When smaller is better: creative festival All Flows returns to Milton Keynes this May

We're big fans of All Flows, the boutique creative festival, which returns for its fourth edition on 13–15 May 2026. So it's great to hear that co-founders Richard Wiggins and Simon Wright have no intention of losing what makes it special.

"Our venue has a capacity of around 200," explains Richard. "And there's a level of intimacy with that. Ever since our first edition, in 2023, we're hearing people say they really enjoy that: both our speakers and our audience."

So who's on stage? It's an eclectic mix... and that's entirely the point.

"We don't have a theme," says Richard. "And we're deliberately quite broad in terms of creative disciplines, so that could be photography, advertising, graphic design, motion design, materiality, sound and beyond."

2026 lineup

This year's speaker roster is still in the making, but it is already shaping up to be a dream lineup.

There's the visual artist Vasjen Katro, aka Baugasm, whose bold experimental work has gained international recognition. Creative director DINES is a powerhouse in the global creative scene. Madrid-based artist Paloma Rincón, whose practice spans photography, motion and design.

Elsewhere, documentary photographer Olivia Arthur discusses her acclaimed work, whilst artist Rob Draper offers insights from his multidisciplinary practice. And that's not to mention Pip Jamieson, founder of The Dots, Christie Morgan, founder of Pitch Studios, and Pali Palavathanan of Templo, with further names still to be announced.

Rather than seeing this breadth as a marketing challenge, the pair have leaned into it. "Simon and I are interested in lots of different areas, and I think a lot of people do, right?" reasons Richard. "You might work as a graphic designer, but you always have an interest in other areas. And that's the feedback attendees are constantly giving us. 'Even if it's not their field per se, there is always something audiences can take away from each presentation."

Connection over scale

The real magic of All Flows isn't just in who speaks, though; it's in what happens in between. "We curate events to give time between the talks, so people can really connect, have conversations, chat with the speakers," explains Richard. "We encourage our speakers to stick around for as much as possible. We'll pay for a hotel for multiple nights if they can stay. And generally, if they can, they will. They tend to really enjoy it and often try to come back next year themselves. We've had feedback where people end up going for lunch or having a drink with the speakers, and that makes for a really special atmosphere."

It's a stark contrast to the experience at larger festivals. "Big events can be great," says Richard. "But often you don't get to connect very easily because there are too many people. It's like you're in a sea of people, like at an airport."

The Milton Keynes question

It's striking how passionate Richard and Simon are about the city in which All Flows takes place. "Some people still think of Milton Keynes in terms of roundabouts and concrete cows," sighs Simon. "That's largely what's often peddled in the press and in people's jokes. 'It's soulless, it's got no culture.' But whilst those concrete cows are much derided, it's actually a public artwork created with the early residents. The way Milton Keynes Development Corporation integrated artists into building a new community is an important part of the story here."

Simon, whose background is in contemporary art and who spent 15 years at the city's main public gallery, is highly invested in telling that fuller story. "There were some very interesting, radical ideas being tested out here in the 70s," he enthuses. "Milton Keynes was a key part of the wider community arts movement in the UK through organisations like Interaction. One of their projects, Channel 40 (a grassroots cable television station that documented the stories of early residents in the city), was featured in a recent exhibition at Raven Row."

The city's youth is part of its charm, he adds. "It's only 60 years old, and what it's achieved in a really short period of time—how radical the urban design and architecture is, how forward-thinking they were in terms of community development, how technology has been really embraced—it's a really rich and interesting story, particularly within the UK."

Depth over breath

Today, All Flows is becoming an important part of that story. As Simon puts it: "There's something truly special about its intimate scale. Witnessing the way speakers and audiences interact over the three days underlines the importance of coming together as a community to share ideas and experiences."

In a creative world that often assumes that bigger means better, All Flows is proving that the most meaningful experiences can happen when you choose depth over breadth.