Enjoy the ultimate Sunday, complete with great food, scintillating talks, squishy sofas, live music and more
Ah Sundays. Day of rest, epic brunches, hearty lunches, lazy reading of the papers, leisurely walks and above all – total, blissful relaxation. Sound like perfection? Then listen up, because My Little Festival might just be laying on your dream event this month.
Sunday Papers Live, which takes place on 2 October at the Cambridge Union, is an homage to the shared joys of Sundays. The day’s entertainment centres on the Sunday Papers – the twist being that, at this event, the scintillating stories are brought to life by speakers and performers. Inspired by the broadsheets, expect talks on politics, travel, the arts and more, delivered in a lively, interactive way by writers, musicians, poets and comedians – whilst you get comfy and enjoy tasty food and drinks.
The event is an offshoot of a concept established in London back in 2013, which has proved a huge hit with Sunday-lovers in the capital. “The whole idea was to try to recreate the atmosphere of the festival discussion tent and the Sunday papers was the perfect template for a day of food, drink and discussion,” said Ben DeVere, founder of Sunday Papers Live.
“The first one was amazing – just to see that people liked it and that it worked was a real buzz. We’re now in our eighth edition and it feels like a natural progression to take the event to other cities, so when My Little Festival were keen to team up it was a no-brainier. Cambridge seems like the ideal place to start with plenty of people with an appetite for Bloody Marys, cracking roasts and speakers that will amaze, provoke and entertain. Cambridge should get ready for something completely different.”
With the grand, historic backdrop of the Cambridge Union Society, there’s a packed line-up of great entertainment in store.
Serving up a slice of world news will be Azadeh Moaveni, a former Middle East correspondent for Time magazine. As well as reporting from the region for much of the past decade, she also writes for The Guardian, Washington Post and The New York Times, and has a host of books to her name. Her work with a team of The New York Times journalists, looking into the motivations of women joining Islamic State, was recently a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
On the UK news front, Anna Bassi, editor of The Week Junior, will get little ones stuck into designing their own front cover, as well as writing articles and reviews – with the best ones being used in the magazine.
If you act fast, you can still get Early Bird discounted adult tickets for £20
For the business section, Dr David Stillwell, deputy director of the Psychometrics Centre at the University of Cambridge, will be offering a fascinating foray into the world of Big Data – and demonstrating why he was named among Pacific Standard magazine’s ‘top 30 thinkers under 30’.
While researching for his PhD in cognitive decision-making, David founded and programmed a Facebook application called myPersonality that provides psychological questionnaires and gives users feedback on their results – impressively, so far the app has collected data from more than 6 million people around the world.
Onto travel, where globetrotter, writer and broadcaster Sarah Woods will be recounting tales of her two decades spent travelling around Central and South America.
Or perhaps you fancy delving into the family supplement? Be sure to catch Liz Fraser – columnist, podcaster and author – who’ll be serving up a stand-up performance on the madness of modern parenthood.
If you’re a parent yourself, you will be happy to hear that Sunday Papers Live will be hosting a crèche (for ages three to eight), complete with games, books, crafts and more, where you can stow the rug rats for a couple of hours while you catch a talk or enjoy lunch.
There’s plenty more planned too, from guided walks around Cambridge’s most beautiful corners to live music from singer-songwriter Lee Gordon and performance poetry from John Osbourne. There’ll also be a stall from Mr Barber, who’ll be offering shaves and trims, as well as a massuese to ease away the strains of the week.
Perhaps you fancy channelling your inner Picasso? Pop along to the drawing sessions, where an artist will be on hand with expert guidance to help you unleash your creativity.
On the food front you can expect delicious eats including a Sunday roast served street food style in a box. Steak & Honour will also be filling bellies with their famous gourmet burgers, and there will be a well-stocked tea and cake trolley (manned by a mad tea lady!). To wash it all down, pay a visit to the Bloody Mary bar, slurp your way through a refreshing mimosa or enjoy a healthy smoothie.
“Cambridge is crying out for an event like Sunday Papers Live,” says Alex Ruczaj, marketing director for My Little Festival. “Our city is full of creative, bright minds from all over the world, and we’re certain that people will love this event. Ben has created a format that provides something for everyone. The Cambridge audiences will find themselves, moved to tears, laughing their heads off, challenged, inspired, entertained and relaxed – all on a Sunday, with bellies full of the best Cambridge food and drink.”
Tickets for the Cambridge Edition of Sunday Papers Live are available to buy now, and they’re priced at £25 per person (£5 each for 8-16 years, while under 7s go free). If you’re quick, Early Bird adult tickets are £20 for a limited time. The event runs from 11am to 5pm.
For more information visit the My Little Festival website.
