Irish Design Week 2026: Fáilte Future Europe

Irish Design Week 2026, the fifth edition of the national design festival run by Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI), takes place across the country from Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 November 2026. Its programme spans fashion, architecture, craft and graphic design, with exhibitions, talks, workshops, open studios, awards and conferences, and its flagship events are held in Dublin.

Fáilte Future Europe

This edition falls during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, from July to December 2026. Its theme, Fáilte Future Europe, joins fáilte, the Irish word for welcome, with a European outlook, and asks how creativity and design can help build a more competitive, sustainable, inclusive and resilient Europe. The programme includes 38 events supported by partners such as the National College of Art and Design, the Land Development Authority and the European Creative Industries Summit. It moves from Carrickmacross lace, Donegal tweed and Connemara marble to artificial intelligence and business innovation.

Programme highlights

• 7 November, Kilkenny: opening of the Irish Design Excellence Award (IDEA) exhibition at the DCCI National Design & Craft Gallery.
• 9 to 11 November, Dublin: a Design and Craft Conference at NCAD, a conference on Ireland’s design history from Arts and Crafts to AI at IADT, and a conference on design futures in heritage craft.
• From 11 November: Standing Ground at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, an exhibition of Irish fashion couture with designer Michael Stewart, designer and educator Natalie B. Coleman and Carrickmacross lace artisans, on show until 10 January 2027.
• 12 November, Dublin: the European Creative Industries Summit, hosted by DCCI with the Federation of European Creative Industries, with discussion labs and talks on how design can respond to challenges facing Europe.
• Across the week: the Irish Business Design Challenge awards and regional events on heritage craft and landscape, including a visit to Design Kenmare.

Speaking at the launch of the programme, Mary Blanchfield, CEO of DCCI, said she hoped “the conversations started at Irish Design Week 2026 will become partnerships, commissions, commercial opportunities and enduring relationships”.

Attending

Events are run by DCCI, by commissioned partners and by independent organisers, so formats and prices vary. The full programme, with booking and ticket information for each event, is on the Irish Design Week pages of the DCCI website.