Published • Inter IKEA newsroom

In a time when life at home has never been so important, IKEA will open the door to better living by throwing a festival that can be experienced both online and in many IKEA stores around the world, featuring music artists, chefs, designers and creators.

This is a new kind of festival; set in everyday homes, studios, and neighbourhoods worldwide, turning living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and backyards into virtual stages for performances and experiences. All in all, the IKEA Festival will take place in over 100 homes in more than 50 markets across the world, and the experience is for free, open to everyone. The festival is inspired by the IKEA vision to create a better everyday life for the many people.

"This is a new kind of experience IKEA wants to offer, celebrating, connecting, and engaging around life at home. Home tours around the world will open doors to new experiences and new inspiration. We want to spark a conversation on the more sustainable and affordable life at home of tomorrow. And just as with any festival, you can expect a few surprises," says Erika Intiso, Managing Director of IKEA Marketing and Communication AB.

The festival set up and programme

The festival takes place online and in IKEA stores in different room settings reflecting what people say is most important to them in their homes today: being with family and friends, music, and food, which is represented in the experiences in these rooms. But there are also rooms for discussions on current topics and IKEA news to offer visitors a broad choice of experiences.

Visitors will see artists perform intimate concerts from their homes and studios and join DJ relays. Interior design fans are invited through the doors in countries around the world to get home makeover inspiration and see how designers and current and former IKEA collaborators create their work in their own unique spaces. Visitors can also experience cook-offs, challenges, and home visits where both healthy, planet-friendly and no-waste recipes are shared. There will be discussions around the kitchen table on the important topics of circularity, air, play and spaces.

Gamers can jump into a home visit to see the new IKEA gaming range. And IKEA will open its doors with special activities in many stores and live streams, giving access to what is happening in IKEA right now, from the factory floor in Zbąszynek, Poland, to the prototype shop in Älmhult, Sweden. IKEA fans can travel back in time in a digital IKEA museum to explore the diverse history of the brand over the decades.

“Life at home has taken on a whole new meaning for every one of us over the past year, and by being virtually connected, we can open the door to many more lives around the world – exploring how we all live, celebrating individuality and creativity. Our first IKEA Festival will be our biggest global home tour yet and will bring people together around life at home in a new way, both online and in our stores, and will be the beginning of a longer-term movement of real homes and real lives,” says Olivia Ross Wilson, Communications Director, Ingka Group (IKEA Retail).

The Festival room sets:

My Home Turf
Home is anywhere that feels like…well, home. Join artists such as MØ, Kanis, Niki and Masego as they show their cities, neighbourhoods, and communities – and treat you to a performance.

Home Concerts
Turn up the volume and enjoy concerts – straight from the most personal, intimate stage around the world: people’s homes.

Home Cooking
Open the door to delicious-smelling kitchens all over the world and be inspired by chefs cooking up old and new favourites. Chefs are among others Pasta Queen and Paul Svensson.

DJ Relay
Don’t stop the music – you’re invited to a marathon set of club music, straight from the DJ’s own home. DJ´s playing is Kaytranada, Loraine James and ZULI, to name a few.

Home Visits
Welcome to a global tour, as strangers and some well-known personalities like Ilse Crawford share what’s inside the most important place in the world: their home.

IKEA Museum
Go back in time and explore everything that has made and shaped IKEA: the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.

IKEA News
Travel the world and meet our co-workers and collaborators right now – in-store, at the factory, at the office or in the studio, such as former collaboration partner Virgil Abloh.

Home Makeovers
Ideas and guidance for creating better storage, a more cooking-friendly kitchen or simply accessorizing in a fun, vibrant way.

Shopping with…
Who would you like to go shopping with to get new ideas for your home? They’re here, ready for you to join them for a full day of shopping at the local IKEA store.

Kitchen Talks
Join a conversation about the joys and frustrations that make up everyday life at home. IKEA co-workers meet with profiles like surfer Kassia Meador, astronaut Christer Fuglesang and adventurer Renata Chlumska.

The festival will open its doors from 8am CET on Thursday 16 September. No sign up is required, it's free, and guests don’t need to register their details.