Festival of Optimism

The Festival of Optimism is a new three-day festival and conference celebrating the people, places and practical ideas that give us hope for the future.

Through inspiring talks, practical workshops, exhibitions and hands-on local experiences, we're bringing together residents, organisers, creatives, social innovators, businesses, funders and policymakers to explore how we can build fairer, greener and more hopeful communities.

Across the three days, the Festival moves from inspiration to action to experience:

• Day One (Margate) showcases innovative ideas and practical examples through inspiring speakers, thematic sessions and participant-led conversations.
• Day Two (Ramsgate) helps people develop their own ideas further, overcome challenges and devise practical next steps for taking action.
• Day Three takes the Festival out our communities through local tours, hands-on activities, creative and wellbeing experiences, before finishing with a shared celebration.

The programme explores six connected themes covering:

• Healthier Lives – innovating approaches to health, wellbeing and social care
• Kinder Communities – celebrating people and organisations that strengthen communities
• Greener futures – showcasing practical environmental solutions
• Good Food for All – more resilient local food systems
• Thriving places – championing local economies where businesses and organisations work together
• A place to call home – new approaches to housing that create secure inclusive and sustainable communities

Moving beyond the doom and gloom of the newscycle, the Festival creates space to share what is already working, make new connections and turn optimism into practical action.

Early Bird tickets for the two-day conference are on sale now for a limited time only. Tickets for the local experiences on Day 3 will be promoted seperately.