The Festival of Ideas celebrates its third edition with Bodies as its central theme and CaixaForum as its new venue
2026/06/19
The Círculo de Bellas Artes and La Fábrica present the third edition of the Festival of Ideas, Madrid's premier intellectual event, which will take place from September 17 to 20 with a free program open to all. The festival once again brings philosophy to the streets to foster civic participation and a culture of encounter, debate, and listening. This year's theme revolves around the concept of Bodies, which, in the words of its content directors, philosophers Marcela Vélez and Javier Moscoso, is a radical gesture to remind us that thinking is always an embodied act.
Conversations, roundtables, philosophical walks, speakers' corners, workshops, concerts, and screenings will make up a program that will bring together leading national and international voices. These include Paul B. Preciado, Zadie Smith, Édouard Louis, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Mark Coeckelbergh, Susan Stokes, Nazareth Castellanos, Pablo d'Ors, Rodrigo Cuevas, Sami Timimi, Chantal Maillard, and Niño de Elche. In addition to the two main venues (the Allianz Stage in Plaza de España, transformed into a large Agora, and the Círculo de Bellas Artes, reserved for more contemplative and reflective events), CaixaForum Madrid joins this year as a third major space for shared thought.
The program will explore the body from multiple perspectives: the dialogue between Zadie Smith and Édouard Louis on the markers of class and identity, Paul B. Preciado's reflections on the body as a territory to be liberated, and the conversation between architects Juan Miguel Hernández León and Eduardo Souto de Moura. The festival also dedicates a specific section to the body and mental health, in partnership with the Mental Health Commissioner of the Ministry of Health, and features a wide range of family activities, practical workshops, and theatrical and musical performances. The event also extends to venues such as the Ortega-Marañón Foundation, the Ramón Areces Foundation, Casa del Libro, the Ateneo de Madrid, and the Lope de Vega House Museum.
Organized by the Círculo de Bellas Artes and La Fábrica, the festival has the institutional support of the Ministry of Culture, the Commissioner of Mental Health of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Youth and Childhood, the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council, along with the collaboration of numerous brands and private foundations.
The full program, schedules and updated information can be found on the official website of the Festival of Ideas .