Voices of Faith, a pioneering new addition to the UK’s cultural calendar, has announced the full programme for its second annual festival, taking place from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th of March 2026 at the Barbican Centre.

Presented by Kamini and Vindi Banga Family Trust, and produced by Teamwork Arts, producer of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, JLF London at the British Library and many other cultural experiences, Voices of Faith explores the interconnectedness and universality of faith across the world.

It brings together belief, philosophies of faith, art, science and rational thought to awaken curiosity and foster enduring ties with empathy. Through conversations, insight, music and foods that heal, the festival aims to collectively explore a path towards compassion, encompassing the ancient ideals of goodness that religions have universally originated from.

Featuring internationally renowned writers, thinkers and scholars, the 2026 edition includes Marcus du Sautoy, Simonyi Professor at the University of Oxford and author; Rabbi Jonathan Romain MBE, writer, broadcaster and Convenor of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain; Georgina Godwin, broadcast journalist and presenter for Monocle Radio; Rohinton Fali Nariman, former Solicitor General of India, former Justice of the Indian Supreme Court and Parsi priest; Mishal Husain, renowned broadcast journalist and author; Haji Syed Salman Chishty, Chairman of the Chishty Foundation and hailing from the esteemed Chishty family of Dargah Ajmer Sharif, one of the most important Sufi shrines in the world; Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, internationally renowned scholar and author of Sikh studies; Mandeep Rai, author and broadcast journalist; and Roger Highfield OBE, Science Director of the Science Museum Group, Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford and UCL, author, and journalist.

Founded as a digital-only initiative that saw over 60,000 audience members and 330,000 views during the Covid-19 pandemic, the first on-ground edition of the festival was held at the Barbican Centre in 2025, with many sold-out events and an eminent line-up of speakers, including Barnaby Rogerson, Reza Aslan and Soumik Datta.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural festival, in March 2026 Voices of Faith will again transform the Barbican Centre into a dynamic, cross-cultural space, bringing together leading authors and voices from faith, science, culture and the arts.

This year’s programme features a range of topics, including understanding Judaism today; the intersection of faith and modernity; science, law, philosophy and public discourse; pluralism and coexistence across traditions; the role of art, music and storytelling in shaping spiritual imagination; and faith in action, lived practice, ethics and responsibility.

Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, said: “At a time when public discourse is increasingly polarized, Voices of Faith seeks to create a space for listening, empathy and an inquiry into the understanding of Faith.

With this second edition at the Barbican, we bring together thinkers from across traditions – science and spirituality, law and philosophy, art and lived practice, to explore how belief systems continue to shape our moral imagination and public life. Voices of Faith is a festival of dialogue. It is an invitation to rediscover compassion as a civic value and to engage with the deeper questions that bind humanity across cultures and continents.”

Kamini Banga, Chair of The Kamini & Vindi Banga Trust said: “Voices of Faith is an attempt at an Awakening- an initiative to educate people on the origins and tenets of most of the faiths in our world. Most of us grew up without an informed understanding of our faith- even as we adopted its rituals and so called beliefs.

Today, we are bringing together scholars of faith, scientists, cultural leaders to share their perspectives on different faiths. This is important as beneath the diversity of religions and traditions lies a shared commitment to compassion, dignity, and goodness.

These conversations will hopefully remind us of what connects us rather than what separates us. And create a movement of compassion and humanity which will be so important in a growingly fractious and divided world.”