 | |
| Industry | Design |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | |
| Products | Festival |
| Parent | IDEA Operations Ltd. |
| Website | londondesignfestival.com |
London Design Festival is a cultural event that takes place over nine days every September across London. It was founded by John Sorrell and Ben Evans in 2003, and the 23rd edition took place in 2025. [1]
The first London Design Festival took place from 20 to 28 September 2003, during which 90 speakers took part in more than 60 events. [3] Participation grew in 2017, as the audience rose to 420,000 people, increasing again in 2019 to 600,000 attendees. [4] [5] [6] More than 2,000 design businesses participate each year, including brands and universities.[ citation needed ]
The festival comprises more than 400 events and exhibitions staged by more than 300 partner organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world. [7] The festival also commissions and curates a programme of Landmark Projects, exhibitions and special projects at the Victoria and Albert Museum and throughout the city. [8] [9] [10] [11]
The festival also includes a thought-leadership programme, the Global Design Forum, [12] featuring talks, keynotes, daily tours, and workshops. [13] [14] In 2019, it had 50 speakers from 18 countries and 2,800 visitors. [15] In a Wallpaper magazine article, the festival chairman stated: "We consciously founded the London Design Festival to be public-spirited. Over the last 20 years, the Festival has had incredible depth of penetration and success in bringing people together and distilling new ideas." [16] [17] [18]
The 23rd edition of the festival took place in September 2025. [19] [20]
The Festival commissions and curates large-scale installations across the city in indoor and outdoor locations, with many being later shown in other cities or locations in the following months or years. Working with businesses and designers, previous Landmark Projects have included Sclera by David Adjaye (2008), Endless Stair by Alex de Rijke (2013), [21] The Smile by Alison Brooks Architects (2016), [22] [23] Medusa by Tin Drum and Sou Fujimoto (2021), [24] Into Sight by Sony Design (2022), and Sabine Marcelis's swivelling stone chairs on St Giles Square (2022). [25] [26] [27] [9] [28] [29]
Since 2009, the Victoria and Albert Museum has been the central hub [31] for the London Design Festival, celebrating 14 years of partnership in 2022. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] It has been called the "true epicentre" of the festival. [37] [38] Museum director Tristram Hunt said the "London Design Festival occupies a vital role in London's thriving design sector, reaffirming London's position as one of the world's leading global design capitals." [39] [40] Ben Evans, the festival's director said: "I still have to pinch myself that they let us come and play in their museum". [41]
In 2022, 12 design districts across London participated – Bankside, Brompton, Pimlico Road, Clerkenwell, King's Cross, Greenwich Peninsula, Mayfair, Shoreditch, Islington, Park Royal, William Morris Design Line and Southwark. Other districts have taken part in previous festivals, including Paddington Central, West Kensington, Marylebone, and Chelsea.[ citation needed ]
Each year a jury composed of established designers, industry commentators and previous winners choose recipients of the London Design Medals across four categories. Winners are chosen from a wide range of design disciplines and awarded for their contribution to their field. [42] [43]
Festival Director Ben Evans stated: "While there is no shortage of design awards, we wanted to do it differently. So we took the Nobel Prize route – there's no shortlist, just a winner. So that means there's no losers either." [44]
The London Design Medal is created each year by jewellery designer Hannah Martin. [45] The Medals feature a London bird, the Cockney sparrow, in flight. [46]
