Hungary’s largest creative industry event series, Budapest Design Week, has begun with a ceremonial press conference. Running from 8–19 October across ten cities, the festival offers nearly 200 programmes for visitors. The opening was hosted by the festival’s central venue, 360 Design Budapest, in the Buda Castle District, where journalists were also introduced to events taking place in Sopron, Pécs, and Debrecen alongside the Budapest programme.

Coordinated by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, this year marks the 22nd edition of the event series, which draws attention to the values of design and fine and applied arts. More than one hundred contributing organisations, including galleries, educational institutions, and design studios, share the goal of making design accessible to all and turning it into an engaging experience.

At the opening, it was noted that Budapest Design Week has become a shared celebration of creativity, not only for industry professionals but also for the wider public. The festival builds a bridge between tradition and innovation, featuring both long-established events and new initiatives showcasing young creators. Zsófia Jakab, CEO of the Agency, highlighted that design is not merely form or style but a way of thinking that creates community and contributes to economic growth.

This year, the programme structure covers the whole spectrum of the design industry: over 40 exhibitions and 40 workshops, and nearly 60 performances, installations, and hybrid events await visitors. In addition, more than 20 professional discussions and themed guided tours will explore the social and economic roles of design.

This year, once again, regional cities are playing a determining role. Sopron Design Week, celebrating its 10th anniversary, awaits visitors with eleven programmes. DesignPécs, in its 11th edition, presents creative industry innovations through over 40 events, while Debrecen is joining the festival for the second time with six design-themed events.

The programmes in these three cities demonstrate that the Hungarian creative industry is a living collaborative network, where tradition and innovation go hand in hand. This year, Sopron highlights designers connected to the city, Pécs strengthens its creative community through collaboration between cultural and economic players, while in Debrecen, local universities, schools, and cultural institutions join forces to ensure that design thinking reaches as wide an audience as possible.

Six more cities, Győr, Kecskemét, Szentendre, Balatonfüred, Tata, and Veszprém, enrich the event series with their own programmes, making the values of Hungarian design visible throughout the country.

The central venue of the opening was the 360 Design Budapest exhibition, which opened its doors in the Buda Castle District for the sixth year. Here, we present 400 works by nearly 100 Hungarian and regional designers, highlighting the latest trends in Hungarian and Central European design.

This year, a printed BDW Guide, flags and stickers placed at the programme venues, and interactive maps available on budapestdesignweek.hu help those interested in Budapest Design Week to discover their own design experiences.

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