In the latest Life at Home report from IKEA, 26% of people globally said that doing hobbies or personal projects is important for helping them maintain a sense of mental wellbeing at home, and 32% of people said that they want to spend more time with their passions. Over the two weeks of the IKEA Festival, people will be inspired by creators and innovators to take that proactive step from dreaming to doing.

Nine iconic IKEA stores will each host a day packed with creativity and inspiration around ten different topics; food, sports, gaming, music and dance, nature, fashion and beauty, collecting, arts and crafts, focus and wellness, and pets. These topics will come to life through in-store events, live shopping, inspirational content creators from around the globe on social media, and on an exciting new unique IKEA digital platform where you can watch the festival as it happens live from anywhere in the world.

Marcus Engman, Chief Creative Officer at Ingka Group (IKEA Retail) says, “It has been a joy to see IKEA Festival grow over the past few years. This time, we are focusing on people who want to spend more time doing their hobbies and passions. We want to show how a little creativity when making your space your own can have a huge impact. A (private brand) BILLY bookcase is a BILLY bookcase in every IKEA store in the world. It’s when you take it home that it transforms. That intersection is what we want to explore and celebrate during IKEA Festival.”

Ines Silva, Life at Home Leader at IKEA said, “We have partnered with creators and innovators to provide opportunities and space for people to come and turn their thoughts into actions. ​It’s a festival of firsts for IKEA, with Live Shopping sessions happening in our markets across the two weeks, and our first global TikTok campaign. We have partnered with up-and-coming content creators from the nine host countries who will turn inspiration from the festival into reality, showing the scale of diversity in our (private brand) products, and how you can try out these simple, affordable solutions in your own home. Join the fun and follow #IKEAFestival.”

In addition to the nine host cities, IKEA Festival will be taking place in many other IKEA stores globally. With activities like speed dating with home furnishing specialists, food trucks serving up the latest IKEA food offering, events in store, and special offers for IKEA Family members, be sure to check your local IKEA website to see what they have lined up.

Highlights from IKEA Festival

On August 26, IKEA Round Rock in Austin Texas will be kicking off IKEA Festival with inspiration on how to transform your living area to co-create music, how to celebrate and make room for your instruments and music memorabilia both large and small, and an open floor disco showing how you can flex your living space into a dance floor for neighbors and friends. It’s over to IKEA Wien Westbahnhof in Vienna on August 27 where the iconic store is celebrating one year since its opening, and forty-five years of IKEA in Austria. Learn how to make famous Viennese biscuits – vegan style, join an upcycling workshop, and see the live opening of a new curated shop within one of the store’s famous cubes.

IKEA Xuhui, Shanghai takes the lead on August 28 where they will launch “Make Home Happen.” Viewers will be treated to a visit to the homes of two home furnishing co-workers with a passion for handicraft and homemade food. They will show how to organize tools and materials for crafting, as well as how to make wall decorations from zero and finally how to make plum wine. It’s back to the U.S. on September 2 and this time IKEA Brooklyn, New York where highlights include a fashion show in the IKEA Restaurant showcasing the best of Brooklyn design, and advice around workspace and storage solutions for all things fashion and beauty. From altering garments to how to achieve the best lighting for recording content runway-style, and how to easily transition the workspace for editing and posting.

On September 3, IKEA Tempe, Sydney will take over with a day full of inspiration. With tips from an avid traveler on small space van living, fresh ideas from a vegan foodie on sustainable plant-based eating, and a live music set played on the stunning Sydney Harbor to round off the day. Stockholm takes the reins on September 4 in the newly opened IKEA City in Gallerian where they invite you to a day of gaming both online and in the store. Highlights include live interviews with gamers from the Swedish Gaming National team who will compete in gaming from the IKEA City store, and a visit to the home of a celebrity chef who writes cookbooks from her home, using her own kitchen, as well as a visit to the home a former athlete who’s going to show off his hobby room and sneaker collection.

On September 8 you are invited to one of the hotspots of street fashion and lifestyle: Harajuku, Tokyo. The IKEA Harajuku city shop is located in a neighborhood famous for street-style, anime, teen-pop culture and ´Kawaii´ (the culture of cuteness). Join in during three live steam sessions to explore fashion tips from an upcoming fashion icon, share your passion for collecting and be inspired by delicious but simple recipes. Gaming will be the focus of the day in IKEA San Sebastian de los Reyes, Madrid on September 9 when they host. Highlights include a room makeover for a young gamer who wants to transform her bedroom into a gaming sanctuary, and a roundtable talk with a psychologist and Gen Z influencers about topics that are important to them regarding mental health and connected to gaming, sports, and music.

Rounding out the festival on September 10 is IKEA Décoration, Paris Rivoli. In Paris, viewers will meet an array of creative and inspiring people. A tufting expert who shares how her living space inspires her every day to make her most beautiful creations. A florist in Paris with an ambitious project of building a Tiny House in the Vosges. And Milo, a cat like no other, shares his morning routine with his human.