Join our free celebration!
Design Museum Gent reopens on 3 October with a free opening weekend packed with exhibitions, creative activities, a design market, and a backyard brunch.
Under the banner of Design Fest Gent, we then venture into the city through 11 October, taking you along a surprising route of creative hotspots.
Mark 3 to 11 October in your calendar and check out the full programme now!
HIGHLIGHTS
- Music
- 02.10.2026—03.10.2026
PRE-PARTY
Celebrate the reopening of Design Museum Gent at our pre-party with exhibitions, performances, flash tattoos and a street party featuring a surprise DJ set.
- Brunch
- 04.10.2026
Variations in Bread - Studio CoPain & Ghent bakers
Join a brunch at Design Museum Gent where design meets gastronomy. Studio CoPain and Ghent bakers serve a buffet with an edible centerpiece. No reservation.
- Experience
- 04.10.2026
Design Makersmarkt
Browse the Design Makers Market: 60 stalls full of unique work by local makers. Meet the makers and discover the story behind each piece. In Ghent.
2 october
- Music
- 02.10.2026—03.10.2026
Radio Ruit live
Radio Ruit brings Ghent DJs to the courtyard of Design Museum Gent. Dive into the evening with a mix of styles, from house to techno. Come and dance.
- Music
- 02.10.2026
STREET PARTY ********
Ghent, this one's for you! Join our street party around the museum with surprise world-class DJs and be the first to discover the secret headliners.
- Experience
- 02.10.2026—03.10.2026
Movement Matter - Mova BoRee
In Movement Matter by BoRee Aske, steel circus objects come to life through movement. Watch circus artists or join in: lift, move and discover. A work to feel.
- Experience
- 02.10.2026—03.10.2026
Live tattoo - Kraey
Wear Design Museum Gent on your skin! DOE TA NIE TATTOE created 30 unique flash tattoos inspired by our collection. Which one is yours? First come, first served
3 october
- Music
- 03.10.2026
Lander & Adriaan
Lander & Adriaan blend jazz, techno, juke and rave into an explosive live show. Expect fast drums, heavy basslines and irresistible dancefloor energy.
- Lecture
- 03.10.2026
Curator Talk: Public Matter(s) - Amelie Klein & Vera Sacchetti
Discover Design and Democracy, curated by Amelie Klein and Vera Sacchetti, exploring the role of design in democracy, society and public space.
- Installation
- 09.10.2026—11.10.2026
Puffy Portal - Loulou João - Fluvius
Step into Puffy Portal by Loulou João, a soft inflatable space filled with cushions. Play, move and discover a colourful place for rest and sel
- Expo outside the museum
- 03.10.2026—11.10.2026
Windows of Design
For Windows of Design, 34 Ghent shops turn their windows into mini exhibitions. Follow the trail through the city during Design Fest Gent.
4 october
- Experience
- 04.10.2026
Design Makersmarkt
Browse the Design Makers Market: 60 stalls full of unique work by local makers. Meet the makers and discover the story behind each piece. In Ghent.
- Lecture
- 04.10.2026
Evelien Bracke - Curator Talk: Collection. Models from the Past for the Future
In this curator talk, Evelien Bracke shows how the historical collection of Design Museum Gent inspires the future. 500 objects as a mirror for tomorrow.
- Workshop
- 04.10.2026
Glitermeinkloof - Cinte Wittoek
Cinte Wittoek helps children rethink the news through newspapers, design and creativity. A hands-on workshop on media literacy.
- Workshop
- 04.10.2026
Yoga - Giel Vandecaveye
Celebrate the reopening of Design Museum Gent with an energising vinyasa yoga session for all levels, led by Giel Vandecaveye.
5 - 11 october
- Workshop
- 10.10.2026—11.10.2026
Workshop for the littlest ones - Joanna Reuse
Join our museum workshop for little ones (0 to 6 years)! Let your child play, move and feel with Joanna Reuse’s unique play materials. Come and join in!
- Lecture
- 06.10.2026
Live uitzending Pompidou
The cultural programme Pompidou broadcasts live from Design Museum Gent. Nicky Aerts welcomes guests to mark our festive reopening.
- Workshop
- 11.10.2026
Learn to Braid - Soft Connection Lab
Rediscover the forgotten craft of braiding with Soft Connection Lab. Learn four basic techniques, relaxing and sustainable. Free, registration required.
- Experience
- 03.10.2026—07.10.2026
VRIJ-spel - Studio Ludiek
At Studio Ludiek, children become game-makers: play boxes with no rules that turn any space into a playground. A permanent play spot at Design Museum Gent.
Design Fest Gent
Design Fest Gent brings designers, makers, thinkers and residents together in the city. Not a single narrative, but many. Not conceived from above, but built through dialogue.
Here, design is not an end in itself, but a beginning: a way of looking at how we live, work and coexist. What is already working? What could be done differently? And who decides that?
The projects are rooted in care, sharing and collaboration. They are created not just for people, but above all with people. Sometimes small and local, sometimes almost invisible. But that is precisely where their strength lies.
Design Fest Gent sees design as an open practice that connects ideas with action, experimentation with experience, and different voices with one another.
- Workshop
- 08.10.2026
Tsunagu つなぐ
Tsunagu means 'to connect'. In this workshop you build with wood joints that use no glue or screws, alongside the designer of the Tsunagu lighting. Join in.
- Expo outside the museum
- 03.10.2026—11.10.2026
Under Construction
Under Construction shows designers who start from construction: furniture, objects and installations with metal as a common thread. See the exhibition in Ghent.
- Expo outside the museum
- 03.10.2026—11.10.2026
Common Ground
Common Ground shows design that moves with people: six makers build on existing materials and stories. An exhibition about use, material and identity.
- Expo outside the museum
- 03.10.2026—11.10.2026
We Are The Next Generation
At We Are The Next Generation, discover the graduation work of a new generation of Belgian designers. Around 30 projects at BROEI during Design Fest Gent.