dubai design week returns in 2025 for its 11th edition

DUBAI DESIGN WEEK’S 11TH EDITION ELEVATES UAE’S CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM

The 11th edition of Dubai Design Week (DDW) is set to amplify the dynamic creative landscape of the Middle East, running from November 4 to 9, 2025, at the Dubai Design District (d3), the city’s global creative ecosystem. The festival offers a multidisciplinary program that acts as a vital platform for dialogue, experimentation, and progress, spanning architecture, interiors, furniture, graphic design and major activations like the showcase by Iris Ceramica Group.

Anchoring the week is Downtown Design (DTD), which returns to the d3 Waterfront Terrace from November 5 to 9 as the Middle East’s most significant platform for high-quality contemporary design. As a central pillar of the fair, The Forum once again convenes a lineup of global and regional voices for its flagship talks program. Headlining the conversation series is British design icon Tom Dixon in his Dubai debut, who will be joined by internationally acclaimed figures like Lee Broom and David Hicks, alongside regional design leaders including Rabah Saeid and Pallavi Dean.

Dubai Design Week returns for its 11th edition | all images courtesy of Dubai Design Week

CROSS-CULTURAL CREATIVITY AT DUBAI DESIGN DISTRICT

Dubai Design Week 2025 is presented in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District and supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority to nurture a distinctly native design narrative and provide a dynamic platform for both regional creatives and global brands. Powerful collaborations and innovative commissions underscore the festival‘s commitment to cross-cultural exchange. The automotive partner, BMW Middle East, returns with an installation developed with Jeddah-based architecture studio BrickLab, and Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre hosts an immersive pop-up that traces the history of the Reverso timepiece through the lens of design, architecture, and the culinary arts. Furthermore, the IQOS Curious X platform in partnership with Italian design brand Seletti reimagines the traditional Italian piazza with a multi-sensory installation featuring immersive soundscapes, digital art, and varying scents.

Tom Dixon makes his Dubai debut, headlining conservations at The Forum

THE FESTIVAL’S PROGRAM AND DOWNTOWN DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Beyond these major collaborations, the festival offers a comprehensive program from high-design showcases to crucial launchpad commissions that champion regional makers and materials. Abwab is a yearly program that supports designers from across West, South, and East Asia, as well as the African continent, by commissioning installations or pavilions thematically remodelled each year to reflect relevant global and regional contexts. For the 2025 edition, practitioners were invited to respond to the theme ‘In the Details,’ exploring material intelligence, precision, and cultural nuance through the lens of ornamentalism.

Separately, the Urban Commissions design competition provides a platform for architects and designers to experiment with ideas for the public realm. In 2025, the competition centres on the courtyard, a spatial typology rooted in the region yet resonant across many cultures, encouraging proposals that investigate how design can enrich civic life.

IQOS Curious X and Seletti reimagine the traditional Italian piazza with a multi-sensory installation

DDW 2025 also places a strong emphasis on fostering talent, launching the d3 Awards, a regional design award championing emerging talent from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The inaugural edition is focused on architecture with the winner receiving a financial prize of AED 100,000 and a mentorship session with an industry leader. Furthermore, the UAE Designer Exhibition, supported by Dubai Culture, returns with an expanded curatorial scope to bolster mentorship opportunities and visibility for emerging UAE-based designers.

Visitors can also experience enriching exhibitions and activations, such as the d3 Architecture Exhibition in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which showcases works by leading international and regional architectural firms centred on the theme of community. L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, is set to unveil a world premiere exhibition at their campus in d3, presenting a unique dialogue between the West and East through the art of jewellery, alongside local heritage and museum artifacts.

Designlab Experience by Hibah Albakree, Mootassem El Baba, Marwan Maalouf at Dubai Design Week 2025

Finally, the DDW’s hands-on learning hub, the Maker Space, made by Mart®, features over 60 expert-led workshops and masterclasses throughout the six-day festival. Hosted in a dedicated space, the program is designed to inspire and elevate skills across design disciplines, welcoming professionals and aspiring creatives of all ages and levels of experience. Sessions are led by professors from leading institutions such as the University of the Arts London (UAL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as UAE-based, regional, and international creatives and cultural institutions.

The DTD fair’s flagship talks platform, The Forum, is headlined by one of the most influential figures in contemporary design, Tom Dixon, making his Dubai debut with a keynote that will explore material innovation and the evolution of global design narratives. The event promises to be a vital nexus for cross-cultural dialogue, setting the course for the next era of design defined by the MENA region’s growing influence.