Join Raindance Immersive curators, Mária and Jo, as they officially kick off the 2026 Raindance Immersive Summit and Festival. In their opening address, the duo will navigate the "state of the craft," reflecting on the contemporary zeitgeist and the cultural and technological trends uncovered within this year’s official selection.

This introduction serves as both a roadmap for the festival ahead and an invitation to explore the latest frontiers of the XR medium—spanning immersive storytelling, game development, virtual world-building, virtual theme parks, museums, underground clubs, live performances, music, dance, immersive theatre, art, and XR for social impact. Discover what’s in store across two action-packed weeks, running from 12th–25th June both in London and on the social VR platform, VRChat.

Mária Rakušanová is the Curator and Executive Producer of the Raindance Immersive festival—now in its 11th edition—which takes place in London and, since 2020, across social VR platforms like VRChat. With a keen eye for innovation, Mária empowers independent creators and game developers to push the boundaries of the XR medium while championing pathways to profitability for the industry.

In addition to her decade of experience leading Raindance Immersive, she has held key roles in content acquisitions and partnerships at HTC VIVE, Microsoft, and Samsung. In these positions, she established strategic partnerships with leading XR studios and developers, with her teams directly contributing to the publishing of over 2,000 titles and shaping the funding landscape for XR games, immersive narratives, art experiences, XR for impact projects and enterprise applications. While at HTC VIVE, she also served as the Executive Producer for foundational VR and MR games and experiences.

Dr. Joanna Leigh is a Curator at Raindance Immersive and Producer of the festival’s XR showcase in London. With an MA and PhD in Screenwriting from the University of the Arts London, she brings a strong narrative focus to her curatorial and production work in immersive storytelling. She works as a Narrative Consultant for immersive and screen-based projects, and as a VR Facilitator at Virtual Reality Experiences (VRE), delivering corporate training experiences. She also works freelance as a VR Host and Tech Manager for immersive events including the BFI London Film Festival Expanded and at the Barbican Centre, helping audiences engage with immersive work while supporting the technical delivery of XR installations.

EXPLORE PASS OPTIONS

Join the session live on Zoom on Friday, 12th June or watch the replay. Please see the schedule below for your local time. For sessions that fall too early or too late in your time zone, we highly recommend catching up via our on-demand replays.

  • EUROPE – FRIDAY, 12 JUNE

    • 11 AM - 12 PM BST (UK)

    • 12 PM - 1 PM CET

    • 1 PM - 2: PM EET

  • NORTH AMERICA – FRIDAY, 12 JUNE

    • 6 AM - 7 AM EDT

    • 5 AM - 6 AM CDT

    • 4 AM - 5 AM MDT

    • 3 AM - 4 AM PDT

  • ASIA & AUSTRALIA – FRIDAY, 12 JUNE

    • 6:00 PM - 7 PM CST

    • 7 PM - 8 PM JST

    • 7 PM - 8 PM KST

    • 8 PM - 9 PM AEST