Get your thinking caps on in preparation for the return of the ALSO Festival. Taking place next week, 2nd to 4th July, it styles itself as the UK's leading ideas festival.

Now in its eighth year it takes place in the lush lakeside location of Park Farm, next to Compton Verney.

Tickets are on sale now, but the Herald has teamed up with organisers and has two sets of family tickets up for grabs.

Founded by Salon London, the festival brings together leading minds for a weekend of forward-thinking discussions. Across the weekend the festival welcomes professors, authors, theorists, comedians and more to share their ideas and bring them to life in a live setting.

This year's theme gives a nod to the past year and looks forward to celebrating better times with the theme of ‘You animal!’

Gallery1

There’s plenty of unique offerings, including wild swimming in the lake, a beach bar with Baleric beats supplied by a DJ and giant paella lunch, whiskey tasting sessions and ceramic workshop.

Director Helen Bagnall said: "Our brilliant line-up of the UK's best speakers has been balanced with experiences such as immersive dining, wild swimming and fantastic live music. Since it's ALSO, festival-goers can expect to encounter many surprising, magical events dotted around the beautiful site too. We can't wait."

The line-up of guest speakers includes:

Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, OBE, FRS, respected British statistician and voice of reason for many during the pandemic, takes to the stage to help understand the last year in statistics, and show how we can all learn from numbers in the future.

Zeitgeisty, bestselling author of the award-winning Animals and now After the Storm Emma Jane Unsworth talks about creativity, motherhood and depression while being hilarious

Professor David Tong will take the audience on an extraordinary journey into the farthest reaches of the solar system. He will also deliver his energetic 45-minute guide to particle physics.

Leading philosopher Roman Krznaric will reveal how to be a good ancestor, including how to think very long-term and nurture the many generations to come.

Celebrate what one artist can do in a lifetime with an immersive exploration of William Blake's work, philosophy and imagination in a beautiful setting with cultural historian John Higgs - who will be backed by the fantastic Portobello Choir.

Rock star classicist Natalie Haynes explore the most loved and misunderstood of mythological figures and creatures: gods, goddesses and gorgons.

Well-known comic Robin Ince effortlessly spans science and ideas and comedy capturing the subject we want to consider in new and fascinating ways.

Wolf expert Dr Arik Kershenbaum talks about the ways animals communicate, why and how they do so and what this might mean for extra-terrestrial life.

Poet Salena Godden, one of the UK's best-loved poets and performers, takes the audience on and a freewheeling ride from prose and poetry to non-fiction.

To be in with a chance of winning a family ticket to ALSO Festival simply answer the question below and send it to arts@stratford-herald.com by midday, Monday, 28th June.

What is the theme of this year’s ALSO Festival?