Dubai Design Week will return to Dubai Design District (d3) from November 4 to 9, with this year’s programme looking at ways of building more inclusive and connected communities.
The theme aligns with the UAE authorities' designation of 2025 as the Year of Community. A varied line-up is expected to include large-scale exhibitions, public discussions and workshops exploring how design can foster social cohesion and shared civic life.
This year marks a decade since Dubai Design Week was launched, and the event will be the biggest to date, with more venues added across d3, including the return of popular fixtures such as Downtown Design, Editions Art & Design and the UAE Designer Exhibition. The exhibition, supported by Dubai Culture, is being reformatted to highlight emerging talent.
Among the initiatives is Urban Commissions, an international design competition inviting architects and designers to reinterpret the courtyard as a public space.
Meanwhile, Abwab, the festival’s curated pavilion series, expands its geographic scope this year to include works from West, South and East Asia, as well as Africa. Presented under the theme In the Details, the pavilions will explore ornamentation and material culture through spatial design.
The 2025 d3 Architecture Exhibition, a collaboration with the Royal Institute of British Architects, will also be on site, with projects reflecting how architecture can support community wellbeing.
Editions, the region’s only fair dedicated to limited-edition design and collectable art, is also returning. It will feature works from 50 regional and international galleries and studios across mediums, including ceramics, photography and contemporary design.
The full programme – including keynote speakers, installations and featured designers – will be announced closer to the festival’s opening date.
