Festival of Dangerous Ideas (FODI) is proud to announce the return of Danielle Harvey as Festival Director for her fifth edition – this time, in a full-time role. This significant step forward for the festival is made possible through the visionary support of patron Bill Manos, who has backed Harvey's appointment to ensure FODI remains a platform for bold ideas, fearless art and necessary conversations.
At a time when public discourse is under increasing threat and cultural spaces are shrinking, FODI is pushing back – deepening its commitment to discomfort, debate, and risk.
"Now is not the time to retreat from difficult conversations," says Bill Manos. "We need art, ideas, and people like Danielle more than ever – people who will ask the uncomfortable questions, stage the challenging works, and refuse to look away."
Harvey, widely regarded as one of Australia's most daring and original cultural programmers, returns with a renewed vision to stretch the festival's creative boundaries even further. Her appointment as full-time Festival Director marks a pivotal evolution for FODI – one that places provocation at the centre of its mission.
"To have someone like Bill stand behind this kind of work is rare – and essential," says Danielle Harvey. "His belief in my vision allows us to double down at a time when others are pulling back. I'm deeply grateful for his trust and support."
Known for her instinctive, genre-defying curatorial style, Harvey has long blurred the lines between performance, politics and provocation.
"FODI has always existed to disrupt the comfortable and comfort the disrupted," she adds. "I'm honoured to return full-time – and the first thing I'm doing is launching an artist call-out. Because sometimes, danger is best done with art."
The call-out invites artists across performance, installation, digital, spoken word and other disciplines to submit proposals for inclusion alongside the programmed talks schedule at FODI 2026. Harvey's full-time role – backed by Manos – ensures FODI continues to be a vital platform for urgent voices and risky ideas.
Harvey's return is more than a programming shift – it's a statement.
"The Festival of Dangerous Ideas plays a critical role in our cultural and civic life – it was created in anticipation of a time in which the space allowed for principled disagreement would be subject to unrelenting pressure – from all sides. We now live in such a time," says Dr. Simon Longstaff, Executive Director of The Ethics Centre, the presenter of FODI. "Danielle Harvey returning full time is a tremendous win for the Festival and its future. We're deeply grateful to Bill Manos for his generous support, which ensures FODI remains a forum where it is safe to engage with ideas that challenge and ultimately redefine what counts as 'conventional wisdom'."
Danielle Harvey's past work spans institutions and independent productions, including Sydney Opera House, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, Bundanon and immersive experiences such as A Midnight Visit and Eternityland. She is the founder of many festivals including BingeFest, Make Good and Antidote, former co-curator of All About Women, and Executive Producer of acclaimed podcasts It's A Long Story and Little Bad Thing.
The next edition of FODI will take place from 21–23 August 2026 in Sydney, promising a program of live performance, panels, installations and cultural provocations that challenge, confront and inspire.
