File Photo/The Cougar
The Texas Tribune Festival is returning to downtown Austin on Sept. 5-7 for its 14th year of sparking conversations about Texas’ current political climate and issues.
This year, notable figures like Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney and Wes Moore will be in attendance following some of Houston’s own leaders like Former Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Former Harris County prosecutor Sean Teare and Rep. Dan Crenshaw.
With over 300 speakers and more than 100 panels, attendees can expect to be exposed to different viewpoints following one of America’s most unpredictable elections.
TribFest lets Texans come together to wrestle with current politics and policy decisions and do so in an environment where ideas may be different than one’s own, said Texas Tribune Senior Director of Events and Live Journalism Matt Ewalt.
Despite being in Austin, TribFest provides several opportunities for Houstonians to learn more about their city but also explore other pressing issues around Texas.
Even if politics might be an overwhelming topic to digest, Tribfest provides different avenues where policy, politics and other forms of decision-making can be discussed.
“The festival is for any student, any Texan, who has an interest in the future of their communities, their state, their world, whether it’s directly through politics, the arts or some other kind of public service,” said Ewalt.
Some panels that might interest Houston students include Hidalgo’s panel with Greg Hansch on her struggles with depression and mental health, ProPublica’s discussion of the rhetoric used on the border and Stacey Abrams’ session on voting rights and threats to democracy.
UH’s political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus will also moderate a session with Texas A&M’s retiring Chancellor John Sharp and Former Governor Rick Perry.
“As an extension of the Tribune’s journalism, it’s an opportunity to hear from people, but also to ask questions directly of our public officials and others and to hold our public officials accountable,” Ewalt said. “That accountability is critical to the way the festival functions.”
The first two days of the festival are filled with panels, book signings and networking events while the final day on Sept. 7 ends with an Open Congress between 7th and 11th street in downtown Austin.
Student tickets are available at a discount for $50.
The Open Congress on Sept.7 is free and does not require a festival ticket.
For more information on the schedule, click here.
