KITE Festival 2024: Music, Ideas, and Inspiration at Abbey Road Studios
For the first time, KITE will take over the iconic three studios of Abbey Road, adding a little extra magic to an already eclectic program. This lineup shall feature not only musicians but also writers, filmmakers, and thinkers sharing insights, ideas, and imagination.
An Unmissable Ideas Programme
Some of the most dynamic voices of our age will feature on the Ideas program. Star of Baby Reindeer Richard Gadd will reflect on the Netflix drama which gripped the world. Renowned author Elif Shafak will challenge who owns history. In conversation with best-selling historian William Dalrymple, come and learn from a lesson in how it used to be. And legendary writer/director Richard Curtis will investigate how film and TV can drive genuine change in the real world. As a bonus, Black Mirror fans will appreciate Charlie Brooker’s razor-sharp takes on technology and truth in his unnervingly dystopian tales.
Among these speakers are Philippe Sands, one of the most famous lawyers and writers in the world, who will raise issues of impunity; Bella Mackie, well-recognised for her bestseller How to Kill Your Family, and David Nicholls, the author of One Day, speak of love, dysfunction, and relationship; Asif Kapadia-the award-winning director of Senna and Amy-takes on to talk about how movies speak.
KITE Festival will also explore the most contemporary of issues: Jordan Stephens from Rizzle Kicks talking mental health with Professor Green; Grace Blakeley explaining what has gone wrong with capitalism; and David Olusoga wrestling with the complicated past of Britain. Trans rights, migration, and AI will be debated, along with creativity in education to ensure an all-encompassing programme for those keen to engage with today’s big issues.
Music and Performance Across the Weekend
Abbey Road will be abuzz with music throughout the weekend. A lineup of acoustic singer-songwriters, folk artists, and R&B performers are expected to perform. Amongst these, one can see the exuberant Kokoroko playing their afrobeat-infused music with a West African style and Kojey Radical with his genre-melding sound, featuring rap, jazz, spoken word, and funk.
Then there’s the legendary film composer Daniel Pemberton, who is in conversation with Edith Bowman about his work on everything from Spider-Man to The Trial of the Chicago 7. There are also spoken word performances from World Slam Poetry Champion Harry Baker and plenty of laughs courtesy of comedian Lou Sanders.
A Rich Festival History
Over the years, KITE has taken place in Oxfordshire, while headliners have included cultural icons such as Grace Jones, Ai Weiwei, Hot Chip, and George the Poet. This year, it moves to Abbey Road Studios, but KITE promises the same heady cocktail of inspiration, insight, and entertainment-alongside plenty of dancing. For the music, the ideas, or both, KITE Festival 2024 brings a heady mix of creativity and conversation into one of the world’s most historic musical venues.
Get Your Tickets
Tickets for the KITE Festival 2024 at Abbey Road Studios are now on sale. Do not miss this opportunity to be a part of this very special event-a place where music, art, and ideas come together in two unforgettable days of connection and inspiration.
