What to expect from London Podcast Festival 2024!

The 9th edition of the London Podcast Festival starts today! The festival is taking place at Kings Place London between 5 and 15 September 2024.

Since its first year Kings Place has welcomed 60,000 visitors and 700 podcasters to the London Podcast Festival – a festival focused on exceptional experiences for podcasters and fan communities, celebrating the artform of podcasting.

The festival is spread across all of Kings Place’s three performance spaces, ground-floor Podcast Lounge, bar, restaurant, and canal terrace and attendees can enjoy multiple events in one day while networking with the podcast community.

Photograph: Viktor Erik Emanuel

The festival has a wide variety of shows with some big names – Jameela Jamil, Like Minded Friends with Tom Allen & Suzi Ruffell, Beef and Dairy Network, Three Bean Salad, Big Kick Energy with Maisie Adam and Suzi Ruffell and The Guilty Feminist, to name just a small number of the acts.

This year the festival has been curated by Kings Place’s Spoken Word Programme Manager & Festival Producer Rebecca Millican so we asked Rebecca to tell us a bit more about what people can expect from the festival…

Kings Place Spoken Word Programme Manager & Festival Producer, Rebecca Millican

The festival start date has arrived! Which shows are you most excited about seeing this year?

I’ve really tried to find something for everyone this year, so we’ve got quite a few different genres within the festival. Personally, I love a history podcast, so I’m really excited for The Ancients, This is History and The History Hotline. The History Hotline is a great show from Deanna Lyn Cook. She creates a space to have honest conversations about Black history and how it impacts the world we live in. For her live show, she’ll be joined by black feminist historian, Dr Jade Bentil. We’ve also got something for film lovers in Frank Film Club with Maisie Williams, casting director Hannah Williams, and filmmaker Lowri Roberts as they discuss all kinds of films from box office smashes to little known independent films.

There are many exciting opportunities for podcast fans to catch their favourite shows during the festival, but is there anything specifically tailored to new or aspiring podcasters?

The Podcast Maker events are always an essential part of the festival – it’s important to us that we’re not only showcasing existing talent, but supporting the development of aspiring podcasters. They’re a great way to learn how to create a variety of podcasts, from 7 Steps to Making a Comedy Podcast to Interview Success Secrets. You’ve also got From Mic to Money, giving you advice on how to turn passions into profit and Mic: Back to Basics for the logistical approach, talking you through microphone basics, picking the right one and mic technique. You’ll be ready to start your own podcast in no time!

Photograph: Viktor Erik Emanuel

For those unable to attend in person, are there ways for people to tune in from home?

There are! We have quite a few shows that are available on KPlayer this year, our in-house streaming service. We’ve got the food-focused podcast Dish with Nick Grimshaw & Angela Hartnett, the hilarious Three Bean Salad, Beef and Dairy Network and the movie mad show The Weekly Planet.

There are some big names taking the stage again this year – The Guilty Feminist, The Allusionist, and The Empire Film Podcast to name a few – but we’re also excited about the diverse range of lesser known shows you have in the lineup. Are there any hidden gems you think our readers might enjoy seeing?

We really like to give up and coming podcasts a voice at the festival. It’s an essential part of the community we try and build upon year on year. This year I’m really excited about Mixed Up with Emma Slade Edmondson and Nicole Ocran. They’ll be discussing belonging and identity through the lens of the mixed-race experience with their incredible guests Jordan Stephens, Ayamé Ponder and Fola Evans-Akingbola.

We’ve also got the live debut of Tom Crowley’s sketch and character show Crowley Time with me, Tom Crowley. He’ll be bringing a brand-new original story entitled ‘The DiPoni Contingency’.

Photograph: Viktor Erik Emanuel

Is there anything else that you want to tell us about the festival?

In a personal sense, I’ve been working on the festival for the past 6 years as an Associate Producer. I’ve programmed a few shows here and there but this is the first year I’ll be programming the entire festival, so it’s a really special year for me. I’m really excited to welcome a lot of new faces in the podcasting world, and celebrate those who have been with us for years.

Where can Pod Bible readers find out more information about the festival?

You can find the full line up of shows on our website. We’ll also be announcing special guests from our socials @LondonPodFest on X and @londonpodfest on our Instagram.