KITE is excited to announce an additional set of world-renowned thinkers, global personalities, respected activists, and superstar musicians for its 2022 line-up. KITE already boasts huge names like Grace Jones, Tom Misch, TLC, Mavis Staples, David Miliband, Delia Smith, and many more to deliver a festival of ideas and music for curious, inquisitive, and cultural minds in the stately Kirtlington Park grounds this summer.

Globally renowned drag performer, model and writer Bimini has been added to the line-up. After a trailblazing run on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Bimini has continued to dominate the fashion world with campaigns in Dazed and British Vogue. She authored ‘Release the Beast’, an instruction manual for self-love taking note and reference from queer history to offer a moving template for community, growth, and authenticity. Bimini will be joined in conversation with British writer and model Jack Guinness who is noted for founding the Queer Bible, a site promoting LGBTQ+ history.

The music catalogue has also been studded with other standout performers to enrich the three-day feast of arts, culture, and wellbeing. Performing on the main stage will be one of Britain’s most lauded rising stars Self Esteem, fronted solely by singer Rebecca Lucy Taylor. Her sophomore album, 2021’s Prioritise Pleasure has achieved much critical acclaim, being named ‘Album of the Year’ from both The Times and The Guardian, with the latter naming hypnotic lead single I Do This All The Time ‘Best Song of 2021’.

Two-time Emmy award-winning political commentator, comedy writer and director and Armando Iannucci OBE will join the line-up, renowned for his highly satirical work and being a tour de force in the British comedy scene with his HBO political show ‘Veep’ and feature films ‘The Death of Stalin’ and ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’. He will be at KITE in conversation about his latest book Pandemonium which is an epic mock-heroic poem about Britain, Brexit and Covid.

Needing no introduction, world renowned evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins also joins the bill. Somewhat aptly for a festival called KITE, Dawkins will deliver a keynote address inspired by his latest book ‘Flights of Fancy’.

The Ideas programme at KITE is curated by Tortoise Media, whose podcast ‘Sweet Bobby’, about a mind-blowing catfishing scam, topped the podcast charts on both sides of the Atlantic late last year. Kirat Assi, the woman at the centre of it all, will be live on stage at KITE in conversation with Alexi Mostrous, the investigative reporter who told her story.

Julia Hobsbawm, British entrepreneur and writer of critically acclaimed books including ‘The Simplicity Principle’ and ‘The Nowhere Office’ also joins the line-up. Hobsbawm will take part in a ThinkIn about the future of work post-pandemic. Tortoise editor and author Matt d’Ancona will host a number of sessions including a ThinkIn with Jon Alexander of New Citizenship Project Citizens and Turkish journalist Ece Temelkuran on the future of democracy. 

And superstar public health scientist Devi Sridhar will be in conversation about her now book ‘PREVENTABLE’, which will take audiences right inside the key decisions that determined the outcomes of the Covid pandemic and explain how to prevent another one.

The bandstand will host performers like guitarist and songwriter Jelly Cleaver who is quickly rising to the top of the London jazz and indie DIY scene for the slinky, emotive sizzle in her music. Further acclaimed music acts include Plumm, Lunch Special, and Amy Gadiaga.

The Skylark Social Stage will host an eclectic array of activity; watch the anarchic comedy cabaret act Blow My Wig, meet the poet Gboyega Odbunjo, listen to acclaimed singer songwriter Bianca Rose and the KITE Choir and dance to all types of feel good music from every corner of the world with Everybody Love to Boogie and Shakara Soul, in addition to meeting the authors, getting a book signed, searching of that elusive record and enjoying a coffee.