Dubai Design Week 2025, the leading design fair in the Middle East

From 4 to 9 November, emerging and internationally renowned designers present their vision of the world

Dubai Design Week celebrated its 11th edition in November 2025 coincided with the UAE’s Year of Community.

The event is held in strategic partnership with the Dubai Design District (d3) and this year’s programme reflects this theme through a focus on social cohesion, participation and shared experiences. Design has been explored not only as a practice of innovation, but as a social connector, and as a civic and cultural tool that can shape how we live together, communicate, and build lasting systems of care. Since 2015, Dubai Design Week has grown into a global platform with a strong emphasis on cross-cultural exchange and on amplifying voices from West and South Asia, as well as the wider Global South (encompassing countries across Africa, Latin America, most of Asia and Oceania). Through exhibitions, fairs, large-scale installations, talks and workshops, the festival engages with the narratives of our time, creating a space for dialogue, experimentation and progress, harnessing its position as a regional melting pot and creative hub. Key venues are located across d3, a global creative ecosystem dedicated to design, fashion, architecture and art. In line with Dubai’s position as the leading business destination for the region and beyond, d3 is an industry-pioneering concept that enables people and businesses to grow and co-create whilst simultaneously providing a solid platform for creativity. Strategically located in the heart of Dubai, d3 is one of the city’s lifestyle and business districts that challenges thousands of people to rethink the regular.

The 2025 edition of Dubai Design Week explores a central theme of ‘Community’, in response to the UAE’s wider ‘Year of Community’ initiative

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

Urban Commissions

Urban Commissions is Dubai Design Week’s annual competition open to proposals from global practices, giving international architects and designers the opportunity to shape public spaces through thoughtful, community-driven design. Under the theme ‘Courtyard’, Urban Commissions called on practitioners to reflect on this shared spatial form and explore its multifaceted role as a gathering place and community-led urban infrastructure.

Abwab 2025

Abwab, meaning ‘doors’ in Arabic, is a long-running feature at Dubai Design Week. Newly expanded to welcome applicants from across West, South and East Asia, as well as the African continent, it reflects an ongoing commitment to surfacing design perspectives that can be often underrepresented on global platforms. This year’s theme, ‘In the Details’, invited practitioners to create immersive spatial experiences, exploring ornamental details and engaging with historic cultural forms. The winners of this editions were Latifa Alkhayat and Maryam Aljomairi, architects and founders of Maraj, an architecture and design studio

Dubai Design Week. This year’s festival will also see the return of the Abwab and Urban Commissions initiatives, designed to foster emerging talent and new voices in design and architecture

Exhibitions, Installations, Workshops, Activations, Marketplace

The Festival’s programme of exhibitions serves as a platform for cultural organisations, educational institutions, collectives and individual designers to express unique cultural, social and environmental perspectives, showcasing cutting-edge design solutions across disciplines. Outdoor installations from designers, architects, collectives, creative practitioners, and design-led brands, will explore design’s potential to foster inclusive, community-focused environments through the use of sustainable and socially responsible methods and materials. Independent makers and cultural and educational institutions will host the festival’s programme of workshops held at Maker Space, offering visitors of all ages and skill levels the opportunity to engage and experiment with a diverse range of artistic mediums.

Alongside this, the activations programme unveiled innovative and immersive projects, cross-disciplinary collaborations, pop-ups, and special presentations. Marketplace offered a curated retail experience featuring high-quality and original products by the region’s finest artisans, entrepreneurs and small businesses, alongside food experiences, children’s activities and live performances.

Downtown Design

Downtown Design, the Middle East’s leading fair for high-quality and contemporary design, returned to the d3 Waterfront Terrace, showcasing the latest collections and design innovations from around the world.

Returning exhibitors including Lasvit, Kartell, Poltrona Frau, Obegi Home, Venini, and Vitra presented new concepts alongside new participants Roche Bobois, Stellar Works, FRAMA, Porada and Desalto. At the heart of Downtown Design, the UAE Designer Exhibition, supported by Dubai Culture, returned with an evolved format after five editions of significant growth, expanding mentorship for emerging creatives and international showcase opportunities. Details will be announced in September.

Editions, the region’s first fair dedicated to limited-edition art and design, taked place in the same days of the fair, at the d3 Waterfront Terrace

Editions Art & Design

Following a successful debut in 2024, Editions, the region’s first fair dedicated to limited-edition art and design, taked place in the same days of the fair, at the d3 Waterfront Terrace. Editions presented 50 local and international galleries, design studios, and collectives across a diverse range of mediums including: artist multiples, ceramics, photography, works on paper, prints, editions, and contemporary design. Editions joins an expanding creative ecosystem that enhances access to quality art and design through varied price points and mediums, and engages the region’s collector network through disciplines not widely showcased in the region.

d3 Architecture Exhibition

The 2025 d3 Architecture Exhibition, organised by d3 in partnership with Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) aligns with Dubai Design Week’s theme in response to the UAE’s wider ‘Year of Community’ initiative and taked place in a dedicated space in the creative district. Rooted in the UAE’s values of resilience, ambition, and openness, the Year of Community is dedicated to fostering a united and empowered society. It aims to inspire behaviours that strengthen family and social ties, encourage shared responsibility, and unlock potential for sustainable growth.