Design Daze: Sept/Oct Events 2026
Design Daze Out: Sept/Oct Events 2026
From design festivals and fashion icons to centuries-old tapestries, contemporary art and even a very well-dressed beer festival, there’s plenty to get out and see over the next couple of months. Consider this your guide to a little creative wandering as autumn gets underway.
London Design Festival
London is widely recognised as one of the design capitals of the world. Cementing this title is the annual Design Festival, a colourful and thought-provoking celebration of some of the world’s best designers, who interrogate the boundaries of design through events, exhibitions and installations.
There’ll be tons to see, including a celebration of Japanese craftsmanship colliding with new tech at the V&A, a pangolin-inspired pavilion on the Strand, and a Kenzo retrospective at the Design Museum.
12 – 20 September, across London
The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon
Few pieces of clothing have quite the staying power of the Burberry trench. This new display at the V&A explores how a practical piece of outerwear and military attire became one of fashion’s most recognisable icons.
From heritage craftsmanship to more unexpected contemporary interpretations, the display brings together trench coats spanning almost a century – including a mirror-embroidered design, a pink metallic silk number and a purple baroque-print fringed coat from Winter 2025. It’s a look at how an iconic design can evolve without losing sight of where it came from.
Opens 21 September at the V&A, South Kensington
The Bayeux Tapestry
Although it’s believed to have been embroidered in Canterbury, the tapestry has resided in Bayeux, Normandy for the past nine centuries. Despite numerous attempts from Brits to borrow the masterpiece over the past century, it will finally be on show on British soil for the first time since it was made.
Brick Lane Curry Festival
Brick Lane is as recognisable for its visual identity as it is for its food – colourful shopfronts, painted signs, street art and layers of cultural history packed into one East London street.
This September, E1’s curry houses and local businesses come together for the free Curry Festival, bringing that character to life with a colourful procession, street food, chef demonstrations, live music, graffiti, henna and Bangla dancing.
Sunday 20 September, Brick Lane
Katsushika Hokusai exhibition
Created between 1830 and 1833, the series is a masterclass in composition, perspective and colour. Among the highlights are a rare variant of Clear Day with a Southern Breeze, known as Red Fuji, never previously seen in the UK, alongside an exceptionally preserved impression of Under the Wave off Kanagawa - better known as The Great Wave.
Knit + Stitch
Knit + Stitch brings together makers, artists, textile enthusiasts and craft lovers for four days of workshops, demonstrations, interactive experiences, textile art and specialist suppliers – all under one rather enormous roof.
It might be a little more rogue than some of the events on our list, but that’s rather the point. In a tech driven world where so much of what we do happens through a screen, there’s something extra satisfying about working with your hands, experimenting with materials, figuring things out and making something tangible.
8 – 11 October, Alexandra Palace
PAD London
What happens when historical design meets contemporary creativity? PAD London brings the two together for a week of collectible design, international galleries and some seriously beautiful objects, starting from 13 October.
Founded in Paris in 1998, PAD creates a space for galleries and collectors to explore design across eras, with pieces that span heritage craftsmanship, modernist icons and contemporary works. It’s a chance to see how different periods and perspectives can sit side by side, sparking new ideas about what makes a piece worth looking twice at.
13 – 18 October, Berkeley Square
Oktoberfest
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Expect vast beer tents, bold typography, Bavarian patterns, colourful bunting, lederhosen, dirndls and long communal tables, all brought to life with live music, traditional food and plenty of theatre. This makes for an interesting lesson in how culture, branding and experience can come together to create something instantly recognisable.
Performance by Yuko Mohri
Japanese artist Yuko Mohri brings together kinetic sculpture, sound and found objects in a constantly changing installation at The Curve, where she uses magnetism, gravity, water and other ‘unstable elements’ to create unexpected chains of movement and sound.
For one night only, the work spills out into the Barbican car park for Two Pianos, Four Hands and Four Feet, a collaboration with visual artist and composer Christian Marclay. Two pianos will self-play using sounds generated by objects salvaged from the car park – turning everyday materials into an unpredictable live performance.
Frieze London
Frieze London is back, bringing hundreds of galleries, artists and an impressive amount of very serious-looking art to Regent’s Park. But beyond the big names and bigger conversations, it’s a chance to discover emerging artists, new galleries and ideas from across the contemporary art world. New curated sections include The Code Universe, led by Carol Yinghua Lu, exploring artists working across technology and contemporary practice.
Expect ambitious installations, experimental work and plenty to make you stop, stare and wonder whether you’re looking at genius or simply missing the point.
14 – 18 October, The Regent’s Park
