The Open Call Begins!

The theme of 2018 is Trust, and we invite the people of the city, designers and visitors to trust themselves as well as each other.

The concept of design is far-reaching and broad. Everything around us has been designed, and the forms in which you can participate are open for you to interpret. Helsinki Design Week is an open platform based on trust for active local residents as well as for international design professionals and friends. We encourage everyone to see their urban surroundings with fresh eyes and create inspiring confluences and realizations. The wide networks of Helsinki Design Week’s festival programme include 250 annual events, and the number of visitors in 2017 was 161,000.

This year’s dates are 6–16 September 2018.

Join us in making Helsinki Design Week a reality! 

More details and the application forms can be found here.

Open Call

Are you planning to produce a design exhibition, a fashion show, a talk or a launch, or are you perhaps publishing a book, guiding a city tour, building a city installation, opening the doors of your studio, or managing a hackathon? Are you holding an event for children or a party that suits the theme? Apply to be a part of the official festival programme by completing the form by 31 May. The chosen events will be a part of the programme and gain exposure for festival marketing and communications.

NEW: HDW Open Spaces

The community of event organizers is important to us. Every year we receive many requests regarding available venue spaces in this city we know so well. We are always aiming to see the city from a new angle, and we are interested in even the most surprising ways of creating experimental spaces. We are happy to introduce a new way to participate in our festival: HDW Open Spaces.

We challenge venue holders to take a different look at their environment. Are you based in a space that might actually be suitable to also host a jewellery exhibition? Would you like to invite a group of service designers to host a workshop in the meeting room of your office? Are you interested in reaching an international design industry audience? Helsinki Design Week has added more opportunities for you to take part and is now looking for temporary event venues. We will combine these urban spaces with the design event organizers in need of them.

Design Market

The biggest stock sale event in the Nordics begins the festival by emptying out old stocks to make space for the new. High quality design products, affordable finds and an updated additional programme have made Design Market one of the most popular events of the festival. Apply quickly and mark your calendars for 8–9 September.

Little Market

The favourite of the entire family, Children’s Weekend, expands this year. HDW Children’s Design Week will still feature the Little Market, which invites vendors to Kattilahalli to sell their kids’ products. Additional events include workshops, a playground and a café. The dates are 15–16 September.