Downtown Design, the region’s leading contemporary design fair returns to Dubai Design District (d3) this November for its 2025 edition, bringing together an international showcase of high-quality design and reaffirming Dubai’s position as a global hub for creativity, culture, and innovation.

Downtown Design, held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, will take place from 5 to 9 November on the Waterfront Terrace in Dubai Design District (d3) as the headline commercial event of Dubai Design Week. Curated in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), a member of TECOM Group PJSC, and supported by Dubai Culture, the fair continues to serve as the region’s most important meeting point for the design industry and a key platform for collaboration, commercial opportunity, and cross-cultural dialogue.

This year’s fair brings together an expanded selection of leading international brands including Kartell, Poltrona Frau and Venini, alongside first-time participants such as Roche Bobois, Stellar Works and others. The 2025 edition also demonstrates strengthened regional representation, welcoming exhibitors and initiatives from Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as well as from across the UAE including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai. Programmes such as Tashkeel’s Tanween Design Programme, MAKE’s Athath Fellowship and 1971 Design Space highlight the continued depth and growth of the local design ecosystem.

Supported by Dubai Culture, the UAE Designer Exhibition returns with an evolved curatorial and mentorship model that offers extended developmental opportunities for UAE-based emerging designers and facilitates global exposure for rising creative talent.

Visitors to the fair can expect a dynamic and immersive experience. Highlights include a Buccellati showcase designed by david/nicolas, the Solaire Lounge by Veuve Clicquot realised in collaboration with Studio Marcel Poulain, and Cosentino’s Art Deco-inspired lounge designed by Studio Etéreo. A central feature of the programme, Editions Art & Design, also returns with a new roster of international and regional participants presenting limited-edition art and contemporary design spanning ceramics, photography, works on paper, prints and artist multiples.

The Forum, the fair’s flagship talks programme, will gather global and regional industry leaders for a series of keynotes, panel discussions and masterclasses. Confirmed speakers include Marcel Wanders, Tom Dixon, Lee Broom and David Hicks, alongside regional voices shaping material and design innovation across the Middle East.

As the anchor fair of Dubai Design Week, Downtown Design continues to consolidate Dubai’s position within the international design landscape while supporting the emergence of a confident, collaborative and globally connected design culture across the region.

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