The Festival That Makes Politics Feel Possible
The left is in chaos.
Or is it? In 2023 Voices visited a refuge for the left: The World Transformed festival.
They spoke to those who came together to give their time and energy to build a better world.
They tell us why they do it.
Intelligent, decent, and informed people will despise Luke Akehurst even more after watching this.
The World Transformed: A Festival of Ideas Beyond the Labour Party Conference
Each autumn, as Labour Party members, journalists, and lobbyists gather for the party’s annual conference, another event unfolds just a short walk away—one that is altogether more eclectic, radical, and grassroots in character. The World Transformed (TWT), a political education festival founded in 2016, has become an influential fixture on the fringes of Labour’s conference, positioning itself as a vibrant, participatory alternative to the more traditional proceedings inside the official venue.
A Different Kind of Political Gathering
While the Labour Party conference is a formal political institution—structured around votes, speeches, fringe meetings, and behind-the-scenes strategy sessions—TWT embraces a festival-like atmosphere. It combines politics, culture, art, and community organising into a four-day programme of workshops, discussions, performances, and social events.
The festival’s organisers describe it as an effort to democratise political education, with the aim of giving grassroots activists, thinkers, and creatives a platform to shape the direction of the British left. In doing so, TWT contrasts sharply with the hierarchical, leadership-centred format of the official party conference.
A Space for Radical Debate
Where the main conference often focuses on party unity, policy lines, and media messaging, TWT encourages open, and sometimes contentious, debate. Sessions typically explore issues such as economic democracy, climate justice, migration policy, housing, workers’ rights, and international solidarity. Panels frequently feature activists, academics, community organisers, and politicians from within and beyond the Labour Party.
Crucially, TWT does not limit itself to Westminster-orientated topics. Workshops on mutual aid, community organising, digital rights, feminist and anti-racist movements, and new economic models illustrate its broader ambition: to create spaces where political imagination and experimentation can flourish.
Culture and Creativity at the Core
Unlike the official conference, TWT situates culture at the heart of its programme. Theatre, music, stand-up comedy, film screenings, and art installations run alongside the political content. This blend reflects the festival’s belief that political transformation requires cultural as well as institutional change.
Venues—often bars, community centres, warehouses, and theatres—emphasise accessibility and collaboration. Evening events, from DJ sets to poetry nights, help to cultivate a shared sense of community among attendees.
A Counterbalance to Party Machinery
Although TWT is not formally part of the Labour Party, its proximity to the conference ensures a constant flow of party members, left-wing MPs, journalists, and trade unionists. For some, TWT acts as a conscience of the Labour left—challenging cautious centrism and pushing for more ambitious policies. For others, it is a reminder that political energy and activism extend far beyond the confines of party structures.
At its best, TWT serves as a counterweight to the procedural, media-driven rhythms of the official conference. It offers activists a space to recharge, to organise, and to explore strategies for change that may not find a hearing in the formal party arena.
Shaping the Future of the Left
Whether Labour is in government or opposition, TWT provides a platform for those who believe political transformation must come from the ground up. By fostering connections between campaigners, thinkers, artists, and elected representatives, the festival keeps alive a broader, more radical conversation about the kind of society the British left hopes to build.
As long as the Labour Party conference continues to be the central gathering of the centre-left establishment, The World Transformed will remain its spirited, imaginative, and often provocative alternative—challenging, inspiring, and reshaping the future of progressive politics in Britain.
