FT Weekend Brings Lively Intellectual Exchange to Kennedy Center
By • May 12, 2025 One Comment 413
The Financial Times transformed the Kennedy Center’s Reach Auditorium into a vibrant intellectual salon on Saturday for its annual FT Weekend Festival. The elegant space buzzed with conversation as attendees—many Georgetown residents among them—navigated six themed stages featuring renowned authors, entrepreneurs and policy experts.
The nine-hour program offered attendees the opportunity to select up to nine panels from an impressive lineup that included acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hinge founder Justin McLeod, and the White House’s Chief Science and Technology Policy Officer Michael Kratsios.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie signing her new book, Dream Count.
At the 11 a.m. program, guests found themselves choosing between a conversation with the new UK ambassador and a panel exploring the modern gender divide and male loneliness epidemic. By noon, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes held court discussing his new book on market capitalism, while around the corner experts debated the merits and risks of cryptocurrencies. For those seeking a midday respite from weightier topics, panels on classical literature’s resurgence and the defining influence of preppy fashion on American style proved unexpectedly substantive. With multiple compelling options in just one time slot, attendees faced pleasantly difficult dilemmas of which panel to pick next throughout the day.
The most engaging discussions tackled the thorny questions head-on. At the timely session “Public Media in Peril?” NPR President Katherine Maher addressed public media’s future just a week after President Trump’s executive order to rescind her company’s funding. Moderator Christopher Grimes skillfully guided this timely conversation beyond immediate headlines to broader questions of media consumption, resulting in a discussion both thoughtful and grounded. At the timeliness of the panel, Maher wryly noted, “Everyone loves a clickable headline,” drawing knowing laughter from the audience.
The attendees themselves—often hurrying between venues—created connections that rivaled the formal programming in value. Seat mates became fast friends while comparing notes on upcoming panels. The mostly-local crowd moved easily from discussions of global politics to discovering they lived just blocks from one another in the District.
Anthony Scaramucci speaks in a session titled “Myths and monsters: The anthropology of modern America” alongside Gillian Tett, an FT columnist.
As the festival concluded, an eclectic mix of professionals, intellectuals and even one high school student departed together, continuing conversations that had begun inside.
While many have stepped back from news consumption in recent years, there’s undeniable value in experiencing “the FT’s weekend paper come to life.” Engaging with ideas face-to-face alongside fellow community members offers a richness that digital discourse cannot match. For Washingtonians seeking intellectual stimulation and meaningful connection, this gathering proved well worth the investment of a spring Saturday.
The next FTWeekend Festival is scheduled for May 9, 2026. Tickets will be available at ftweekend.com, with early registration recommended as this year’s event reached capacity.
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