Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
NYCxDESIGN Festival Plans Dynamic Programming for May Event
April 28,
2026 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
The NYCxDESIGN Festival returns May 14-20, 2026, bringing together more than 163,000 designers, innovators, industry leaders, and enthusiasts for a week-long celebration of creativity, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Established in 2012 as New York City’s official design week, the festival has grown into one of the world’s leading design gatherings, activating all five boroughs of the city with dynamic programming.
“NYCxDESIGN represents a global platform that showcases the ideas, talent, and innovation that make New York City such an influential design destination, and home to the largest concentration of creatives per capita anywhere,” said Ilene Shaw, Executive Director of NYCxDESIGN. “Across neighborhoods and disciplines, our annual festival brings together the people and perspectives that define NYC’s extraordinary creative energy, welcoming more than 163,000 participants and attendees from the region and around the world.”
Throughout the week, participants from across the city, including global brands, schools and universities, cultural institutions, emerging studios, and independent makers, come together through exhibitions, installations, talks, tours, parties, and cultural programs that highlight New York’s expansive design ecosystem. The celebration amplifies the importance of the city’s creative energy, drawing a mix of local, domestic, and international attendees, with one-third of festival-goers traveling from outside New York City to participate.
"The NYCxDESIGN Festival has played an integral role in bringing together New York City's exceptional creative talent and reinforcing the city's role as a global design hub," said Jeanny Pak, Interim President & CEO of New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). "This year's theme, Design Connects Us, reflects the strength of the city's creative sectors to bring together people and ideas from across industries and communities, and NYCEDC is proud to support another year of programming that celebrates creativity, collaboration, and innovation across the five boroughs."
NYCxDESIGN’s annual festival reflects the diversity of the city’s design industries and their role in shaping innovation, culture, and the built environment. The full festival schedule will be announced at nycxdesign.org and made accessible through the NYCxDESIGN mobile app and the Bloomberg Connects app, both available in the App Store and Google Play, enabling visitors to easily navigate events across the city.