Breakwater Festival 2026: London, England

Breakwater Festival is an annual three‑day Estuary gathering designed to offer a respite from the turbulent tides of online exchange. Inspired by influential thinkers such as Paul Van der Klay, Jonathan Pageau, and John Vervaeke, the Estuary movement has sparked a vibrant, ongoing conversation that fosters honest dialogue, shared meaning‑making, and community building. While these conversations have flourished online, Breakwater Festival seeks to bring them into embodied, real‑world contexts by partnering with local Estuary groups to host interactive, in‑person gatherings. In doing so, we aim to create true harbors for meaningful conversation, collective sensemaking, and deep, lasting connection rooted in local communities.

FESTIVAL THEME: 
Cross Pollination: Conversing Across Religious Lines

Cross‑pollination plays a pivotal role in increasing the resilience, quality, and yield of crops. At this year’s Breakwater Festival, we explore how this dynamic plays out when beliefs encounter diversity. In an increasingly pluralistic world, how should we approach religious questions across difference? Does exchange deepen and strengthen what we hold sacred—or introduce tensions that diminish it? How do we discern when encounter builds resilience, and when it risks changing something essential? This festival invites us into that shared space: where difference is not avoided but engaged with honesty, curiosity, and care. Where encounter can both challenge and renew; and where something new may emerge.

OUR MAIN CONTRIBUTORS: 

Paul Vander Klay is a Christian Reformed pastor, speaker, and online content creator known for his thoughtful engagement with philosophy, theology, and culture. His life and work is dedicated to navigating the fields of faith, meaning, secularism, and the intersection of religion with modern intellectual life.

Jared Smith is a one-man metal band, a YouTuber, and an atheist who loves religion. Composing and filming under the moniker Heliocentric, Jared has released three albums and dozens of documentary-style videos, amassing millions of views on his Atheist Church Audit series. He holds two degrees in theology — one of which was likely scribbled in crayon — and challenges his nearly 100,000 subscribers to deepen their understanding of and expand their empathy for the religious communities around them.

Nathan A. Jacobs, Ph.D., is an artist turned scholar turned writer/producer/director. His newly published book, "Leibniz, Classical Theism, and the Problem of Evil: Why Classical Theism Must Affirm That Our World is the Best of All Possible Worlds" (Routledge Studies in Seventeenth-Century Philosophy), represents his latest scholarly contribution to the field. Jacobs film work includes KILLING POE (2016), BECOMING TRULY HUMAN (2017), and of HOUSE OF DAVID (2025), the $100M Amazon Studios Original biblical epic series.

FEATURED GUESTS: 

Joe Folley is a writer and YouTuber who runs the channel Unsolicited Advice, where he explores ideas drawn from philosophy and related fields. He studied at the University of Cambridge, completing his BA in 2021 and his MPhil in 2022. His academic interests include Epistemic Logic and the Divine Hiddenness Problem, topics that reflect his broader engagement with questions about knowledge, belief, and religion.

Elizabeth Oldfield is the host of The Sacred podcast and the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. A former Director and now Senior Fellow of the think tank Theos, Elizabeth is also Chair of Larger Us, supporting change‑makers to bridge divides and transform relationships. She appears regularly across major media including BBC television and radio, the World Service, The Financial Times, and The New York Times.

Glen Scrivener is a speaker, writer and ordained minister. He serves as the Director of Speak Life in the UK, an evangelistic ministry that seeks, through preaching and media, to captivate both church and world with the love of Jesus. He is a YouTuber, podcaster, the author of ten books including the award-winning The Air We Breathe, and he is the creator and presenter of the digital evangelism course 321

Justin Brierley is a writer, speaker and broadcaster, known for hosting conversations between Christians and non-Christians on radio, podcast and video. He is director of the media company ‘Think Faith’ and currently co-hosts the Re-Enchanting podcast and is the creator of the award-winning Surprising Rebirth Of Belief in Godpodcast documentary series and the faith debate show ‘Uncommon Ground’. Justin is married to Lucy, a church minister in Surrey, England and they have 4 amazing children.

Bethel McGrew, Ph.D., is a failed mathematician and former high school teacher turned writer. She has been featured in a smattering of outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, First Things and The Critic and maintains a Substack with a modest following. Her writing on Jordan Peterson and C. S. Lewis has appeared in essay anthologies from Lexham Press and Davenant. Her work centers on religion, politics, philosophy, the arts and whatever else she randomly feels like holding forth about. She is committed to helping her readers unite prose and passion. She also tweets. A lot.

Nemo the Mormon is a British content creator and commentator known for his thoughtful analysis of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through his widely followed YouTube channel, he explores church history, doctrine, and contemporary issues with a clear, evidence-based approach. His work encourages open, respectful dialogue around faith, doubt, and institutional accountability, making him a prominent voice in conversations about belief and reform in modern religious communities.

Naomi Brehm is a speaker and thinker, former dancer and novice poet. She co-hosts the Speak Life Podcast, seeking clarity through conversations in the intersection of modern life and Christian faith. Following a Masters in Physics, Naomi trained with OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and now works part-time with Speak Life while studying Theology. She has been speaking at churches, schools and universities across the UK and internationally for 14 years, her poetry has featured on Radio 4 and her favourite things in life are offline or outdoors. Normally both.

Nate Morgan Locke is a filmmaker, preacher and “Reformed Mythologist”, known for teaching on storytelling, theology and creativity. He has degrees in Theology and Literature from the University of London, and an MDiv from Westminster, Philadelphia. Nate has written and directed multiple short film series for Christianity Explored and Speak Life, and makes videos on YouTube and Instagram. He grew up in Narnia and has seen the world as a fairy story

Cassidy van der Kamp is an American filmmaker, YouTube creator, and event organizer based out of the Netherlands. She is best known as the founder of the Breakwater Festival. As the driving force behind Breakwater, she has helped create a space that brings together thinkers, creators, and seekers for in-person dialogue and collective sense making. She sits at the intersection of independent media and grassroots event-building, with a focus on cultivating environments where deep conversation and authentic engagement can flourish.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE: 

DOWNLOAD OUR OFFICIAL SCHEDULE THROUGH OUR WEBSITE: 
Upcoming Events | The Breakwater Network

Friday, June 19th: 

The Clerkenwell Tavern

5:00pm
Kick Off Gathering
Pub Chat:
Featuring: Nathan Jacobs, Joseph Folley, Paul Vander Klay & Justin Brierley 

Saturday, June 20th: 

St Mark’s, Clerkenwell

09:00 AM
Welcome & Introductions

09:30 AM
Uprooted: Stories of Faith Disruption- Panel
Featuring: Elizabeth Oldfield, Nemo the Mormon & Jared Smith

11:00 AM
Seeds or Weed: Is Apologetics Helping or Hurting? - Dialogue

Featuring: Nathan Jacobs, Jared Smith, Bethel McGrew & Cassidy van der Kamp

12:30 PM
Lunch Break

2:00 PM
Estuary Leadership Panel and Q&A

3:30 PM
Rando's Conversation

Featuring: Paul Van der Klay & Mystery Guest

5:00 PM
Dinner Break

6:30 PM
Tilling the Sacred Ground: Navigating Faith Conversations- Dialogue and Q&A

Featuring: Paul Vander Klay, Jared Smith, Nathan Jacobs & Glen Scrivener

Sunday, June 21st: 

Mercato Mayfair

10:00 AM
Ready Singer One! - Musical Performance

12:00 AM
Lunch Break

St Marylebone Parish Church

2:00 PM
Becoming Truly Human Film Screening
A Nathan Jacobs Film

4:00 PM
Live Speaker Estuary Conversation

Featuring: Paul Vander Klay, Jared Smith, Nemo the Mormon, Bethel McGrew, Naomi Brehm & Nate Morgan Locke 

6:00 PM
Closing Remarks

Estuary Breakout Rooms will also be available to Full Festival and 2‑Day ticket holders for facilitated Estuary breakout sessions. These sessions will take place during our regularly scheduled programming on both Saturday and Sunday. Registration for breakout sessions will occur on site upon arrival at the event.

TICKET PRICING: 

EARLY BIRD PRICING: Ends April 30th

Full Festival Pass - 150 £
2-day Festival Pass - 125 £
Saturday Closing Event - Speaker Dialogue - 35 £ 
Sunday Afternoon Event- Film Screening - 35 £
Sunday Closing Event- Live Estuary Conversation - 35 £

REGULAR PRICING: 

Full Festival Pass - 175 £
2-day Festival Pass - 150£
Saturday Closing Event - Speaker Dialogue - 45£ 
Sunday Afternoon Event- Film Screening - 45 £
Sunday Closing Event- Live Estuary Conversation - 45 £

FESTIVAL ADD ONS:

Breakwater T-Shirt - 35 £
SIZE: S-XXL
Speaker Dinner Add-On- 125 £
Enjoy dinner Saturday night with our main contributing speakers before the Saturday closing event. Available as an add-on to all ticket holders for any of our Saturday events.

ALL TICKET PRICING IS VAT INCLUSIVE

TRAVEL CONSIDERATIONS: 

All festival venues are located in Central London (Zones 1–2) and are easily accessible by Tube, rail, bus, or on foot. Stations are close together, and walking is often quicker than expected. We recommend using Google Maps or Citymapper for real-time directions. Payment for Tube, bus, and rail can be made via contactless card or Apple/Google Pay.

Venue Locations

Friday 19 June – Evening

Kick-off Party: The Clerkenwell Tavern 📍 2 Exmouth Market, London EC1R

Nearest stations

• Angel (Northern) – 10–12 min walk
• Farringdon (Circle, H&C, Metropolitan, Elizabeth) – 8–10 min walk

Buses: 19, 38, 63, 341 📌 Located at the lively end of Exmouth Market

Saturday – All Day

St Mark’s Church, Clerkenwell 📍 Myddelton Square, London EC1R 1XX (10–12 min walk from Friday’s venue)

Nearest stations

• Angel (Northern) – 9–10 min walk (closest)
• Farringdon – 15–20 min walk

Buses: 19, 38, 153, 341, 55 📌 Set in a quiet garden square, just off main roads

Sunday – Two Venues (Mayfair / Marylebone)

Morning (optional, non-ticketed cultural event) Mercato Mayfair 📍 North Audley Street, London W1K 6ZA

Nearest stations

• Bond Street – 5–7 min walk
• Marble Arch – 5–8 min walk
• Oxford Circus – 10 min walk

📌 Large food hall with many lunch options

Afternoon (ticketed festival event) St Marylebone Parish Church 📍 17 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LT

Nearest stations

• Baker Street – 2–4 min walk (closest)
• Marylebone – 12 min walk

Note for Sunday: 

On Sunday, we begin with an optional, non-ticketed community event. This is not arranged by us; rather, it is an optional visit to observe a London‑based community choir, Ready Singer One, practice their monthly regular rehearsals at Mercato Mayfair. Our main festival, ticketed event on the Sunday begins after lunch, at St Marylebone Parish Church.

The two venues are about 15–20 minutes’ walk apart (or 1–2 short Tube stops). Mercato Mayfair is a food hall – perfect for grabbing lunch or snacks during the community event. Both locations are in walkable areas. Hyde Park is nearby if you want a stroll between events!

PARKING:

 PLEASE NOTE: There is no private parking at any festival venue. Attendees arriving by car should plan to use public parking options.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT US:

For any questions or complications feel free to reach out to us through our website or on our official Breakwater Discord. 

Website: Contact | The Breakwater Network
Discord: https://tinyurl.com/BreakwaterDiscord

Our Discord is also a great place to coordinate travel and meet others who will be attending the event. It's also the best place to keep updated about current and future Breakwater Events and offerings.