València Design Fest once again turns the city into a Design Capital for over a month

València Design Fest 2026, from 10 September to 15 October.

This morning, we presented the programme for the fourth edition of València Design Fest at the IVAM. From 10 September to 15 October, the festival will once again turn València into a major meeting point for design, creativity and culture.

The presentation brought together members of the media, institutional representatives, partner organisations, companies, schools and professionals from the creative sector. Speakers included Vicent Martínez, President of the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia, and Paula Llobet, Councillor for Tourism, Innovation and Investment at València City Council and President of the Visit València Foundation. Xavi Calvo, Director of the Design Foundation, and Roberto Heredia, Project Director, were responsible for presenting the programme for this new edition.

València Design Fest reaches its fourth edition consolidated as one of the main expressions of the legacy of World Design Capital Valencia 2022 and of València’s membership of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Design. For more than a month, the festival will bring design closer to professionals and the public through proposals focusing particularly on contemporary craftsmanship, sustainability, architecture and city design, emerging talent and innovation, from a local and Mediterranean perspective that is deeply connected to the international context.

The 2026 edition also builds on the growth experienced by the festival in recent years. As highlighted during today’s presentation, in 2025 València Design Fest brought together more than 60,000 participants and achieved a media reach of more than 200 million people. For the second consecutive year, it was also recognised as one of the outstanding cultural events in the Region of Valencia in the annual ‘Lo Mejor de la Cultura’ report published by the Observatorio de la Cultura.

“València Design Fest confirms that the tremendous collective momentum generated by World Design Capital Valencia 2022 was not an end point, but a starting point. The festival is one of the most visible expressions of our commitment to ensuring that design continues to play a role in the cultural, economic and social life of our city and our region,” said Vicent Martínez, President of the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia.

Martínez also highlighted the growth of the project through collaboration: “A festival like this cannot be built by a single institution. It is built by generating trust and bringing together shared ambitions. Collaboration between the public and private sectors, between culture and business, universities, professionals, associations and institutions, is essential if we want to consolidate a genuine culture of design.”
 

A platform that projects València’s design and identity

 
The presence of València City Council at the presentation reaffirms the municipality’s support for a festival that helps to project the city internationally through its creative identity, connecting design, culture, innovation, industry and tourism.

“València has succeeded in making design part of its identity and of the way we present ourselves to the world. València Design Fest helps València maintain an internationally recognised position in the field of design, endorsed by milestones such as World Design Capital and UNESCO’s recognition of the city as a Creative City of Design. But behind these recognitions lies something fundamental: talent. Talent that is part of València’s identity and also part of how we want to tell the story of our city and project it to the world,” said Paula Llobet, Councillor for Tourism, Innovation and Investment and President of the Visit València Foundation.

The new edition thus continues València Design Fest’s commitment to promoting the Valencian creative ecosystem nationally and internationally, while also attracting new perspectives, professionals and organisations to the city, capable of generating exchanges and relationships that extend beyond the duration of the festival itself.
 

Poland, guest country at València Design Fest 2026

 
One of the major highlights of this fourth edition will be the participation of Poland as guest country, an international collaboration developed together with the Creative Industries Institute (IPK) of Poland and the Polish Cultural Institute in Madrid. The initiative will bring a broad representation of contemporary Polish creativity to València and create new opportunities for exchange between professionals, institutions and cultural organisations from both countries.

The central project will be the exhibition Crafting Reality: In Search of Alternative Habitats, curated by Alicja Głuszek at Pasaje 94 gallery. Opening on 12 September, the exhibition brings together the work of 19 leading creators from the Polish scene and offers an experimental, critical and sustainable perspective on contemporary craftsmanship. Ceramics, glass, wood, stone, metal, textiles, paper, embroidery and cabinetmaking will provide a basis for reflecting on our relationship with the environment and on the capacity of crafts to address contemporary issues.

Poland’s participation will extend beyond the exhibition with a programme of meetings, conversations and presentations between professionals from Poland and Spain, encouraging the exchange of knowledge on issues such as the revival of crafts, the cultural value of materials, sustainability, the transmission of craft knowledge and the relationship between tradition and new forms of production. Highlights include a round table moderated on 11 September by design communicator Marisa Santamaría, with the participation of Clap Studio (Àngela Montagud and Jordi Iranzo) and Ana Illueca; a lecture by Polish craftswoman and creative Justyna Kosinska on 14 September; and a further presence at Feria Hábitat València on 1 October, when Polish artist and designer Agnieszka Mazur will take part at Ágora Nude.

The presentation also featured representatives from Poland, who highlighted the festival as an opportunity to build new bridges and create spaces for dialogue between the two creative ecosystems. Maria Ślebioda, from the Polish Cultural Institute in Madrid, emphasised the aim of introducing València to a lesser-known side of Polish design, particularly one linked to sustainability, while fostering exchange between professionals from both countries. Monika Osinkowska, from Poland’s Creative Industries Institute, invited the public to take part in and discover the different initiatives that Poland will present throughout the festival. Finally, Alicja Głuszek, curator of Crafting Reality: In Search of Alternative Habitats, presented the exhibition’s conceptual approach, structured around contemporary craftsmanship and our relationship with the environment, while also encouraging reflection on the responsibility we assume towards present and future generations.

“Internationalisation is not simply about showing what we do abroad. It is also about bringing other perspectives to València, learning from them, comparing experiences and building relationships that can endure beyond a festival,” Vicent Martínez highlighted during the presentation.
 

«Tiempo + Materia»: new perspectives on contemporary craftsmanship

 
Contemporary craftsmanship will once again play a leading role with a new edition of «Tiempo + Materia», once again entitled Otras formas de permanecer, a programme curated by Estudio Savage (Adrián Salvador and Lucas Zaragosí) exploring the shared territories between craft, design, contemporary culture and new forms of creation.

The programme will begin on 10 September at Barreira A+D with Hacking the World: Artesanía, an opening lecture by Berta Segura and Francesca Tur combining trend analysis, innovation, foresight and creativity through a critical exploration of individual and collective talent.

From there, «Tiempo + Materia» will unfold through experiences at different venues across the city. These include Que no es muiga, by Andrea Savall, an exhibition at the González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts devoted to the transmission of knowledge and the tradition of lacemaking through Valencian women, opening on 15 September. The programme will also include a lecture by Liam Aldous on 22 September, sharing his work for Loewe; two dialogue sessions with Nacho Errando and Rafa Tomás (also on 22 September) and with Ana Illueca and Candela Blasco (29 September), exploring new ways of communicating contemporary craftsmanship; and a programme of screenings on contemporary craft and brands at the Palau de la Música.

The programme will continue until 6 October with Australian journalist, curator and creative director Dan Thawley, Artistic Director of Matter and Shape, who will give a lecture at Universidad Europea de València on how craftsmanship is developed and communicated within the contemporary fashion and luxury sectors.
 

 

New generations meet established careers

 
Another of the key strands of the 2026 edition will be the creation of new spaces for conversation between emerging professionals and established figures, bringing different generational perspectives into dialogue and addressing the present and future of design without hierarchies or one-way narratives. The «Diálogos entre generaciones» series will explore areas including design, art and collecting, as well as the relationship between design, cities and design policies. One of the first encounters, on 17 September, will bring together Mudat Estudio and Nieves Contreras, and Yasmina Benabdelkrim and Berry Dijkstra, moderated by Marisa Santamaría, researcher, journalist and communicator specialising in global trends in design, architecture and cultural movements.

On 18 September, at the Capella de la Sapiencia at La Nau, València Design Fest, in collaboration with the Arxiu Valencià del Disseny, will host the second edition of Confesiones del Diseño, an irreverent conversation in which Sandra Figuerola will face questions from young designers Elena Yuste and Sehila Soriano. More than simply an intergenerational dialogue, the encounter aims to reveal how the concerns, challenges and issues facing design cut across all ages and levels of experience.

Another dialogue will bring Reyes Pe and Nuria Matarredona face to face, as well as German designer and researcher Felix Kosok with Kike Correcher, to address the relationship between design, cities and public policy on 21 September at the headquarters of the Colegio Territorial de Arquitectos de València.

The focus on new generations will continue particularly during Feria Hábitat València, where the Nude pavilion will once again become a platform for emerging talent and host initiatives including MoDE: Moviment de Disseny Emergent, promoted by the ADCV to discuss professional integration, stability within the sector and access to genuine opportunities for new generations of designers.
 

«La ciudad generosa»: rethinking architecture through what already exists

 
The «La ciudad generosa» programme, dedicated to a more conscious and people-centred approach to architecture, celebrates its third edition this year with a focus on the revaluation of existing and disused architecture, sustainability, and architecture’s capacity to recover and transform spaces.

International guests will include Vidic Grohar Architects, a Ljubljana-based studio founded by Anja Vidic and Jure Grohar, recognised for its sustainable approach, its work with limited budgets and its ability to reconfigure existing spaces. The studio will give a lecture on 24 September at ETSA-UPV.

The discussion will continue on 2 October with Alzados y caídos, the architecture podcast hosted by Marta Soler, which will bring its format to València Design Fest to ask what a “generous city” really means, how València performs from this perspective, and how more liveable and conscious urban environments can be created.

The programme will also feature Elii Arquitectos, a Madrid-based practice with a recognised international track record in architecture, ecological and social research and the design of transformable spaces, with a lecture scheduled for 8 October at ETSA-UPV.

Design takes over the city

 
Beyond its main thematic strands, València Design Fest will bring exhibitions, lectures, installations, workshops, participatory activities, routes, encounters and screenings to venues throughout the city, expanding both the number of organisations involved and the festival’s network of locations.

The programme includes children’s workshops on typography and urbanism (led respectively by Cuadernos Rubio and Silvana Andrés); Art&Design Walks; guided visits at L’ETNO; and a range of initiatives promoted by Valencian schools and universities. New venues also join the festival, including the IVAM, the González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts, the Palau de la Música and the Centro de Artesanía de la Comunitat Valenciana.

Audiovisual culture will also play a prominent role. From 27 September to 1 October, Cines Babel will host a five-session series dedicated to design, featuring Gary Hustwit’s documentaries Rams, Objectified, Helvetica and Urbanized, as well as As Time Swallows Time by El Último Grito, accompanied by presentations and discussions with design professionals, curated by Vicente Blasco and coordinated by Guillem Beltrán. On 1 October, La Filmoteca will host a special screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, preceded by a conversation with Carlos Salazar and Sara Mansanet on film, design and architecture.

On 28 September, the Museo de Bellas Artes de València will once again host «Noche en el Museo», an intervention in which contemporary designs by LZF Lamps, Neolith, GandiaBlasco and Greenarea will enter into dialogue with classical works of art from the museum’s collection.
 

Feria Hábitat, Abierto València and ETSA’s 60th anniversary join the festival

 
València Design Fest is once again conceived as a major shared platform capable of bringing together the key initiatives that place València at the centre of design and creativity throughout September.

From 17 to 25 September, Abierto València 2026, organised by LAVAC, the Association of Contemporary Art Galleries of the Region of Valencia, will join the festival as a partner programme, with exhibitions, a joint gallery opening, guided tours, talks, sessions and musical performances.

From 28 September to 1 October, Feria Hábitat València will host one of the festival’s most active weeks with València Inspira Diseño, an extensive cultural programme linked to València Design Fest, together with a new Nude pavilion dedicated to emerging talent. Feria Hábitat’s programme will include, among other initiatives, a meeting and exhibition dedicated to Spain’s National Design Awards, as well as conversations on contemporary craftsmanship, design and wellbeing, female leadership, emerging talent, rights and innovation, and neuroarchitecture, bringing together professionals, companies and institutions to address some of the sector’s key contemporary challenges.

These partnerships are joined by the 60th anniversary of the School of Architecture at the Universitat Politècnica de València, which will incorporate part of its programme into València Design Fest, further strengthening the presence of architecture and reflection on the city in this fourth edition.
 

 

More partnerships for a collective project

 
With 30 venues across the city and more than 60 activities on the programme, València Design Fest 2026 is also growing in terms of participating organisations, institutions, schools, universities, professional associations, companies, sponsors and partner organisations, consolidating a model based on cooperation between the creative ecosystem, the business community and institutions.

Leading design companies are also actively contributing to the programme with their own content, expanding the festival and strengthening the connection between innovation and the business sector. On 29 September, ACTIU will host two round tables at Feria Hábitat València (Designing Spaces that Improve Lives and Women in Office Design), while Andreu World will hold the awards ceremony for the 25th edition of its International Design Contest on the same day. Also on 29 September, Voolcan Grupo will give a presentation at Hotel Hábitat on contract design, hospitality and experience design. On 30 September, Padima will join Tomás Alía at Ágora Nude for the conversation Design with Value: Creation, Rights and Innovation. On 1 October, EMEDEC, together with GGStudio and Volúmenes y Vareta, will present DRAC at Hotel Hábitat, the installation at the Instituto Cervantes in Frankfurt created on the occasion of World Design Capital 2026, showcasing architecture’s capacity to generate social, urban and economic transformation. On 5 October, APE Grupo will present The New Habitat, the sixth edition of its annual report on design and architecture trends. These initiatives will also be joined by a Material Bank workshop aimed at interior design and architecture studios, focused on creating moodboards, completing a programme in which brands not only support the festival but also contribute directly to generating knowledge, debate and design culture.

Professional organisations including ADCV, CDICV, CTAV and LAVAC will feature alongside programmes from schools and educational institutions including Barreira Arte+Diseño, EASD València, Universidad Europea de València, Facultat de Belles Arts de la UPV, Universitat de València, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEI and LABA Valencia, among others.

The festival’s international dimension is further strengthened through its collaboration with Guangzhou Design Week (GZDW), which will bring one of the stages of its GZDW Global Tour in Spain to València from 18 September to 2 October. The initiative, with the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia as regional partner and the Universitat Politècnica de València as official academic partner, will include a preview exhibition and business matchmaking activities, with the aim of building new bridges between the design ecosystems of the Canton region in China and Spain and generating new opportunities for international collaboration within the sector.

Within this international context, Visit València will organise a press trip in the coming weeks, bringing journalists to València to discover the city’s most creative side during the festival. Councillor Paula Llobet highlighted the importance of this collaboration in “continuing to strengthen the international profile of Valencian design and ensuring that professionals and specialist media can experience the city’s creative ecosystem first-hand. València designs, innovates and inspires, and we want to share that capacity with the world.”

This network of partnerships reflects the ambition for València Design Fest to function not simply as a succession of activities, but as a platform capable of connecting the Valencian ecosystem, attracting international knowledge and talent, and generating new relationships between culture, design, business, institutions and the public.
 

 

Future of Fashion will close more than a month of programming

 
The programme will culminate on 15 October with the fifth edition of «Future of Fashion», the international sustainable fashion event that will take place this year at Complejo Cultural La Petxina under the theme From ideas to action, featuring Saskia de Brauw, Leticia García, Maxime Delavallée, Mayte de la Iglesia, Lara Costafreda and Lamine Sarr from Top Manta, with María Martí as master of ceremonies.

With tickets already on sale and curated by Patricia Moreno Barberá, the event will once again address the transformation of the fashion industries through design, in a context in which sustainability is no longer understood as an added value but as a structural condition across the entire value chain. The 2026 edition will also champion the value of the human-made: creativity, critical thinking and ways of making driven by human sensitivity and perspective.

With this fourth edition, València Design Fest reaffirms its role as the city’s major platform for design and as a tool for continuing to project the Valencian creative ecosystem from an international perspective, consolidating the path begun with World Design Capital Valencia 2022 and continued with València’s designation as a UNESCO City of Design.

The presentation held this morning at the IVAM was attended by representatives of the main institutions, organisations, professional associations, educational institutions and companies connected to the design and creative ecosystem. Attendees included Paula Llobet, Councillor for Tourism, Innovation and Investment Attraction at València City Council and President of the Visit València Foundation; Kristine Guzmán, Deputy Director of the IVAM; Sara Mansanet, Director of Mostra de València; Miquel Clemades, Director of the Centro de Artesanía de la Comunitat Valenciana; Mariano Clemente, Director General of Feria Valencia, and Jorge Fombellida, Deputy Director of the trade fair institution; María Navarro, Managing Director of the Associació de Professionals del Disseny de la Comunitat Valenciana (ADCV); and Reyes Martínez, President of the Association of Contemporary Art Galleries of the Region of Valencia (LaVAC). Representatives from Universidad Europea de Valencia, Barreira Arte + Diseño, ETSA UPV, EASD València and Econcult at the Universitat de València also attended, together with a Polish delegation comprising representatives of the Creative Industries Institute of Poland and the Polish Cultural Institute in Madrid. The event also brought together representatives of the festival’s sponsoring and partner companies, as well as professionals from design, architecture, craftsmanship and the creative industries.

València Design Fest is supported by València City Council, València Innovation Capital, the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Feria Valencia and Visit València, with Andreu World as main sponsor, alongside APE Grupo, ACTIU, Padima, Rolser, Voolcan Grupo, Panelate by Emedec, Material Bank, LZF Lamps, Teika and Neolith as sponsors. The festival is made possible thanks to the collaboration of cultural and educational institutions, universities, schools, professional associations and design companies that help consolidate this major month-long celebration of design, and counts local specialist publications DXI and Flat Magazine as media partners.

Photography: Nerea Coll / Brava Studio

The full València Design Fest programme will be available at valenciadesignfest.com and in the official Pocket Design Guide 2026.