• Your ticket to the future now on sale at £50 per day 
  • Latest speakers to be unveiled support festival's four themes - Love, Work, Thrive and Play
  • New high-profile speakers join Rhianna Pratchett, Oliver Peyton, Cindy Gallop and DJ Spooky

Imagine a time where true love is found by matching pheromones; where our genetic makeup influences what we eat; where employees are microchipped so that work performance is monitored; where athletes compete against robots. This world will be brought to life for one weekend at FutureFest 2016, hosted by Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation.

Taking place at London’s Tobacco Dock on 17 - 18 September, this year’s event will be programmed around four themes central to all our lives - Love, Work, Thrive and Play. Each is curated by a specialist in the field*, creating a unique festival where attendees are fully immersed in a world 10-30 years from now.

Key speakers announced today:  

  • music innovator, artist and producer Brian Eno
  • novelist and journalist Will Self
  • social entrepreneur and CEO Melody Hossaini
  • bioethicist, academic and journalist Professor Andy Miah
  • research fellow, biophysicist and writer Luca Turin
  • director of the contemporary Arts Center Nabi (Seoul) Soh Yeong Roh
  • trend forecaster and editor Cécile Poignant
  • Manchester United’s head of performance Tony Strudwick

Commenting on his involvement in Future Play, Will Self said: "In a future typified by hyper-connectivity – of processes, of people, of things – how can we happen upon anything? If play requires anything it’s a willingness to spontaneously de- and reconstruct social bonds. I see neither technological advance, nor its stalling, as productive of more play – we will have to seek our fun in the woods between these worlds."

The latest speakers join award-winning video game designer Rhianna Pratchett, experimental musician DJ Spooky, advertising mogul Cindy Gallop, restaurateur Oliver Peyton, serial entrepreneur Sherry Coutu CBE, technology journalist and commentator Kate Russell and Es Devlin - stage designer for Kanye West, Adele, Beyoncé and U2.

FutureFest 2016 will also feature a dedicated ‘Nesta Stage’ for the first time. Showcasing the charity’s diverse work in innovation, this will feature thought-provoking presentations and vibrant panel discussions - covering topics ranging from the sharing economy to public sector innovation, the future of city design and much more.

More experiences, speakers and the full programme schedule will be confirmed across the next three months. To stay up-to-date with the latest news sign up to the FutureFest newsletter at www.futurefest.org and follow @futurefest on Twitter.
FutureFest is supported by Transport for London (TFL), EUNIC London and Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford, with ticketing by Cvent and venue host Tobacco Dock.

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About FutureFest: (www.FutureFest.org) FutureFest is a weekend festival of immersive experiences, compelling performances and radical speakers to excite and challenge perceptions of the future. Taking place every 18 months, FutureFest is hosted by Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, in London.

About Nesta: (www.nesta.org.uk) is the UK's innovation foundation. We help people and organisations bring great ideas to life. We do this by providing investments and grants and mobilising research, networks and skills. We are an independent charity and our work is enabled by an endowment from the National Lottery. Nesta is a registered charity in England and Wales 1144091 and Scotland SC042833.

For further information on FutureFest contact:

Kasia Murphy, Nesta press office on T: +44 2074382543 / E: [email protected]

Ticket information
Full weekend ticket for both Saturday and Sunday - £80.00
Saturday 17th September 2016 - £50.00 day ticket
Sunday 18th September 2016 - £50.00 day ticket
Concession for students with valid NUS card - £40.00 for Weekend or £25.00 for Single Day

All listed costs are inclusive of VAT but exclusive of ticketing handling and card processing fees.

Buy your ticket today at www.futurefest.org

Notes to editors

  • FutureFest 2016 press passes, filming and photography: please register your interest with the Nesta press office team
  • Interviews with Nesta spokespeople and the four event *curators - body technologist Ghislaine Boddington, British entrepreneur and inventor Ruth Amos, food futurologist Dr. Morgaine Gaye and musician and writer Pat Kane (lead curator of FutureFest 2013/2015) - available on request
  • Images of speakers, curators and past events available on request