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The University of Southampton
Public Engagement with Research

Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival

Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival, formerly called Human Worlds Festival (2014 - 2020), is the University of Southampton's annual arts- and humanities-based festival organised by the Public Engagement with Research unit. It is a free series of public events, in-person and online, open to all.

UoS Arts and Humanities Festival logo

Human Worlds Festival was first launched in 2014, it was renamed in September 2021 and runs every year in November to coincide with Being Human festival, the UK’s national celebration of humanities research led by the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

The ten-days celebration usually starts/concludes with our Hands-on Humanities Day, a free family-friendly event with interactive hands-on activities, workshops, exhibitions, talks and performances from across our Faculties.

Over the last few years, we have invited participation from external exhibitors including local bookstores, radios, schools, community groups, cultural venues, trusts and other research institutions.

Visit the Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival official website

Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival 2023

Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival returns this autumn and will run from Thursday 9th to Saturday 18th November.

The main events of this year's edition will include:

The Wider Festival will run through the whole length of the festival. All online content and in-person events will be available on the official website at www.southamptonartshumfest.co.uk 

Hands-on Humanities Day (HOHD) is a FREE family-friendly day of celebration with a selection of interactive stands, workshops, talks, exhibitions, and live shows to explore the world of Humanities and the Arts.

Exhibitors will also be able to contribute towards related special events including Black History Month (October), UK Disability History Month (16th November - 16th December) and LGBT+ History Month (February 2024).

If you are interested in submitting an activity as a contributor to be included in the Festival programme, please visit the 'How to get involved' page by clicking on the blue text box above the image gallery at the bottom of this page.

Follow #UoSArtsHumFest on social media to stay-up-to-date.

Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival 2021 

Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival ran from Thursday 11th to Sunday 20th November 2021. 

The Festival was preceded by a month-long series of celebratory events in October for Black History Month and for the first time was followed by a month of celebration for UK Disability History Month (18th Nov - 18th Dec), and then by LGBT+ History Month in February 2022. The series were curated in collaboration with few other teams across the University, including the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, the BAME Network, the UoS Pulse LGBT+ Network and the University of Southampton Student Union (SUSU).   

Other events that were hosted under the Festival umbrella included a strand of digital events for Writers in Conversation (run by English at the University of Southampton and led by Carol Burns, Head of Creative Writing) and a special night on Thursday 7th October for 'Enduring Freedom? The 20-year mission in Afghanistan' (run by History at the University of Southampton and chaired by Dr Christopher Fuller). Watch the following video to re-discover the exclusive event that took place on the night of the twenty-year anniversary of the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The main events of Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival 2021 included:

Watch the following video from Hands-on Humanities Day to find out what this event is all about from senior leaders and researchers at the University of Southampton. Hear about how taking part helped changing perspectives from festival exhibitors and our visitors too.     

How to get involved

Find out how to get involved in Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival next November as an exhibitor, host, performer or volunteer. External exhibitors included. 

Human Worlds Awards

The Human Worlds Awards provide an opportunity to recognise creativity, talent and resourcefulness of those who have gone above and beyond in delivering an outstanding contribution to the festival.

Past events

Discover some of the previous events from the past years of Human Worlds Festival across Southampton. 

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Hands-on Humanities Day 2019
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HOHD 2019
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HOHD 2019
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HOHD 2019
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HOHD 2019
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HOHD 2019
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Humanities Late 2019
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Humanities Late 2019
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Humanities Late 2019
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Humanities Late 2019
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Humanities Late 2019
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Hands-on Humanities Day 2017
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HOHD 2017
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HOHD 2017
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HOHD 2017
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HOHD 2017
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HOHD 2017
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HOHD 2017
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HOHD 2017
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HOHD 2017
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HOHD 2017

For queries, please contact festival@southampton.ac.uk

Follow #UoSArtsHumFest and the UoS Engagement accounts on TwitterFacebook and Instagram

Watch videos and recordings of previous events on the UoS Festival YouTube channel.  

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