The Oxford Literary Festival (OLF) brings together leading authors, scientists and public figures from around the world, in a magnificent setting in the central university area of Oxford each year.

This year, the Festival’s 28th edition starts on the 29th of March 2025 and will run for nine days, until the 6th of April. With a line-up of over 350 events, created by OLF’s Director Sally Dunsmore, the Festival promises to be a platform that nurtures intellectual curiosity, debate and freedom of speech; exploring themes such as Perspective, Faith, History, Environment & Nature, Technology and Voices of Europe, to name a few.

For the third consecutive year, Instituto Cervantes London is a proud collaborator of the OLF’s 30th anniversary, coordinating the Spanish and Latin American Programme.

“The World’s Greatest Chef” Ferran Adrià, Head of the legendary Michelin three-star restaurant elBulli, Visiting Professor at Harvard and MIT, debuts at The Oxford Literary Festival.

As part of the programme, Spanish chef, author and entrepreneur, Ferran Adrià will join the inaugural day of the Festival as a Guest Speaker on Saturday 29th at 12:00pm.

Culinary Alchemy & Creativity
Born in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain, Ferran Adrià is considered to be one of the best and most innovative chefs in the world. Featured on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of our times and deemed as an alchemist and a genius by the press, Ferran is known for his revolutionary gastronomic philosophy — with the sensory experience of the meal at its core —. He introduced the concept of “avant-garde cuisine”, which incorporates innovative scientific and technical principles into the preparation and presentation of the food he creates.

Adrià’s radical creativity earned his restaurant ElBulli three Michelin stars, one of the most important awards in the restaurant world, being classed as the best restaurant in the world in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. As well, Ferran has been on the cover of some of the most important international publications, such as the New York Times Magazine, le Monde and Time.

In 2011, elBullirestaurante closed its doors at the height of his fame to be transformed into elBulliFoundation — a private family foundation ran by Ferran Adrià and his business partner Juli Soler, headquartered in Cala Montjoi, Girona, where the restaurant used to be -. The Foundation is dedicated to the legacy of elBullirestaurante and its contributions to the culinary space. In 2023, elBulli1846, a museum to showcase the knowledge, innovation, and history of elBulli, opened its doors in the same headquarters at Cala Montjoi.

elBulli Today: Preserving the Legacy and Spirit of the World’s Greatest Restaurant
Since 2008, the world-acclaimed chef Ferran Adrià, has been a visiting Professor at Harvard University — the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University established a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Adrià —, where he created and taught a course on science and cooking “From Haute Cuisine to the Science of Soft Matter”.

Ferran Adrià has written over 60 books and audiovisual projects, some of which are published by Phaidon in the UK. As well, he co-founded his own publishing house elBulliBooks, with business partner Juli Soler.

“Bullipedia”, a project Ferran launched in 2013 and that he leads to this day, is the world’s first encyclopaedia focused on Gastronomy, Creativity and Innovation. Guided by the “Sapiens” methodology — a new model for self-education developed by Adrià and elBulliFoundation, with the help of MIT Media Lab in Cambridge —, “Bullipedia” aims to strengthen gastronomy’s position as an academic discipline.

At the Oxford Literary Festival, Ferran will talk to journalist and reviewer for the FT Suzi Feayabout, about the legacy of his groundbreaking cuisine, the fundamental principles of “Sapiens” and the methodology used to develop his Bullipedia gastronomic encyclopaedia.

Spanish poet and critic Luis García Montero, H.E. José Pascual Marco Martínez, Ambassador of Spain to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and Philosopher Susana Monsó are other highlights of the Spanish and Latin American Programme this year.

Ahead of his appearance at the OLF, Instituto Cervantes London will host Ferran Adrià at the Embassy of Spain in London on 28th March 2025, starting at 6:30pm.

Event Details
Oxford Literary Festival
Date: 29th March 2025
Place: Sheldonian Theatre, Broad St, Oxford OX1 3AZ
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
More Information and Tickets: here

About Instituto Cervantes
Instituto Cervantes is a public institution under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, created by the Spanish Government in 1991 to promote the teaching, study and use of Spanish globally and the understanding of Hispanic cultures abroad. With a presence in more than 90 cities across 45 countries, Instituto Cervantes is a referent in the internationalization of Hispanic language and cultures.