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.

Art, Design & Cultural Events: London Design Festival 16 — 24 Sept 2023

London Design Festival 2023 is in full swing and this September, the LDF programme over 9 days is spread across 13 districts, outdoor sculptures, solo exhibitions, two church installations, insightful talks and much more.  It is an experience for all the senses, including AI-enhanced smells, artful feasts for the eyes in Greenwich and sounds and textures come together in an ode to Shoreditch’s industrial legacy.  

Click HERE for free digital guide.

London designer Yinka Ilori is a keynote speaker at  Global Design Forum
at the V&A Museum.
Photo from Global Design Forum website.

Plus, the Global Design Forum at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington, is the LDF’s curated thought leadership programme, celebrating design and the minds shaping its future.  The programme features the challenging and exciting topics that designers face today, including regenerative futures; new possibilities in digital design; identity and inclusivity; design to shape behaviour; connecting communities; participation in design and design for crisis and recovery. Speakers from the global design community share new perspectives on how design can be more accessible, inclusive, sustainable and at the forefront of change.  The sessions are hosted at the V&A Museum on 16, 17, 20 and 21 September 2023.

Created in association with Artichoke and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, "Aura" installation by Pablo Valbuena at St Paul's Cathedral examines the potential of time, sound and light to create a contemporary response to this Christopher Wren masterpiece.  ‘Aura’ listens to the sound, voices and music generated in St Paul’s and materialises them into a spectral, three-dimensional aura.
Image from London Design Festival

One of the headline LDF events is "Aura" by France-based Spanish artist Pablo Valbuena inside the St Paul's Cathedral, EC4.  "Aura" is a live installation that transforms the sounds present in the Cathedral into a pulsating line of light projected at an architectural scale. The piece is deeply intertwined with the context and fabric of the cathedral. It introduces new ideas while seamlessly integrating into the building and its daily life as if it had been part of the original design.

Another headline event is ‘Halo’ by Moritz Waldemeyer at St Stephen Walbrook, EC4

"Halo" by Moritz Waldemeyer integrates two complementary
layers to create an immersive experience.
Images by Ed Reeve from London Design Festival

"Halo" is a transcendent light installation nestled within the storied architecture of St. Stephen Walbrook Church. This historic landmark, also designed by the Sir Christopher Wren, stands as a symbol of London's resilience and enduring spirit, rising from the ashes of the Great Fire of London in 1666. 'Halo' thoughtfully integrates two complementary layers to create an immersive experience. The first layer features a meticulously designed conical pendulum, carefully embedded with integrated lights. Suspended from the apex of the church, the pendulum traces a celestial-like path around the church's central attraction – the renowned altar. Created by acclaimed artist Henry Moore, this travertine marble masterpiece invites viewers into a shared space of contemplation and admiration.

One of the special projects during LDF is "Nice to Meet You Again" by Morag Myerscough at

Shoreditch Electric Light Station, N1.

Image from London Design Festival

Morag and MINI (one of the motor brands under BMW group) are united by their "shared values of imaginative space utilisation." They integrate their designs with the surrounding environment to create captivating experiences. These values shape the installation, "providing a fully immersive journey into a future where spaces are adorned with abundant greenery and teeming with vibrant life."

Until Tuesday, there are talks at the installation that invites visitors to explore a luscious urban world where tradition meets technology. The installation exudes a contagious sense of optimism and positive energy, mirroring MINI's signature 'go-kart feeling' and playful nature. 

Morag, born and raised in Holloway, London, has now embraced life in the countryside but has always been captivated by how colour, pattern and words can alter the urban environment and the public perception of spaces.  This collaboration with MINI amplifies the brand's commitment to creating dynamic and positive mobility solutions that reflect the energy and diversity of both rural and urban life.

Coinciding with LDF is the Shoreditch Design Triangle cultural event  with a programme of design-led happenings that are representative of the vibrant creative scene that flourishes in the area.  Shoreditch's transformation from historically a working-class and industrial area to a hub of creativity, culture and innovation, can be traced back to the 1990s when artists, musicians, and creative entrepreneurs began to move into the area, attracted by its affordable rents and industrial spaces. This influx of creative individuals laid the groundwork for the neighborhood's transition into a creative and design-focused community.