From 7 February to 9 April 2023, Madrid will host the sixth edition of the international Madrid Design Festival, turning the city into the capital of design and positioning it in a privileged place on the international scene. This year, the event includes Seville as the invited city, which will host exhibitions, meetings, workshops and conferences, as well as an extensive programme of activities featuring designers, specialists and professionals from the sector.  

The Festival highlights the local design sector in Madrid and Spain, with the collaboration of institutions, brands, companies, museums and spaces from around the city, which will showcase the best design from Madrid and Spain, as well as the ability to resolve the most complex challenges. For yet another year, the festival will be held at the Fernán Gómez Cultural Centre as the main venue, along with other venues, such as the  Cerralbo Museum, the National Museum of Decorative Arts, Matadero Madrid, CaixaForum Madrid, the ICO Museum or the Santa Barbara Palace, among others.

For yet another year, design will once more form part of the programme, raising awareness of national and international creative talent, with numerous exhibitions, installations, activities and the participation of professionals.

Design from Seville will come to Madrid with several proposals for the Madrid Design Festival 2023, including the Seville. Illuminated Shadow exhibition, which can be seen from 8 February to 9 April at the Fernán Gómez Cultural Centre. It is an exhibition that invites visitors on a journey through today’s design from Seville with a selection of more than 100 pieces that offer a fusion between past and present.

The Free Learning Institution will host one of the new features of this edition from 15 to 26 February, the Design Party, which is a meeting point for professionals, brands and visitors around the design experience.

The Fernán Gómez Cultural Centre will host several exhibitions, such as the Madrid, pottery of modernity. Ceramics and design in the mid-20th century which highlights the seminal period of Madrid’s modern culture in the mid-20th century; or Slow. Slow design for fast change promoted by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), which brings together the work from 17 students selected from nine design schools in Spain. The interactive installation, Contornos del Agua, by the Formica Group and the architect and designer, Teresa Sapey, invites spectators on a journey through the material, light and sound that evokes the feeling of water.

The programme hosts the OFF Festival, which is the heart of the Madrid Design Festival hosting showrooms, stores, concept-stores, craft workshops, galleries and creative spaces, revealing a multi-disciplinary proposal of activities for audiences of all ages. It is the perfect showcase to display products, organise exhibitions, announce new features or programme activities to bring design closer to the public and form part of a unique network of spaces. 

The Madrid DesignPRO professional days   will be back with leading national and international creators, a programme of conferences, master classes and networking where design professionals will reflect on the capacity of this discipline to transform and improve society.  In 2023, they will be held from 15 to 18 February at the Free Learning Institution, with professionals like Mac Collins, FormaFantasma, Martín Azúa, Hella Jongerius and Rosan Bosch.

The winners of the MNI Design Award will also be announced. This award aims to reward innovative initiatives which give rise to changes in the urban environment; actions to improve the quality of life and efficiency of cities; or projects on new opportunities and challenges to achieve a smart and sustainable city in the 21st century.  The Madrid Design Festival Awards will also be handed out.

See full programme