Swindon's first TEDx event announced for the Town Hall in June

On 1 April 2026 two Swindon organisers, Debbie Bryan and Rob Jandy, set out their plans for TEDx Railway Village, to be held at the Town Hall, the home of Swindon Dance, in the town centre. It was described as Swindon's first independently organised TEDx event.

The event was due to take place on Friday 19 June, starting at 9.30am. Under TEDx rules each speaker was to have 12 minutes on stage.

How many people could go?

The licence limited in-person attendance to 100 in the first year. Tickets started at £35 and the talks were also to be streamed online. Afterwards the talks were due to be professionally edited and uploaded through TED's official channels.

Swindon24 reported that more than 120 would-be speakers could not be fitted in, and that the team was still looking for sponsors. Planned subjects included heritage, stress, laughter, yoga and communication from aid missions.

Ms Bryan, who said she had given a TEDx talk in Canada two years earlier, described the size of the job: "It's an elephant. We took on an elephant rather than taking on a rabbit."

Mr Jandy said: "This is the start of something very special."

Why the Town Hall?

The organisers said the venue was chosen for its location, acoustics and technology. They were working with Swindon Dance and Create Studios to keep catering and suppliers local.

They hoped a larger licence in future years would remove the cap on tickets and let the event grow into a festival lasting several days.

TED began as a conference in 1984 and has licensed independently organised events since 2009.

Source: Swindon24.