The 28th edition of DesignBlok will return to key venues across Prague from 7 to 11 October 2026, bringing together more than 300 creators, studios, brands and guests. This year’s theme is Light – explored as a technological phenomenon, an element of architecture and a symbol of knowledge and hope. The festival will return to both the Trade Fair Palace and the newly renovated Industrial Palace, while also presenting exhibitions at Prague Castle and welcoming prominent international guests.
This year, DesignBlok will take over the Trade Fair Palace of the National Gallery Prague, Prague Castle, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the UMPRUM Mikulandská Technology Centre, and the historic central hall of the Industrial Palace. Following a four-year renovation, the latter will reopen to the public as one of the festival’s main hubs, hosting the DesignBlok Talks conference, the awards ceremony and shows by the Diploma Selection finalists. The festival will bring together more than 300 selected creators, studios, brands and guests from the Czech Republic and abroad. Light will permeate this year’s DesignBlok in many forms: as a practical tool, a technological phenomenon, a defining element of architecture and design, and an intellectual symbol.
“This year, we are working with light as a symbol of knowledge, truth, hope and life – the opposite of darkness. Jan Amos Comenius attributed to light the power to free us from confusion and lead us towards truth. He saw the highest goal as bringing knowledge and enlightenment to humankind. Within this broader context, we will explore the influence and role of design in today’s world. Does design have the power to improve the state of the world? How does it contribute to development and the quality of human life? We will address these questions through exhibitions, discussions and lectures, including the DesignBlok Talks conference programme,” says Jana Zielinski, Director of DesignBlok.
DesignBlok returns to the renovated Industrial Palace
One of the biggest highlights of DesignBlok 2026 will be its return to the Industrial Palace at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. The festival will become the first major event to open its historic central hall to the public following a four-year renovation. It will host the DesignBlok Talks conference, a design-themed AZ Quiz, the ceremonial reopening of the palace combined with the presentation of the DesignBlok Awards 2026, and shows by the Diploma Selection finalists.
The main guest of honour at this year’s festival will be Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, who will receive the DesignBlok Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Design on 8 October. Since the 1990s, Wanders has been one of the most prominent figures in international design, combining craftsmanship, industrial production, technology, decoration and emotion in his work. British designer Lee Broom will also come to Prague. In front of the Rudolfinum, he will present BEACON, a monumental light installation created in collaboration with Czech brand Brokis. Following presentations in London and at Milan Design Week, the installation will be shown to a Czech audience for the first time.
Václav Havel and Eva Eisler at Prague Castle
Prague Castle will once again be a major part of the programme. The Prague Castle Riding School will host the exhibition Design for Václav Havel, created to mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of the first president of the Czech Republic. One of its centrepieces will be Václav Havel’s original study, which will return to Prague Castle after 24 years.
For the first time, the deconsecrated Chapel of the Holy Cross will also open to the public, where designer and artist Eva Eisler will present her installation Circle of Silence / Kruh ticha. The Riding School will also host the fourth edition of the curated High Craft exhibition, presenting contemporary approaches to traditional craftsmanship through the work of more than twenty Czech creators and brands.
The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague will revisit Czechoslovak lighting design from the 1950s to the 1980s with the exhibition Retro Lamps. It will focus on mass-produced table, floor and pendant lamps from Czechoslovakia between the 1950s and 1980s and highlight the designers whose names were often overshadowed by the manufacturers that produced their work.
The Trade Fair Palace will feature more than 250 exhibitions and presentations
After three years, DesignBlok is also returning to the Trade Fair Palace of the National Gallery Prague, which will once again become the festival’s main hub. Visitors will find more than 250 exhibitions and presentations by designers, brands, schools and emerging talents.
The Small Hall will feature Veranda, an interactive installation by Maxim Velčovský dedicated to light, movement and shared encounters. The DesignBlok Selects exhibition will present a curated selection of 28 objects and new releases from Czech and international design. Czech glass and lighting brands will also be strongly represented, alongside international lighting manufacturers and furniture and interior design brands.
DesignBlok Talks and a new visual identity
This year, the DesignBlok Talks conference will expand to two days, 6 and 7 October. More than 40 Czech and international architects, designers and other experts will speak at the Industrial Palace. Developed in collaboration with British design platform Dezeen, the programme will be divided into three thematic sections: Future of Design, Future of Architecture and Future of Living.
The DesignBlok Gala on 8 October will include the presentation of the DesignBlok Awards 2026. An international expert jury chaired by Max Fraser, Editor-in-Chief of Dezeen, will recognise the best concepts, innovations, new releases and festival presentations.
The 28th edition will also be the first to feature DesignBlok’s new visual identity, created by Permanent Office. The new system connects the festival’s physical and digital presence as well as its individual exhibition concepts and sub-brands. The new visual campaign was created by photographer Viktorie Macánová.