly.
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“The Global Ideas Stage brings together perspectives from politics, law, music, film and the arts to confront the defining questions of our time. What does a just world look like – and what will it take to build one? I look forward to exploring these questions together in Edinburgh this August.”
Among the speakers, Gordon Brown continues his work as United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, while Ken Burns brings five decades of documentary filmmaking experience. Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, is recognised globally for independent journalism, and Bryan Stevenson is widely known for his work tackling inequality through the Equal Justice Initiative. Sarah Lewis, who will co-curate the programme, is a leading academic exploring visual culture and democracy, while Nicola Benedetti remains one of the world’s most prominent classical musicians alongside her role as Festival Director.
The Global Ideas Stage is supported by James and Morag Anderson and will take place on 11 August 2026 as part of the wider Edinburgh International Festival programme. Tickets are now available via the Festival’s official website.
