The WBUR Festival: Full Schedule

9:30am EDT

Signal and Noise

Friday May 30, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am EDT

FitRec Center (915 Commonwealth Ave) @ 905 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING

The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg and Kara Swisher talk Trump and the media — in a live taping of her podcast On.

Speakers

Jeffrey Goldberg

Editor in chief, The Atlantic

Jeffrey Goldberg is the editor in chief of The Atlantic, and the moderator of Washington Week With The Atlantic on PBS. Goldberg is the 15th person to serve as editor in chief in The Atlantic's 167-year history. Under Goldberg’s leadership, The Atlantic has won the first three Pulitzer... Read More →

Kara Swisher

Journalist & Host, On with Kara Swisher

Kara Swisher is an American journalist. She has covered the business of the internet since 1994. As of 2023, Swisher was a contributing editor at New York Magazine, the host of the podcast On with Kara Swisher, and the co-host of the podcast Pivot. In 2014, she co-founded Vox Media's... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
FitRec Center (915 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping, Politics

10:00am EDT

Amicus

Friday May 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave) @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
In this live taping of Amicus, co-host Mark Joseph Stern is joined by legal scholar Jed Handelsman Shugerman to unpack the escalating power struggle between the Supreme Court and Donald Trump. Much of the legal and political chaos of 2025 can be traced back to Chief Justice Roberts’ sweeping 2024 immunity ruling, a decision that expanded presidential power, limited accountability, and set the stage for everything we’re watching unfold now. With major SCOTUS opinions coming down this June, the question is: Will the justices push back against Trump, or protect their own power?

In partnership with

Speakers

Jed Shugerman

Professor & Harry Elwood Warren Scholar, Boston University School of Law

Jed Handelsman Shugerman is a professor and Harry Elwood Warren Research Scholar at Boston University School of Law. He received his B.A., J.D., and Ph.D. (History) from Yale. He is currently working on a book “A Faithful President: The Founders v. the Originalists,” questioning... Read More →

Mark Joseph Stern

Senior Writer, Slate

Mark Joseph Stern is a senior writer covering courts and the law for Slate Magazine. Based in Washington, DC, he has covered the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate and district courts, and state and local courts since 2013. He holds a JD from the Georgetown University... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping, Politics

2:30pm EDT

On Point

Friday May 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave) @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
This will be a bonus episode of On Point’s landmark series, “Falling Behind: The Miseducation of America’s Boys.” Boston’s first Chief Behavioral Health Officer shares his insights on why boys behave the way they do and what they need.

Speakers

Meghna Chakrabarti

Host, On Point, WBUR

Meghna Chakrabarti is the award-winning host and editor of On Point. Based in Boston, she is on the air Monday through Friday.On Point has been frequently recognized for excellence in journalism under Meghna's leadership.Chakrabarti is the former host of Radio Boston, WBUR’s acclaimed... Read More →

Dr. Kevin Simon

Chief Behavioral Health Officer, City of Boston & Pediatric Addiction Medicine Psychiatrist, Boston Children's Hospital

Dr. Kevin M. Simon is the City of Boston’s inaugural Chief Behavioral Health Officer, leading and advising on mental health strategies through the Boston Public Health Commission. A triple board-certified psychiatrist and physician-scientist at Boston Children’s Hospital, he is... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping, Health

4:00pm EDT

Design Matters

Friday May 30, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave) @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
A deep dive into how a leading scholar, poet, and advocate for AI justice designs her life.

Sponsored by

Speakers

Joy Buolamwini

Founder, Algorithmic Justice League & Poet of Code

Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to create a world with more equitable and accountable technology. Her TED Featured... Read More →

Debbie Millman

Host, Design Matters

Debbie Millman is the host of Design Matters, one of the first and longest running podcasts in the world. She is also Chair of the first-ever Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts, Editorial Director of PrintMag.com, an Executive Fellow at the Harvard Business School... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping, Arts & Culture

12:00pm EDT

Atlas Obscura

Saturday May 31, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave) @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
Explore hidden wonders and extraordinary places — from the other side of the world to the forgotten corners of your own backyard. Curiosity required, passport optional.

In partnership with

Speakers

Susan Wilson

House Historian, Omni Parker House

Susan Wilson is a professional writer, photographer, and public historian. She is the official House Historian of the Omni Parker House, an Alumna Scholar at the Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University, and an Honorary Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society... Read More →

Dylan Thuras

Co-founder, Atlas Obscura

Dylan Thuras is the Co-Founder of Atlas Obscura, the co-author of the Atlas Obscura book, and the host of the AO Youtube series 100 Wonders.

Saturday May 31, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping

1:00pm EDT

Casuals with Katie Nolan

Saturday May 31, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT

CFA Concert Hall (855 Commonwealth Ave) @ 855B Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
A sports podcast for everyone, from the sports-curious to the sports-obsessed.

Speakers

Jared Carrabis

Baseball Content Creator

Jared Carrabis is a baseball content creator and Boston Red Sox fan known for his in-depth commentary. He started a Red Sox blog on MySpace in 2006, moved to Twitter, and was eventually syndicated by Barstool Sports. He later left Barstool for DraftKings, where he hosts the Baseball... Read More →

Katie Nolan

Podcast, SiriusXM

A sports podcast for everyone from the sports-curious to the sports-obsessed, Casuals covers the wide world of sports and everything it touches — especially the stories that bridge sports and pop culture — without getting into the analytics and X’s and O’s talk that can feel... Read More →

Saturday May 31, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
CFA Concert Hall (855 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping

1:30pm EDT

Sing for Science with Josh Ritter & Avi Loeb

Saturday May 31, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave) @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
The singer-songwriter and a Harvard astrophysicist will join Sing for Science host Matt Whyte for a live recording that blends music, storytelling and cosmic curiosity.

Sponsored by

Speakers

Avi Loeb

Astrophysicist, Harvard University

Abraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University and a bestselling author (in lists of the New York Times,Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, L'Express and more). He received a PhD in Physics from the Hebrew University... Read More →

Josh Ritter

Musician & Author

One of today’s most thoughtful and prolific voices, Josh Ritter has released ten studio albums including 2019’s widely acclaimed, Fever Breaks, of which NPR Music praised, “He remains a hydrant of ideas while embodying an endless capacity for empathy and indignation, often within... Read More →

Matt Whyte

Host, Sing for Science

Sing for Science is an award winning, Top 10 Music Interview Podcast on Apple’s charts where musicians talk about science with scientists, scholars, and science journalists. Past episodes include Korn front man Jonathan Davis and science writer Mary Roach on mortuary science, SIA... Read More →

Saturday May 31, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping, Arts & Culture

3:00pm EDT

Decoder Ring

Saturday May 31, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave) @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
Boston may not be one of the biggest U.S. cities, but in Hollywood, it looms large. How did a city significantly smaller than El Paso and Fort Worth—to say nothing of Phoenix and Houston—become the backdrop for a whole subgenre of films? Decoder Ring host Willa Paskin goes live with Ty Burr, Lisa Simmons, and more to unpack how the Boston Movie became a thing...and why can’t we stop making them.

In partnership with

Speakers

Willa Paskin

Host, Decoder Ring, Slate

Willa Paskin is the host of the Decoder Ring podcast. She previously worked at Salon and Vulture. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago.

Saturday May 31, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping

4:30pm EDT

Vibe Check

Saturday May 31, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave) @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
This experience will feel like your favorite group chat come to life, as the hosts explore what’s going on in news and culture and how it all feels.

In partnership with

Speakers

Vibe Check

Podcast, SiriusXM

A weekly podcast where Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford make sense of what’s going on in news and culture – and how it all feels. Vibe Check is your favorite group chat, come to life.

Saturday May 31, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping

6:00pm EDT

Wild Card with Kathleen Hanna

Saturday May 31, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center (685 Commonwealth Ave) @ 685 US-20, Boston, MA 02215, USA

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
Actors, writers and musicians open up about their fears, their joys and how they've built meaning from experience – all with the help of a very special deck of cards.

Sponsored by

Speakers

Kathleen Hanna

Musician, Writer, Artist & Frontwoman, Bikini Kill & Le Tigre

Kathleen Hanna is a punk singer, writer, artist, and the front-woman of the influential bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Her memoir Rebel Girl was an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. Hanna is a staple in feminist publications, from college curriculums to bestselling... Read More →

Rachel Martin

Host, Wild Card, NPR

Part-interview, part-existential game show – this is Wild Card from NPR. Host Rachel Martin rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life's biggest questions. Rachel takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation... Read More →

Saturday May 31, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center (685 Commonwealth Ave)

Live podcast taping, Arts & Culture