The XIII Zagreb Design Week takes place this autumn, turning Zagreb into a hub of design for two weeks. Exhibitions, installations, talks, gatherings and parties happen across dozens of locations throughout the city. Each year the festival draws more than ten thousand visitors — because ZGDW turns design into an experience.
During the first week, the focus is on partner locations. Dozens of shops, galleries and studios will open their doors and welcome visitors with a programme designed especially for ZGDW 2026 — from socialising with designers and launching new collections to cocktail parties running throughout the week, turning the city into a meeting point for designers and the public.
In the second week, the programme moves to the Academy of Fine Arts at Ilica 85. For one week, the Academy’s studios become exhibition spaces, while the garden will host installations, workshops, lectures and concerts. The central venue of ZGDW 2026 will host the festival’s largest exhibitions — the finalists’ exhibition and the ZGDW AWARD ceremony, the thematic exhibition Friction, the partner country exhibition, the exhibition of faculties and schools… The Academy will welcome guest lecturers and panellists from Croatia and abroad, and young fashion designers will present their collections in fashion shows.
Friction — This year’s design festival has chosen friction as its theme, as part of the creative process. If the process begins with the question “What’s the problem?” — the theme of 2017 — it is followed by a phase of exploring ideas in different directions. The gathered ideas are then set against one another, so that a single direction of development can be chosen. This is the phase of friction — of conflict, rupture, decision. The catharsis results in a clear, clean design which is then developed further.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mat.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Sign up and stay in the loop! Be the first to hear news about the events, programme and venues of the biggest design event in Croatia.
