London Festival: Clerkenwell Design Week 2026 to mark 15th anniversary with major new installations and expanded programme - 19 – 21 May 2026

Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) will return to London’s EC1 district from 19 to 21 May 2026, celebrating its 15th anniversary with an expanded line-up of international exhibitors, new venues and a flagship series of large-scale installations.

Clerkenwell is a vibrant district located in the borough of Islington in London. It holds a rich history and is significant to the creative industries with its concentration of design showrooms, studios, and galleries. 

Organisers have announced the launch of Design Interventions, a curated programme of immersive structures created by both emerging and established designers and architects. Selected from an open call, the installations will be placed in Clerkenwell’s streets, parks and public spaces, encouraging interaction and dialogue around materials, architecture and the built environment.

Fountain of Technicolour Beads by One Bite Design

Among the highlights is Fountain of Technicolour Beads by Hong Kong-based studio One Bite Design. The terrazzo installation explores colour vision deficiency through an interactive spatial experience. Nearby, The Crinkle-Crankle Bench by StudioFolk will be installed beside St James’s Church, offering sculptural seating crafted from natural stone.

The festival will also showcase an expanded international presence, with design collections from six European countries — Spain, Italy, Norway, Germany, Austria and the UK — making the 2026 edition the most globally diverse in the event’s history.

A further key feature is the enlarged CDW Awards, presented in partnership with Design Milk. The awards will recognise not only new products and innovations but also individuals and teams driving change within the design sector. The ceremony will take place at Haberdashers’ Hall, a new venue for 2026, which will host The Luxury Edit, a showcase of high-end design brands and a talks programme titled Design Meets.

The Pulse of Becoming will animate the space outside The Luxury Edit.

Additional installations include The Pulse of Becoming, a living outdoor work created by recent graduates based in Portsmouth, UK. Incorporating chia seeds embedded within crescent forms, the piece will evolve over the course of the festival to reflect themes of growth, decay and renewal.

Historic venues will once again play a central role. The Museum of the Order of St John will host a contemporary Spanish design exhibition, while St Bartholomew the Great will become the “Church of Design”, featuring a talks programme curated by Katie Richardson and sponsored by Dulux. The church will also house a suspended installation, CONFLUENCE, inspired by origami.

Elsewhere, the House of Detention will present a lighting exhibition, with visitors welcomed by Loom Light, a 3D-printed sculpture influenced by Op Art.

Resonance by
Fung+Bedford 

The 2026 programme introduces several new venues, including Material Source Studio and Workplace on the Square, alongside returning locations such as Old Sessions House, The Charterhouse and The Goldsmiths’ Centre. Exhibitions will span furniture, lighting, textiles, surfaces and product design, with confirmed participants including leading international brands and studios.

A new digital app will replace printed guides, enabling visitors to plan personalised itineraries and navigate the festival more efficiently. Attendees will also have access to guided tours, workshops and offers from local hospitality partners.

Organisers expect tens of thousands of visitors from the UK and abroad to attend the three-day event.

One of the many Design Interventions selected for this year will be on Clerkenwell Green. 

The Museum of the Order of St John above St John’s Gate (originally built in 1504) - one of the great hidden historical treasures of London - is another new venue for the festival. The atmospheric space, steeped in history, will be the temporary home to INTERIORS FROM SPAIN for contemporary Spanish design produced by London-based design journal Disegno.

Material Source Studio, which showcases products and materials for architects, interior designers and

property professionals, and Workplace on the Square outside The Zetter hotel, a platform for design

brands catering to offices, are two new additions to CDW’s wide range of venues for 2026. Office design brands will also be exhibiting at Workplace at Goldsmiths’ at The Goldsmiths’ Centre which returns as a festival venue this year.

Clerkenwell Design Week 2026 takes place across EC1, London, from 19 – 21 May. For more information, please visit clerkenwelldesignweek.com – registration is now open.

St Bartholomew the Great, one of London's most ancient and atmospheric churches once again becomes the Church of Design, this year’s venue for the coveted Conversations at Clerkenwell programme curated by PR and Brand Consultant Katie Richardson, which will include discussions with leading and emerging designers on topical subjects.  Design studio Fung+Bedford will present Resonance, a luminous, large-scale installation suspended within the nave of St Bartholomew the Great.

Dulux, sponsor for Conversations at Clerkenwell, is launching a student-focused competition to design the backdrop of the talks stage using a palette of on-trend colours.

Roche Bobois, DEDON and MAGIS Spa are among the many leading international brands exhibiting at

the Church of Design, and CONFLUENCE, a monumental origami-inspired installation by Fung+Bedford, will be suspended from the ceiling of the 900-year-old Grade I listed medieval church.

The House of Detention returns as the host of Light, showcasing a selection of exciting local and global lighting brands. Visitors will be greeted at the entrance with Loom Light, a 3D-printed light sculpture drawing on the optical language of Op Art, designed by MIMStudios, AI Build and SEAM Design. 

“We’re thrilled to be back in Clerkenwell this May with our new Design Interventions initiative which acts as a creative platform for the incredible talent and imagination of the participating architects and designers,” says Marlon Cera-Marle, Design Division Director at Media 10, the organiser of the annual design festival. 

“These thought-provoking installations are set to bring a new interactive dimension to

the show. We’re looking forward to another successful year welcoming tens of thousands of people from the UK and abroad to EC1 to discover the latest that global design has to offer.”

Across all venues, CDW will feature hundreds of design brands, showcasing furniture, lighting, textiles,

surfaces, home accessories and product design. Confirmed exhibitors include String Furniture, Moroso,

Swedese, Dornbracht and Vincent Sheppard. Collections from Austria, Denmark and Italy will also

return.

Visitors should note that a new state-of-the-art app replaces the printed, paper guide and tickets in 2026. The CDW app will be helping them to tailor their visit and navigate the venues, exhibitors, participating showrooms and much more according to their specific interests.

Festival-goers can also enjoy exclusive discounts and offerings from local food and drink partners.

Architects and interior designers will have the opportunity to join guided specialist tours covering topics

ranging from sustainability to emerging design talent and more.

Images from Clerkenwell Design Week website.