20 Years of Vienna Design Week

Vienna Design Week celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026 and once again shows what design can do. From September 25 to October 4, Vienna will once again become a “City Full of Design” with a concentrated lineup of events.

Every year, Vienna Design Week turns Vienna into a hub for design – this year for the 20th time. Over the past two decades, Vienna Design Week has become one of Europe’s leading design festivals. In collaboration with Viennese museums, manufacturing businesses, and designers, the festival offers various ways to engage with design: through events, exhibitions, installations, guided tours, design tours, and workshops. Overall, Vienna Design Week takes place at 50 locations across Vienna, with admission free for most events. The focus is on the diverse creative output that the local design scene is known for and ranges from product and furniture design to graphic and social design. Sustainability and the circular economy are becoming increasingly important topics at Vienna Design Week.

High-rise building in Vienna, Vienna Design Week headquarters — Vienna Design Week Festival HQ – © Christoph Wimmer-Studio Sirene, Vienna Design Week

Festival Headquarters in the 13th district

This year the festival HQ is located in the 13th district, in an office tower at Hietzinger Kai 101, designed in the 1970s by the renowned Austrian architect Harry Glück and partners. With its size and striking geometric form, the building is one of the standout structures in its neighborhood. Harry Glück’s best-known project is the Wohnpark Alterlaa residential complex, built fifty years ago. The festival HQ in the 13th district will play host to exhibitions, talks, and workshops; the building’s bowling alley in the basement will also be used. As this year’s guest of Vienna Design Week, Luxembourg will present exhibition projects at the festival HQ. Debut projects created specifically for the festival by two design educational institutions will also be displayed, including the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

Handicraft in focus

Vienna Design Week casts light on the production processes of design and handicraft. Studio visits and tours to production sites are therefore an important component of the festival. Another exciting aspect is the Passionswege format, which brings together three international and Austrian designers with Viennese craft workshops.

Vienna Design Week is also dedicated to the topic of "Urban Food & Design". Practical design solutions for the urban food industry will be developed in collaboration with companies. This year’s focus is on the development of dyes and pigments from bioregional, natural resources and waste, and their application to textiles and other materials. For the first time this year, the focus will also be on design for room acoustics. An acoustic tunnel lets visitors hear how rooms are meant to sound – or not sound.