AVA LONDON ANNOUNCES THEIR RETURN FOR 2025 WITH A THREE-DAY AND NIGHT PROGRAMME.
AVA London announces their return for 2025, a three-day and night programme of keynote lectures, masterclasses, raves, cutting-edge live shows, and industry connections, featuring artists, creators, innovators and industry at the forefront of contemporary culture, arts and music events. Taking place in some of London’s most iconic cultural institutions including The British Library & The Standard in King’s Cross by day, followed by club shows at HERE @ Outernet and EARTH Hackney.
With the release of the day-by-day conference schedule, individual day tickets are now available for Thursday + Friday of the conference. AVA’s Day & Night – Access Everything passes also offer access to the extended and explorative networking experience for professionals and curious minds involved with the industry. The Access Everything ticket will also provide access to a dynamic range of networking, mixers, club shows featuring exclusive live performances, debuts and AV shows.
Few acts have shaped electronic music like Underworld. For over three decades, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have defined the sound and spirit of dance music with pioneering anthems and boundary-pushing live shows. In this exclusive keynote, hosted by Séamas O’Reilly, they’ll discuss their ongoing battle with “legacy”, their evolving creative process, and the continued inspiration offered by their seminal anthem, Born Slippy, celebrating 30 years this year. Along with a USA headline tour, summer festivals, and club gigs, Underworld will be headlining AVA Belfast to commemorate this monumental anniversary in the only way they know how – by dancing.”
These tightly-curated masterclasses are designed to help demystify the music industry alongside other lead sessions from partners like TikTok’s Toyin Mustapha will present a keynote conversation with Major League DJz, experience ticketing platform Easol who will present an industry-focussed keynote panel titled: “How to Design World Class Experiences” – In the midst of a challenging climate for Experience Creators everywhere, this panel asks how we can create a more positive future. What does the perfect festival look like? Where does it happen? Who is the audience – how do we attract them? Who’s playing? Key figures from the industry including Festival Creators and Artists lay out where we should go and how to get there.
Cultural platform Trippin will present a special panel focussed on Curating Contemporary Culture featuring Bengi Unsal, Director of The ICA, Eva Jáger (Serpentine). Known for their carefully curated insights into culture across the globe, their team will delve into questions around authenticity, hype, community and more.
Spitfire LABS+ will present a dynamic workshop and artist-led performance as part of the conference, while PRS for Music will present a session titled “Demystifying Music Publishing.” The Association For Electronic Music (AFEM) will return to present two hot-topic sessions Going Global: How to Take Your Music Brand International and Beating Burnout: Health & Resilience in Electronic Music
Building on the programme either further heavyweight electronic musician Paul Woolford AKA Special Request will be hosting his ‘No Tags’ podcast live straight from The British Library. Chal Ravens & Tom Lea, the mastermind journalists behind the ‘No Tags’ podcast, will be joined by Paul Woolford himself gearing up for a sharp, unfiltered conversation on underground music and pop culture. This session at AVA London is not to be missed.
As the music industry evolves, balancing authenticity with long-term sustainability is more challenging than ever. The Sustaining Culture panel presented by long-running London station Rinse FM explores the shifting landscape of music and club culture, addressing industry-wide communication gaps, the struggles of smaller venues and businesses, and the pressing issue of club closures. Featuring Rinse founder, DJ and producer Geeneus, alongside a TBA panel of speakers – the talk will revolve around a focus on the next generation examining how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are shaping the future of the scene and what it takes to keep music culture alive in an ever-changing world.
The AVA Forum will expand in 2025 to host industry experts from the areas of management, festivals and clubs, looking at the current landscape and how to improve, collaborate and build healthy and sustainable ecosystems in each area. The AVA Forum will provide space for healthy discussion, networking and a chance to spend time with like-minded people in the industry. AVA+ is the exhibition hub area, where AVA hosts music partners and players from music, tech, record labels, b2b e-commerce platforms and more directly to AVA’s audience.
AVA also widens the invitation to those who are curious about the intersection of music and culture, as well as young people, students, and the wider creative world – all curious to hear and learn at AVA London.
“AVA has embedded itself into the creative DNA of London across the last eight years. Working with celebrated institutions, collectives, artists, and creative professionals, our programme aims to push the boundaries of contemporary culture and carve new pathways for a fresh future. Our vision is to support the existing ecosystem and bring cross-genre art forms & audiences together, creating new possibilities and experiences.” – Sarah McBriar – AVA Founder
