Dubai Design Week, the Middle East’s leading design festival, is returning for its milestone 10th edition from 5-10 November 2024. Curated in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), a member of TECOM Group PJSC, and supported by Dubai Culture, the milestone edition will provide over 500 internationally acclaimed and emerging designers with a platform to showcase their design experience and thinking in the form of installations, exhibitions and overall experiential mediums.
The annual festival’s line-up of programming will highlight once again Dubai’s enduring commitment to design excellence. Taking place at its home in d3, a global creative ecosystem across design, fashion, architecture and art, the landmark 10th edition of Dubai Design Week will focus on designing for a sustainable future. This theme will be integrated across the week’s programme of activities in a range of disciplines, including architecture, product design and interiors.
“Collaborative creativity can design a brighter future for the world. This milestone 10th anniversary of Dubai Design Week will showcase the very best of global design, as is evident in the level of expertise and ingenuity on display as well as the calibre of conversations taking place this year,” said Khadija Al Bastaki, Senior Vice President of Dubai Design District (d3) – part of TECOM Group.
“Dubai Design Week’s landmark edition will unite the design community to provide an international platform to promote regional creative talent, sustainable design, and innovation, reflecting Dubai Design District’s deep commitment to nurturing an enabling ecosystem for Dubai’s ever-growing creative and design community, in which our strategic partnership with Dubai Design Week is key. This year’s festival will be a dynamic and inspiring experience for all who attend, with a diverse range of exhibitions and events that showcase the power of design to shape the world around us.”
Key Programming at Dubai Design Week includes:
Trade Show
At the heart of Dubai Design Week is Downtown Design (6-9 November), the Middle East’s leading fair for contemporary and high-quality design, which will again take place at the Waterfront Terrace at d3. This year’s fair will be the most extensive to date with a line-up of leading international speakers, designers and brands taking part for the first time.
Installations
This year’s installation programme will feature a series of installations and pavilions open to practitioners from the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. The theme focuses on vernacular architecture and how it can inform regenerative design. In 2023, Dubai Design Week commissioned Emirati architect Abdalla Almulla, whose pavilion ‘Of Palm’ was one of the winners of the Monocle Design Awards.
Urban Commissions
Dubai Design Week’s annual competition invites designers and architects to develop outdoor furniture for public spaces. Titled ‘Tawila,’ this year’s competition will examine the table as a facilitator of exchange, tradition, and communal experiences.
Exhibitions & Activations
Exhibitions and activations hosted by cultural organisations, educational institutions, and design-driven brands, among others, will showcase various design themes that spotlight talent as well as foster cultural discourse and knowledge-sharing.
Workshops
A programme of over 50 workshops and masterclasses designed to inspire and elevate skills across all design disciplines will cater to professionals and aspiring creatives of all ages, interests, and experience levels.
Marketplace
A consciously curated retail experience featuring designers, producers, and homegrown businesses from the region will feature a range of products including homeware, jewellery, fashion and lifestyle as well as food experiences, children’s activities and live performances.
Talks
The Forum at Downtown Design will host leading international and regional experts within the design industry to discuss the latest trends and innovations in regional and international design.
For more information about Dubai Design Week 2024, including details on the current open calls to participate, visit dubaidesignweek.ae.