Dubai Design Week 2025 offers more than just a glimpse of design trends. It invites the city—and the region—to rethink how design shapes our shared future. It’s a call to connect, collaborate, and build stronger communities through creativity.
Dubai Design Week is back for its 11th edition, running from November 4 to 9, 2025, and it promises to be the biggest and most ambitious yet. Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and in partnership with Dubai Design District, the festival has grown over a decade into the Middle East’s foremost platform for design, creativity, and cultural exchange.
This year, Dubai Design Week leans into the UAE’s ‘Year of Community’ initiative, putting the spotlight on design’s role in building connections and fostering social cohesion. Far beyond aesthetics, design here is treated as a tool for shaping how we live, share, and collaborate as a society. The festival will stretch across the entire d3 district, bringing together global talents and local innovators under one roof.
Among the highlights is Downtown Design, returning to the d3 Waterfront Terrace from November 5 to 9. This fair continues to be the Middle East’s leading event for contemporary design, showcasing heavyweight international brands alongside regional studios pushing new ideas. Experiential installations and immersive spaces will keep the energy high, including a luxe pop-up by Buccellati and design studio David/Nicolas, and a special debut talk by renowned designer Tom Dixon.
The festival’s commitment to emerging voices shines through initiatives like Abwab and Urban Commissions. Abwab, which means ‘doors’ in Arabic, welcomes fresh perspectives from West, South, and East Asia as well as Africa. Its theme this year, ‘In the Details’, invites creators to explore intricate cultural motifs and bring immersive spatial experiences to life. Urban Commissions challenges architects worldwide to rethink the traditional courtyard as a place for community gathering and urban care, emphasizing the social fabric of shared spaces.
Art lovers won’t want to miss Editions Art & Design, the region’s first fair dedicated to limited-edition and collectible pieces, returning after its successful debut in 2024. This carefully curated event features 50 galleries and studios exhibiting ceramics, photography, prints, and design works, offering collectors a rare chance to explore diverse mediums and price points.
The d3 Architecture Exhibition, held in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), will highlight projects rooted in the theme of community, echoing the festival’s wider cultural focus. This exhibition aims to inspire sustainable growth and social unity through design that respects the UAE’s values of resilience and openness.
Throughout the week, visitors can engage with workshops, talks, installations, and a vibrant marketplace where local artisans, entrepreneurs, and creatives showcase their crafts alongside food, performances, and family-friendly activities.
