Enter Scotland’s Economics Festival, a three-day gathering that promises to do something different: bring big, accessible, progressive economic ideas directly to the public. Running from 19-21 March 2026 in the historic port district of Leith, Edinburgh, the festival is designed to challenge assumptions, bust myths, and inspire practical alternatives that put people, place, and planet first.
The event, organised by political economist William Thomson, is the ambitious evolution of earlier Scotonomics events. The team has created something distinctly Scottish, a mix of public debate, comedy and economics in welcoming venues where heterodox thinkers, campaigners, and curious citizens can explore how the economy really works, and how it could work better. There is even a promise to keep jargon to a minimum.
The festival’s mission is clear. In a time of economic uncertainty and growing inequality, it creates ‘a space to step back, ask big questions, and hear big ideas from fresh perspectives’. Rooted in the belief that ‘the economy should serve people, place, and planet’, the festival participants reject gatekeeping. No PhDs required. No dry lectures. Instead, expect lively panels, conversations, workshops, films, and even an ‘Economists vs Comedians’ showdown – all delivered in plain language.
Where and when
The action centres on Leith, Edinburgh’s vibrant, waterfront neighbourhood undergoing its own economic reinvention. Thursday 19 March kicks off at the Leith Dockers Club with a headline keynote. Friday and Saturday shift to the atmospheric Out of the Blue Drill Hall, with additional sessions at nearby Round the World Studios. Venues are chosen deliberately: community-focused, accessible spaces that reflect the festival’s ethos of economic democracy in action.
All Thursday and Friday sessions will be livestreamed and available on-demand for three months via the Online Pass. Saturday’s free public events (including the acclaimed MMT documentary Finding the Money and Steve Keen’s housing crisis talk) extend the reach even further. Whether you are in Glasgow, the Highlands, or halfway across the world, participation is possible.
The lineup: Heavyweights and fresh voices
Over 20 sessions feature an impressive roster of international and Scottish talent.
Highlights include:
- Professor John Harvey, the self-styled ‘Cowboy economist’ from Texas Christian University, delivering Thursday’s opening keynote: ‘Riding Through the Wild Frontier of Economic Thought’. Harvey returns for multiple panels, including myth-busting with Professor Steve Keen and William Thomson.
- Steve Keen, one of the world’s most prominent critics of neoclassical economics, tackling everything from housing crises to the top ten myths holding back progress.
- Professor Richard Murphy, the tireless campaigner for tax justice, in conversation on building a fair and sustainable economy.
- John Merrick (The Break-Down), Laurie Macfarlane (Future Economy Scotland), and Kathie Pollard (Scottish Land Commission) examining how land, ecology, and economics collide.
- Voices from the Democracy Collaborative – including Joe Guinan, Neil McInroy, Thomas Hanna, and Kali Akuno (Co-founder of Cooperation Jackson) – bringing cutting-edge thinking on community wealth building and economic democracy.
- MMT advocates Patricia Pino (on the Job Guarantee) and Phil Armstrong, alongside Emma Holten (feminist economics), Ben Wray, Daniel Hind, Claire Godfrey (Balanced Economy Project), and many more.
Sessions span urgent topics: historical economic injustice and breaking the cycle; the politics of austerity; constraining corporate power; wealth inequality and taxation in Scotland; platform capitalism and the gig economy; war profits; societal collapse risks; and Adam Smith’s moral philosophy. Yes, the festival honours Scotland’s own economic heritage while critiquing its misuse.
The programme blends formats – keynotes, panels, intimate ‘in conversation’ slots, films, and even comedy – to keep energy high and ideas distilling.
Why this festival matters now
Scotland, like much of the world, faces intersecting crises: a cost-of-living emergency, climate targets slipping, and political debate trapped in narrow fiscal rules.
The speakers refuse the ‘there is no alternative’ mantra. Instead, the festival showcases credible, evidence-based alternatives – Modern Monetary Theory, post-growth economics, community wealth building, land reform, and feminist economics – grounded in real-world data and lived experience.
Crucially, the festival is unapologetically progressive, yet rigorously practical. It draws on Scotland’s radical traditions – from the Highland Clearances to the Red Clydeside – while inviting global perspectives. As one organiser put it, this is not about small tweaks; it’s about “rethinking, reclaiming, and reshaping the economy for a fairer future.”
Who should go? Everyone
The target audience is broad: curious citizens who follow the news and wonder ‘why is everything so expensive?’; campaigners tired of marching without winning; policy wonks seeking heterodox insights; students; community organisers; and even open-minded business leaders. Group discounts are available, and ticketing is deliberately fair.
Pricing reflects the values: concession tickets (anyone can choose this), standard (to break even), and solidarity (to subsidise others and grow the festival). Individual talks start from as little as the price of a pint. Festival passes offer best value. Book via the official site. A downloadable full programme PDF is already live.
Don’t miss Scotland’s economics moment
Leith in March 2026 will buzz with debate, connection, and – crucially – hope.
In a political landscape dominated by soundbites and spreadsheets, this festival offers something rarer: serious, accessible economics for the rest of us. Whether you attend in person amid the dockside energy or join online from your sofa, you will leave equipped with fresh questions, new allies, and concrete ideas for change.
Scotland has long punched above its weight in economic thought. This March, the conversation moves from lecture halls to the people’s venues. If you believe the economy is too important to leave to the experts alone, clear your diary.
Scotland’s Economics Festival is coming. Big ideas are landing in Leith.
Will you be there?
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