Dubai Design Week

The Gulf's design festival

Every autumn, Dubai Design Week brings architects, designers and craftspeople together in Dubai Design District, known as d3, the city's creative quarter. The 12th edition runs from 3 to 8 November 2026. It is held under the patronage of Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chair of Dubai Culture, the emirate's culture and arts authority, with d3 as partner.

According to the official website, the festival is free and open to visitors of all ages. You move freely between exhibitions, outdoor installations, talks and workshops.

The 2026 programme

• Abwab, the flagship exhibition, becomes a group show in 2026, "In Other Words", about how we communicate through language, gesture, signs and oral storytelling.
• Urban Commissions, installations in d3's public spaces: Nao Architects won the main commission with "Three Gardens and a Room"; there is also "Taqleem" by Rasha Saffarini, about palm pruning, and "Chatai 2.0", a timber structure by Nikken Sekkei and Sobokuya.
• "Inherited Futures", an exhibition of Emirati designers.
• The Marketplace, a market of independent makers, on the weekend of 7 and 8 November.

Downtown Design, the ticketed fair

Downtown Design, the contemporary design fair linked to the festival, runs from 4 to 8 November. The 4th is for press and invited guests; the public is admitted from Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November, noon to 8 pm local time, and on Sunday 8 from noon to 6 pm. Tickets cost AED 80 for a day, about €20, and AED 150 for four days. Highlights announced include rugs by Iwan Maktabi designed by Nadine Kanso and Omar Al Gurg, furniture prototypes from the Athath grant, and an exhibition on the Memphis Milano group.

Getting to d3

• By metro and bus: the red line to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station, then bus D03 to the "Dubai Design District 1" stop. Shuttles link this stop to Downtown Design.
• By taxi: several drop-off points in the district, including one at the main entrance to Downtown Design.
• By car: two hours' free parking, then AED 20 an hour; valet parking available.

Where to stay

d3 neighbours Business Bay and Downtown. The Lana, on the Marasi Bay marina in Business Bay, and Palace Downtown, at the foot of Burj Khalifa, are the two closest addresses in the Sabaro selection; the area is described on our Downtown Dubai page.

In early November the average high is about 31 °C, so outdoor installations are best seen in the late afternoon. The same week, the Dubai Fitness Challenge livens up the city, from 31 October to 29 November 2026 (see the page), and Art Dubai takes over in spring.