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The largest annual design festival in the region turns 10 this year! Running strong since 2014, Dubai Design Week is returning for its milestone 10th edition from 5-10 November 2024.
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 event is one of the region’s most significant occasions with a line up of programming that demonstrates Dubai’s commitment to design. Held in the regional hub for design and creativity, Dubai Design District – d3 – Dubai Design Week looks at the impact of the ever-changing design landscape.
Held at d3 a global creative ecosystem across design, fashion, architecture and art, this 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.
What are the key highlights of this year's Dubai Design Week?
ABWAB
This year ABWAB 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.
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 and 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.
Installations
This opportunity is presented to designers, architects, creatives and design-driven brands internally to showcase large-scale installations or objects for public spaces, which will be showcased throughout d3 during the festival.
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.
Downtown Design
At the heart of Dubai Design Week is Downtown Design taking place from the 6th till the 9th of 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.
A highlight this year will be the region’s first limited-edition art and design fair. During the three days, you can visit over 50 galleries, design studios, and collectives all showcasing contemporary design, photography, prints, ceramics, works on paper and much more.
Among the prominent brands that will be welcomed into the Downtown Design fair are Audo Copenhagen showcased by The Bowery Company, The Conran Shop which will be launching online in the UAE during Dubai Design Week and Casa Milano which will return with an immersive space and more!
Make sure not to miss out on this installation as you're walking around!
Among the must-see installations is the large-scale floral installation by Dutch artist Linda Nieuwstad, which has been created by truck tarps, old wool blankets and construction sheeting.
Dubai Design Week is held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), a member of TECOM Group PJSC, and supported by Dubai Culture.
For more details on the current open calls, please visit https://www.dubaidesignweek.ae/participate-here/.
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