Cap Times Idea Fest tickets are on sale!

If you missed Idea Fest last year, it was two days of lively talks on everything from politics to the economy, journalism and culture. Check captimesideafest.com for the full schedule of sessions on Sept. 13-14, but I can tell you now that featured speakers include authors Chloe Benjamin and Blair Braverman, Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro and his brother, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, columnist and podcast host Ana Marie Cox, political scientist Katherine Cramer, Epic CEO Judy Faulkner, former Appeals Court Judge Paul Higginbotham, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, former U.S. Rep. Scott Klug, New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, and star Washington Post journalists Carol Leonnig, Alexandra Petri, David Maraniss and Catherine Rampell.

Paul Fanlund’s recent column has more session details, and you should know that there will be fun events, too, like a Smarter Than You Trivia session on the 13th before that evening’s keynote event and an improv comedy performance by Monkey Business Institute on the evening of the 14th. Two days before the festival starts on Sept. 11, our movie critic, Rob Thomas, will host a special Cap Times Classic Movie Chat about “All the President’s Men” at Marcus Point Cinema. We’ve collected information about all those events here.

Festival passes are on sale now through Campus Arts Ticketing, and those give you access to all the events described above, plus a free festival T-shirt while supplies last. All-weekend passes cost $40 (all taxes and fees included) and Saturday-only passes cost $30. Cap Times members at the Standard and Premier levels get a 50 percent discount on tickets. More information on membership is available here, including links to sign up.

Check captimesideafest.com for more information. For specific questions, please email us at captimesideafest@gmail.com.