Amongst the slew of events that are taking place in the region, the latest round the corner is Dubai Design Week 2026. Taking place from November 3–8 at Dubai Design District (d3), the week brings creatives, designers, and the general public together to celebrate and introspect on the design that shapes our world. And as one of the biggest design festivals in the region, there’s no doubt that the program will reflect the scale. So for those planning to make the trip, here’s what you should know is on the schedule.
Laura Hammett Studio Dubai
For starters, Designer of the Year 2025 Laura Hammett will be making her appearance at Dubai Design Week. This comes as the designer prepares to launch her new studio in Dubai. Called the Laura Hammett Studio, the studio brings Hammett’s refined, timeless approach to interior design alongside local brands.
ABWAB’s In Other Words
ABWAB is Dubai Design Week’s annual commissioning platform that supports emerging creatives from the MENA region and beyond. Every year, the programme helps to commission artists to explore cultural and social themes in established pavilions. This year, the programme aims to do something different. Turning its pavilion format into an indoor group exhibition, the programme will focus on a shared theme across diverse mediums. Titled ‘In Other Words’, the theme explores the concept of communication. Spotlighting five practices, this year’s programme looks at translation, shared language, what remains unspoken, and the messages that are carried through space, typography, materials, gestures, images, and more.
The five exhibitions you can find here are Taleem by VARUSSI, Cheent Devanagari by Kanaka Raghavan, A Library of Paper Memories by Grace Shieh, Shhhhhhhh by Dalia Rafeh, and Non/Sense by artist UBIK.
The 2026 Urban Commissions Winner
Along with the festival’s annual commissioning programme is also their competition, which allows the winner to develop an outdoor installation at Dubai Design District. This year, the winning proposal went to Dubai-based architect Reem Nassour and her founded practice, NAO Architects. Nassour developed the proposal Three Gardens and a Room, which reimagines the garden as a series of interconnected rooms. Within these rooms, visitors can gather, socialise, or simply be, while the space itself moves between natural foliage and urban architecture.
Installations
Beyond Three Gardens and a Room, the festival will also be hosting over 20 large-scale installations across d3. These installations will focus on design, science, and technology and their dialogue between sustainability and materials of the past. You can find these installations throughout the week, weaving through the district.
Exhibitions
This edition also brings a series of returning and new exhibitions to explore. Among those is Downtown Design, which is the fair’s leading event, showcasing designers from all over the world. This year, the exhibition will take place from November 4–8, and will present on the theme, Inherited Futures, looking at the materials, industries, technologies, and the ways that have shaped design in the UAE. Whereas The Forum will present live talks, panel discussions, keynotes and industry masterclasses from the global design industry.
A debut exhibition by IQOS and OUCHHH Collective called CURIOUS STUDIO will also take place from November 4–8. This exhibition will explore the creative frontier where art, technology, and human curiosity converge in collaboration with 14 international creatives, ranging from DJs to fine artists. You can find the exhibition at Building 9 from 10 AM to 8 PM.
For fashion lovers, you can check out Recreating Gesture: Crafting a Gold Necklace from the Iron Age, an international exhibition making a pit stop in Dubai. Presented by L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts and supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, this exhibition spotlights the research behind the recreation of a Celtic gold torque, a neck ornament dating to the Second Iron Age (450–25 BCE). A blend of jewellery making and archaeology, the exhibition investigates on early goldsmithing techniques that were probably used during the Iron Age.
Coming back to architecture, The College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah will present its 2026 graduating class in an exhibition titled Six Degrees Offsite. And while architecture might be the focal point, visitors cand also pieces across interior design, graphic design, film, and new media design
And for those looking for a family friendly exhibition, Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children will present the Clay Vocabulary Exhibition. Centred on ceramics, the exhibition will function more like a programme, featuring hands-on workshops and a pottery marketplace alongside displays from The Young Emirati Potters Programme.
Activations
What’s a festival without activations? This season, expect to find 15 activations across d3. These are set to feature designers, studios, brands, institutions through a curation of immersive installations, pop-ups, special presentations, and cross-disciplinary collaborations. Mediums here range from fashion to visual media, ceramics, and interior design.
Maker’s Space
Design Week is not just about observing but getting hands on as well! This year, the dedicated workshops programme comes under Maker Space, an initiative created by MillerKnoll. Here, expect to find over 35 workshops led by universities, studios, cultural organisations, and independent creatives from all over the world, spanning masterclasses, hands-on, and childrens’ workshops.
Marketplace
And for those looking to get some shopping done during Design Week, the festival annual Marketplace is back. In support of local brands, artisans, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, the Marketplace will feature a diverse curation of brands across homeware, jewellery, fashion, and lifestyle. You can also find food experiences here, kid’s activities, and live performances that set the tone of the space.
