Helsinki Design Week 2026

Helsinki Design Week is an annual urban design festival held each September, established in 2005 and produced by Luovi Productions Ltd, founded by Kari Korkman. Now one of the largest design festivals in the Nordic countries, it stages roughly 250 events each year, activating temporary venues across Helsinki that range from former customs warehouses and abattoirs to the Olympic Stadium and Alvar Aalto’s landmark “Sugar Cube” building.

Since 2009, each edition has built its programme around an annual theme, recent years have included “Celebration” (2025), guiding a mix of exhibitions, installations, talks and cultural events. The festival’s distinctive approach of opening rarely accessible historic and architecturally significant buildings to the public sets it apart from more conventional trade-focused design weeks. It connects designers, architects and creative communities with the wider public, combining professional programming with events aimed at broad public participation.