Dutch Design Week 2026: A Practical Guide for Internationals

Every October, something strange happens in Eindhoven. Old factory halls fill up with chairs made of mushrooms, lamps that respond to your breath and textiles woven from waste. Students from the Design Academy show work next to big brands, and cafés turn into galleries. It's Dutch Design Week, and in 2026 it runs from Saturday 17 to Sunday 25 October.

If you live in Eindhoven, or are visiting for the first time, DDW can be a little overwhelming. More than a hundred locations, thousands of designers, and a programme that is mostly published in a mix of Dutch and English. Here is how to make the most of it.

What is Dutch Design Week?

DDW started in Eindhoven in 2002 and has grown into the largest design event in northern Europe. For nine days, designers from the Netherlands and abroad show their work at locations spread across the city: former Philips factories, studios, galleries, shops, museums and public squares. It's not a trade fair with stands: it's a festival of ideas, where you can talk to the makers, see prototypes and experiments, and discover what design can mean for the way we live, eat, work and travel.

Tickets: what you need to know

You don't need a ticket for everything. Many locations are free. For the biggest exhibitions, however, you need a DDW ticket, which you exchange once for a personal wristband that is valid for all nine days.

• Regular ticket: €32.50 (the early-bird price of €29.50 ended on 10 October).
• Students and young people aged 11 to 18: €19.50, with a valid student card or ID.
• Children under 11: free.

The wristband also gives you access to the Design Rides, the shuttle service between the main locations. Some locations charge a separate fee per visit; you will find these prices on the official website, ddw.nl.

Our tip: if you are planning to visit several of the big exhibitions, the ticket quickly pays for itself. If you only want to wander around and see the free locations, you can perfectly well do DDW without one.

Where to start: the three main areas

Strijp-S. The former Philips factory site in the west of the city is the heart of DDW. The Klokgebouw holds dozens of exhibitions in its halls, from individual designers to group shows by schools and universities from all over Europe. Around the Ketelhuisplein you will find installations, food and drinks. Take the train one stop from Eindhoven Centraal to Eindhoven Strijp-S, and you are there.

The city centre and station area. Many locations, including the graduation show of the Design Academy Eindhoven, are near the station and in the centre. Large installations appear on squares and in streets, and shop windows become exhibition spaces.

The museums. The Van Abbemuseum opens its new exhibition Museum as Sundial on the first day of DDW, and the Philips Museum also takes part. In the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven the free exhibition Wall Stories shows twenty years of murals by the Eindhoven street-art duo Studio Giftig.

How to plan your visit

With so much to see, the biggest mistake is trying to see everything. Some tips:

• Choose a few favourites. Browse the programme in the DDW app or on ddw.nl and pick five to eight things you really want to see. Plan the rest around them.
• Start early. Most locations are open from 11:00 to 18:00. The first hour is the quietest.
• Go on a weekday. The two weekends are the busiest. If you can take a day off, Tuesday to Thursday are much calmer.
• Wear comfortable shoes. You will walk a lot, on concrete floors in old factory halls.
• Talk to the designers. Many designers are present at their own work and love to explain it. Almost everyone speaks English.

Getting around

Eindhoven is compact, and during DDW the bike is your best friend. If you come from outside the city, leave your car at home or at one of the P+R locations on the edge of the city and take the bus. Strijp-S has its own train station, and the Design Rides connect the main locations for wristband holders. You can pay on buses and trains with your bank card or phone.

With children

DDW is surprisingly good with children. Children under 11 go free, and the DDW Young programme has routes for different ages. Many installations are interactive, and the outdoor locations at Strijp-S give children space to run around. For more ideas, see Eindhoven with kids.

After dark

DDW doesn't stop at six. Around the Ketelhuisplein at Strijp-S the bar stays open later on several evenings, and the city's music venues have a full programme during the week. On Tuesday 20 October, for example, Blood Red Shoes play the Effenaar as part of their twentieth anniversary tour, and on Friday 23 October you can laugh in English at Bell's Comedy Club.

Why DDW matters to Eindhoven

DDW is more than a festival. It shows what Eindhoven has become: a former industrial city that reinvented itself through design and technology. The old Philips halls where radios and televisions were once made now host the designers of the future. For newcomers, there is no better week to understand what makes this city tick.

Want to see everything that is on in the city? Have a look at the calendar for October 2026, or all exhibitions in the culture and exhibitions category.