IF: Milton Keynes International Festival is known for a distinctive biennial programme of installations and performance, outdoor spectaculars, circus, comedy, cabaret, live music and free family activities. In times of change and challenge, 2025 sees a programme which embraces a spirit of resilience, freedom and possibility, inspiring its many audiences to imagine a brighter, shared future.
The IF: Milton Keynes International Festival 2025 unveils an exhilarating program, showcasing two world premieres from the UK alongside four UK premieres from Germany, Spain, Catalonia, and France, promising a vibrant celebration of global artistry.
The festival opens with Deabru Beltzak’s Symfeuny, a thrilling pyrotechnic and drumming promenade that winds through the city centre from Xscape, culminating in a dazzling on-stage finale at Campbell Park. This Spanish company, fondly remembered for their role in the 2015 Rugby World Cup’s Clash of Drums, returns to ignite the festival with unforgettable energy.
In the tranquil woodlands of Campbell Park, Klub Girko’s Human Time Tree Time delivers a breathtaking acrobatic performance that probes the delicate balance between humanity and nature. As the climate crisis looms, two performers skillfully balance tree trunks, branches, twigs, and themselves, embodying a harmonious interplay of natural and human elements in a heart-stopping spectacle.
Pagrav Dance Company’s One Sky, choreographed by artistic director Urja Desai Thakore, transforms the Bulbfield at Campbell Park into a vibrant homage to India’s kite festivals. Six dancers blend neo-classical Indian dance with contemporary aesthetics, engaging audiences through dynamic movement and puppeteering. Co-commissioned by the Festival and Sadler’s Wells, this milestone work—Pagrav’s largest outdoor production—marks the company’s 20th anniversary and celebrates shared cultural heritage.
Following their acclaimed Alter in 2023, Kamchàtka presents Fugit, an immersive daytime journey through Wolverton. Audiences surrender to strangers, exploring themes of courage and transformation in a tribute to those who dare to leave the familiar behind and embrace the unknown.
At Festival Central, 22-year-old Dublin-born Nigerian poet Maureen Onwunali, a two-time national slam champion and Roundhouse resident artist, premieres a new work at Utopia in Verse. Curated by Onwunali and featuring live musicians and a young local poet, this poetry jam, commissioned by centre:mk, weaves radical hope and collective liberation into a bold vision of a reimagined world.
Transe Express’ DNA Vertical Odyssey, four years in development, soars beside The Point on a 40-metre-high sculpture under a 200-ton crane. This aerial spectacle blends climbing, circus, precision drumming, and an original score, with performers moving in sync with the wind and each other on a structure that is itself a work of art.
The beloved Spiegeltent programme rounds out the festival with a lively mix of comedy, cabaret, circus, and music, featuring The Noise Next Door (UK), The Demon Barbers (UK), Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall (Australia), Lou Sanders (UK), La Voix (UK), Le Vent du Nord (Canada), The Selecter (UK), Scoot Theatre (UK), Peat and Diesel (UK), Lucy Spraggan (UK), The Rubbish Shakespeare Company (UK), Roachford (UK), Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventure for Kids (UK), and Ceilidh Liberation Front (UK).
Running Friday 18 to Sunday 27 July, the IF: Milton Keynes International Festival returns to inspire, transform and engage the city and beyond. The full festival programme, including an extensive series of talks, workshops and free family events can be found here.
