Celebrating the fantastic culture and entertainment that news brands bring readers every day, Newsworks is hosting a three-day extravaganza of fashion, food & drink and live music at the UK’s leading festival of marketing, advertising and disruption. 

We’re transforming the legendary 93 Feet East club into our very own Speakeasy. Attendees will be able to take time out from the packed agenda to enjoy our very special lunchtime sessions with some of the UK’s top culture journalists, as well as cool beats and a cocktail or two at our late afternoon Sundowners. 

Whether you want to get close to the catwalk and learn about the latest fashion trends, taste the best wines from our well-known critics, or listen to one of the UK’s most hotly anticipated musicians at our exclusive gig, the Speakeasy will be the place to be during MAD//Fest. 

Tuesday – Pre-loved fashion

Get to our Speakeasy early to secure your front row seat for a catwalk show like no other — the first of our sessions will showcase the best of pre-loved fashion. Featuring our Speakeasy supermodels from across the media industry, the show will bring the best of pre-loved to 93 Feet East, and you will be able to vote on your favourite outfit. 

Our expert panel of fashionistas, hosted by the Mirror’s assistant head of social Pandora Forsyth, will discuss the latest trends in sustainable fashion. Love Island star and fashion influencer Tasha Ghouri will be joined with self-confessed eBay obsessive and the company’s pre-loved style director Amy Bannerman, who has styled the likes of Dua Lipa and Rita Ora. Karen Dacre is fashion director at Style and has interviewed designers from Karl Lagerfeld to Stella McCartney. We also have celebrity style editor for Fabulous and Steph’s Packed Lunch fashion expert Nana Acheampong.

And if that’s not enough, join us at our Sundowner DJ set from 4pm, so you can end your afternoon with laid-back beats and cool cocktails. 

Wednesday — Tasters and tipples

After a morning of inspiring speakers at MAD//Fest, what better way to delight your taste buds than with our lunchtime sampling session. Social media food sensation Seema Pankhania will be wowing hungry delegates with her unique tasting selection, drawing on her experience at Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat and the dishes she creates for her 1.3 million followers on TikTok. 

Meanwhile, Seema will be joined by a host of other food experts for a mouth-watering discussion on the best in food and drink, as well as a sample of light and fruity summer tipples and big, bold crowd pleasers. Rob Buckhaven is Metro’s drinks editor, a former wine consultant and author of drinks book ‘The Alcorithm’. Jimi Famurewa is the restaurant critic at the Evening Standard and a regular guest judge on the BBC One’s MasterChef. The panel will also feature The Telegraph’s editor of food Amy Bryant and will be hosted once more by Pandora Forsyth. 

Our Food & Drink Sundowner session is hosted by Glastonbury and Bestival regular DJ Emma. So, kick back, have a signature cocktail or two and enjoy the music.

Thursday — Turn up and tune in

Last but not least, we’re bringing you something a bit special. Tom A. Smith may only be a teenager, but he’s already played crowds from Kendal Calling to Glastonbury and with acts from Sam Fender to Catfish and the Bottlemen. Tom will be in conversation with Pandora Forsyth about his music and the artists that get him buzzing. He will then perform an exclusive 20-minute acoustic set. With fans from across the music industry including a certain Sir Elton John, we’re in for a real treat. 

To join us at our Speakeasy, you first need to purchase a ticket for MAD//Fest and download the festival app to access your ticket. It’s first come, first served, so make sure you sure get there early. See you there!