London Design Festival announces its 23rd edition, which takes place from 13 – 21 September, 2025. This year, it reinforces London’s role as the global design capital, while exploring how design tackles urgent contemporary challenges. The Mayor of London returns as the Festival’s Principal Supporter for 2025.

Installations will reimagine history and test new sustainable materials: these works show how design balances global urgency with creative potential. The programme includes digital collaboration, adaptive reuse of architecture, and partnerships across generations. Together, they confirm London as a testing ground for the future of design.

Key festival hubs

The 2025 edition will feature key activity hubs for visitors. The V&A remains a major partner, hosting curated exhibitions and installations. The Design Museum will stage large exhibitions and displays. A new venue, Space House – an iconic modernist landmark – joins the programme, hosting Material Matters.

Citywide Programming

Design Districts will spotlight creative neighbourhoods across London. The Global Design Forum returns, bringing together global leaders for talks on urgent design challenges.

The London Design Medals, that recognise excellence among established and emerging talent, will honour four figures; Fortnum & Mason continues as Supporting Partner of the London Design Medals, and the winners will be announced in September.

Bloomberg Philanthropies supports the 2025 Festival, and Bloomberg Connects returns as the official digital guide. This free mobile app will offer exclusive content, expert commentary, video highlights, and curated city routes.

As one of the world’s leading design events, the Festival champions both new and established designers, and fosters global collaboration and innovation. In 2025, London Design Festival will boost its partnership programme to better support the design industry. It will create more opportunities for showcasing work and reaching new audiences.

Landmark Projects at London Design Week 2025

What Nelson Sees by Paul Cocksedge

This major installation takes over Trafalgar Square: designer Paul Cocksedge invites the public to see London from Admiral Nelson’s point of view; visitors will look out across the city through sculptural viewing tubes. The structure uses intersecting lines that create telescopic portals. The experience starts with a view of present-day London, it then rewinds through centuries of history before projecting possible future cityscapes.

Beacon by Lee Broom

Supported and produced by Brokis and Materials Assemble, Beacon is a monumental public artwork by Lee Broom. It stands at an iconic riverside site and draws inspiration from local architecture and history. Made with upcycled glass and fused using a special technology, Beacon reimagines classic streetlamps. Together, they form a large sculptural chandelier. The installation can be broken down into reusable light fixtures. It offers beauty, sustainability, and accessibility for all.

Discover more on London Design Festival 

LDF at the V&A

Carrie Chan and Kristian Volsing co-curate the V&A’s 2025 programme, which explores design’s role in responding to crisis. Key works will examine natural resource extraction, cultural heritage under threat, geopolitical conflict, and AI.

Installations feature work by Alicja Patanowska, Jakkai Siributr, and Ryunosuke Okazaki. Roo Dhissou, the V&A Emerging Designer Commission recipient, will also exhibit. The theme of care, restoration, and resilience runs throughout.

The Design Museum

The Design Museum will present major exhibitions during the Festival. Blitz: The Club that Shaped the 80s revisits the club night that changed London’s creative scene, influencing fashion, music, art, and design.

More Than Human combines art and science to consider a post-human design future; it will include a symposium. PLATFORM highlights the work of Bethan Laura Wood and includes a live workshop. Visitors can also join an audio-described architecture tour of the museum.

Design Districts 

Design Districts stretch across London. Each area reflects local creative identity and offers events within walkable distances.

There will be 10 Design Districts in 2025:

• Bankside
• Brompton
• Chelsea
• Dalston to Stokey
• EC1
• Fleet Street Quarter
• Mayfair
• Park Royal
• Shoreditch
• William Morris Design Line

Design Fairs

Design Fairs are commercial highlights of the Festival. They bring together designers, brands, media, buyers, and design fans. These events showcase new products and set design trends.

Material Matters at Space House

Material Matters returns for its fourth edition on September 17 – 20, 2025. Now held at Space House, the event fills an entire floor with design content.

The fair will have three zones:

• Knowledge: A talks space, café, and competitions including Only Natural and the Wood Awards 2025. It also features an installation by PriestmanGoode.
• Specification: Brands like 3M, Filie Material, and MycoWorks will present market-ready materials.
• Experimental: Designers such as Micaella Pedros, Jacob Marks, and Revive Innovations will push material limits.

Other highlights include The Material Way, ForEverydayLife, and the In The Making exhibition by tp bennett and The Furniture Practice. Exhibitors include Arper, Tarkett, and Domus Tiles.

Design London Shoreditch

Design London Shoreditch debuts on September 16 – 18 September 2025. It features three curated exhibitions:

• Design at Work (Protein Studios): Workplace innovation
• Design Culture (Kachette): Design meets culture and sustainability
• House of ICON (Shoreditch Town Hall): Interior design from minimalist to maximalist

Exhibitors include 2LG Studio, artist Ben Cullen Williams with Google DeepMind, and British Council’s Ancient Futures. Brands include BAUX, Dare Studio, and Isomi.

Talks are co-curated by Roddy Clarke. Moleskine will run creative workshops. The event takes place in the heart of the Shoreditch Design Triangle and will attract a global audience.

Discover more on Design London Shoreditch 2025 

Global Design Forum

Global Design Forum returns to the V&A in 2025, with a curated talks series, gathering leading voices in global design. The forum will tackle issues of accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability. 

Graphic Identity 2025 by Pentagram

Pentagram continues its partnership with the Festival, creating the annual graphic identity since 2007.

For 2025, the theme is connection and collaboration. The signature red-and-white colour palette remains. It gives the Festival a bold and recognisable look. Each year, Pentagram evolves the concept to keep the design fresh and distinctive.

Why visit

The London Design Festival is a wide-ranging project, offering some specialized sector exhibitions and area-wide projects. The projects, scattered throughout the city, also involve the general public, who are not very design savvy. It’s a chance to visit London, and to see areas you might not usually go to. Or, at any rate, revisit buildings or areas you already know in a different guise. For the specialist audience of interior designers, architects, and designers, the Festival is a chance to visit showrooms after hours, see new product innovations, and meet the renowned designers participating. In 2025, it includes the first edition of Design London Shoreditch and Material Matters. The complete Guide is on the London Design Festival website.

All images are courtesy of London Design Festival

London Design Festival, September 13-21, 2025

For professionals and general public
Size: over 400 events, 350,000 visitors
The Festival features many different locations, in different areas and Design Districts
Visit LondonDesignFestival.com for info

Below, images from London Design Festival past editions