NYCxDESIGN Festival 2026 Returns to New York with Global Programming

The NYCxDESIGN Festival 2026 will take place from May 14 to 20 across all five boroughs of New York City, featuring exhibitions, installations, conferences, tours, and immersive experiences. Founded in 2012, the festival positions design as a connector of communities, industries, and perspectives. Highlights include the Design Pavilion by Lexus in Times Square, exploring technology, art, and design; the SHINE exhibition at The Seaport, gathering 70 designers around lighting as a creative language; and the Future Now AI Summit, addressing artificial intelligence's impact on creative processes. The program also includes urban tours of regeneration projects and cultural spaces, as well as academic and professional meetings. Districts such as SoHo, DUMBO, Meatpacking, and Harlem will host events at various scales, from urban interventions to specialized exhibition spaces. With over 163,000 attendees expected and hundreds of events, the festival reinforces New York's role as a global design hub. The 2026 edition integrates technology, sustainability, and interdisciplinary thinking, presenting design as a strategic tool for imagining new ways of living, producing, and connecting.