About the Festival
The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival brings together journalists, newsmakers, and innovators from around the country to talk about the issues that are animating our cultural conversations. The festival has included live recordings of television and podcasts from organizations such as The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Pushkin, NPR and PBS; as well as community meetups, meet-and-greets, food trucks, DJs, and more.
The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival will take place May 31, 2025, at the Amazon Meeting Center, 2031 Seventh Ave. Seattle, WA 98121.
2024 Speakers

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Malcolm Gladwell

Heather Cox Richardson

Lindy West

David Hogg

Nada Bashir

Hanna Rosin

Mo Elleithee

Dr. Jason Johnson

Charlie Warzel

Elahe Izadi

Patrick Radden Keefe

David Greene

Martine Powers

Sarah Isgur

Guy Branum

Vinson Cunningham

David Rind

Meagan Hatcher-Mays

Alexandra Schwartz

Celeste Headlee

Naomi Fry

Megan McArdle

Shadi Hamid

Kate Linebaugh

Ryan Knutson

Molly Ball

Dr. Babak Sarani
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Highlights




Programming
The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival offers a program that provides a wide spectrum of viewpoints, experiences and affiliations, and welcomes members of many communities. We are sensitive to the fact that some opinions and conversations may make audience members feel uncomfortable. As a public media organization, we are responsible to act as a neutral mediator. We do not endorse the policies or opinions of our guests. However, we believe that the best way to bridge our divides is to hear from people with whom we might disagree, even vehemently, and to ask each other hard questions.