The 2026 design biennials and design week events for your diary

DesignTO Festival  
Toronto, 23rd January – 1st February 2026 

Canada’s largest design festival celebrates its 16th anniversary with more that 100 free events spread around the city. Organised by DesignTO, the charity set up to promote sustainable and socially equitable design, the festival livens up Toronto for 10 days with exhibitions, shop window installations, talks, tours and workshops, both live and online, transforming the city during Canada’s design week. The inaugural party is being held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto on Friday 23rd January, from 7 to 11pm – with tickets still available online.  

Madrid Design Festival 
Madrid, 5th February – 8th March 2026 

Now into its ninth edition, MDF26 – organised by La Fábrica and directed by Álvaro Matías – revolves around the theme Rediseñar el mundo. The programme includes the FORMA Design Fair, three large exhibitions and a map of 300 spaces. The protagonists include Patricia Urquiola, Héctor Serrano, André Ricard, Luca Nichetto and Studio Dumbar, tackling biodesign, craftsmanship and mobility.   

Collectible Brussels 
Brussels, 12th–15th March 2026 

The collectible design fair is making its return to the Espace Vanderborght with four different sections: Main, New Garde, Bespoke and Curated. The latter, entrusted to Marine Mimouni, explores Echoes of Use, exploring the memory of furniture use spanning historical heritage and contemporary experimentation, through the work of emerging and mid-career independent designers. 

Design Doha Biennial 
Doha, 12th April – end of June 2026 

Directed by Fahad Al Obaidly with Glenn Adamson as artistic director, the Biennale involves designers from 27 MENASA countries and covers 16 disciplines. With Arab Design Now curated by Noura Al Sayeh and public commissions by Javier Peña Ibáñez, Design Doha explores materials, craftsmanship and territories as tools for a political and cultural reading of the present. 

Salone del Mobile.Milano 
Milan, 21st–26th April 2026 

The Salone returns to Rho Fiera Milano with an offering spanning furniture, outdoor furnishing and living styles. A key platform for the global industry, it remains the debut space for prototypes and collections combining technological innovation, materials research and the evolution of domestic spaces, coming into their own right as hubs of business and experimentation. This 64th edition will be a global furniture, lighting and contract design event, with the theme A Matter of Salone focused on matter and transformation. 

DesignMarch 
Reykjavik, 6th–10th May 2026 

Iceland’s leading festival revolves around the theme Connections, reflecting on social, urban and material connections in an age of hyperconnectivity. Exhibitions, events and installations explore the role of design as a relational infrastructure, capable of making sense of objects, buildings and clothing through their interaction with those who live in them and use them. An excellent reason to visit this magical land.  

NYCxDESIGN Festival 
New York, 14th–20th May 2026 

For its 14th anniversary, New Yorks’s widespread festival consists of seven days of fairs, shows and talks focused on architecture, technology, products and interiors. Key events include the ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan. The programme promotes new values, from financial impact to sustainability, underscoring the role of design as an urban asset with subjects such as Economic Impact, Fostering Creativity and Collaboration, Showcasing Innovation, Educational Opportunities, Promoting Design as a Career, Cultural Exchange, Sustainable Design Advocacy, Supporting Diverse Local Talent and City Branding. 

3daysofdesign 
Copenhagen, 10th–12th June 2026 

Founded by Signe Byrdal Terenziani, Denmark’s official festival celebrates 11 years as an open and informal platform. Emerging and established brands present collections and launches in a direct dialogue with the public. At its heart is the manifesto Not Just Another Manifesto, which reflects on the wellbeing, relationships and duration of the design experience.  

Taiwan International Interior Design Expo 
Taipei, 9th–12th July 2026 

Taiwan’s first international trade fair entirely dedicated to interior design, the Expo features awards, summits and conferences. It involves local associations and universities and hosts materials companies from Japan, Italy, the USA and Portugal, bolstering the exchange between the domestic market and the global industry and positioning Taiwan as an Asian hub of the sector. 

Helsinki Design Week 
Helsinki, 28th August – 6th September 2026 

The 21st edition of the festival will feature more than 250 events, including exhibitions, open studios and talks. After the 2025 theme, Designing Happiness, curated Anniina Koivu, the concept for 2026 has not yet been unveiled. Central to the festival, the relationship between design, well-being and urban space in the Finnish capital will continue to be explored. 

Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light 
Venice, 1st–30th September 2026 

The exhibition/event artistically curated by Es Devlin at the Giorgio Cini Foundation explores the relationship between light, material and craftsmanship. Immersive installations, live demonstrations and workshops will demonstrate manual skills through hundreds of works created by international craftspeople, in a multisensory journey between historical architecture and contemporary design.