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Dubai Design Week
Annual arts event From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dubai Design Week is an annual design festival held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that showcases and promotes design, creativity, and cross-cultural exchange across disciplines. It brings together established and emerging designers, architects, and creative practitioners from the region and around the world. In 2025, the 11th edition attracted over 135,000 visitors and is considered one of the largest creative festivals in the Middle East.
Since its launch in 2015, Dubai Design Week has developed into a global platform with a focus on cross-cultural exchange, particularly highlighting voices from West Asia, South Asia, and the wider Global South.
Offering a rich and varied programme that speaks to multiple audiences, the festival features installations, new commissions, exhibitions, talks, workshops, a marketplace, Downtown Design, the region’s leading fair for contemporary design and Editions, art and design fair.
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, in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), a member of TECOM Group PJSC, and is supported by Dubai Culture.
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History and Background
- The first edition of Dubai Design Week took place in 2015. (Dubai Design Week)
- Since its inception, the festival has grown steadily: from an initial attendance of about 30,000 in 2015 to over 130,000 in 2022, with over 135,000 visitors reported for the 2025 edition.
- By 2025, the festival has matured into a global platform connecting creatives from the Global South (West and South Asia, Africa, and beyond) with global audiences.
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Overview
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Dubai Design Week is owned and managed by the Art Dubai Group (ADG). Held under the patronage of Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, staged in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District, and supported by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, it is one of a series of initiatives aimed at developing design and innovation in Dubai by fostering a creative environment.[1]
The six-day event showcases a wide variety of design skills and disciplines including: architecture, product and furniture design, interior design, jewelry, industrial design, service design, technology, culture, art, and more.[2]
Dubai Design Week takes place across the city and at its main hub; Dubai Design District (d3), staging activations and events as part of an extensive programme which includes content from over 360 partner organisations catering to a wide variety of visitors.
Key components of Dubai Design Week include a fair for contemporary design, Downtown Design; Abwab, an interactive platform for creative talent from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia; the Urban Commissions design competition and the Design market alongside outdoor installations, exhibitions, an extensive, hybrid talks and workshops programme.
Downtown Design
As the commercial centrepiece of Dubai Design Week - Downtown Design is a design trade fair for contemporary design in the Middle East, showcasing a variety of commercial designs from various industries. It was originally launched in 2013 prior to Dubai Design Week but is now held annually during the week-long festival.[3]
The fair exhibits product launches and latest collections from over 350 international and regional brands, designers and manufacturers alongside Downtown Editions, the fair's boutique showcase for limited-edition design with a spotlight on individual designers and collectives. The fair also hosts an extensive talks and masterclasses programme, which includes a series of industry talks, panel discussions and workshops, allowing visitors to gain valuable insight into the region's rapidly evolving design industry, design innovation and market changes.
Abwab
Abwab translates as ‘doors’ in Arabic. It is Dubai Design Week's key event for highlighting regional design talent from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. A total of 180 designers have participated in Abwab from 2015 to 2020.
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References
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