The Festival
The Design Canberra festival celebrates Canberra as a creative capital and a global city of design.
Design is in Canberra’s DNA with First Nation people’s strong ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to this city and region – in which making, and design are embedded within cultural practice. Canberra has always been a dynamic design laboratory and place of creative enterprise which is embodied in the Griffins’ visionary design for the city, Canberra’s iconic modernist architecture; and it’s thriving contemporary sustainable design, craft and art industries.
From 2-20 November 2022, DESIGN Canberra will experiment with new ideas and expand the most successful programs into new directions in the 2022 festival. Over 200 events, exhibitions, talks, tours, activations, markets, collaborations, artist studios and open homes will once again transform the nation’s capital into a new platform for the best in design. The festival, now in its 8th year, is for all interests and ages and most events are free.
Read the 2020 festival report HERE
This is Ngunnawal Country
The DESIGN Canberra festival is presented on Ngunnawal Country.
The Ngunnawal are the Indigenous people of this region and its first inhabitants. It is a harsh climate and difficult country for hunter-gatherer people. To live here required great knowledge of the environment, skilful custodianship of it and close cooperation. Ngunnawal people continue to live and travel through the Canberra region, preserving their culture by maintaining connections to land and through artistic expression.
Proudly presented by Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre
DESIGN Canberra is the major outreach activity for Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre — a not-for-profit membership based organisation which supports local artists, designers and makers at every stage of their careers. The festival is delivered in collaboration with industry, associations and educational institutions committed to the design arts and creative industries in Canberra.
Goals
Amplified by ever-increasing support from a creative network of local, national and international design and craft communities, together with corporate and government partners, DESIGN Canberra promotes design and craft, develops new and expanded audiences, forges marketplace connections and unexpected collaborations, and is a source of inspiration.
Partners
Over 70 sponsors and supporters from the business, tertiary, cultural and industry sectors as well as the broader Canberra community help to make the DESIGN Canberra festival a success.
Commercial operators who wish to become a sponsor of the festival, please contact us for more information on [email protected] for an information pack.
For any additional enquires, please email [email protected].