Behind every crosswalk, transit system and architectural concept is an intentional design. Creative designers are inherently tied to how we live — Design Week Calgary celebrates and amplifies their impact.
From August 6 to 8, community partners come together to host workshops, exhibitions, talks, screenings and more during Design Week Calgary. The three-day festival is hosted by Design Talks Institute (d.talks), a Calgary-based charitable organization that helps people understand and participate in shaping the future of their city through design.
By bringing together designers, artists, architects, planners, businesses, civic leaders and the public, d.talks creates conversations, experiences and collaborations that demonstrate how design influences everyday life and contributes to a more connected, resilient and creative city.
Created by Calgary’s design community and open to everyone, Design Week invites the public to experience the impact of design, looking at everything from our neighbourhoods and public spaces to fashion, technology, housing and culture.
“It’s really a way to invite the public to learn why design matters, discover the people who are working in our city or working on some amazing international projects, get behind-the-scenes tours and engage in talks,” says Shannon Lanigan, director of d.talks and Design Week Calgary.
What to expect
In 2025, d.talks hosted its inaugural Design Week festival. In its second year, the festival intentionally offers a similar scale of programming (25 events across three days), with a new focus on the local creative culture in Calgary.
“We love the idea of celebrating the best and brightest designers in the city,” says Lanigan.
Attendees can expect talks and panel discussions with local designers, artists, architects and city builders; workshops and hands-on learning experiences; exhibitions, installations and public art activations; film screenings and storytelling events; studio tours and behind-the-scenes experiences; networking events and community gatherings.
New this year, Design Week encourages independent groups and organizations to host their own design-related events during that weekend. The festival will help promote some of the community events through its website, even if they are not necessarily part of the festival program or tied to the theme. “We want to allow this to be something that becomes a festival by many, not just by us,” says Lanigan.
This year’s events will also explore more diverse design industries, including fashion and film, introducing attendees to the people driving Calgary’s creative economy at large.
Connected to a stronger city
This year’s theme, In Tune, explores the relationships that make a city work, from the collaboration between designers, communities and civic leaders to the everyday interactions that shape how we experience Calgary. It invites people to notice the systems, places and people working together — sometimes in productive tension — to create a vibrant city.
The importance of events like Design Week, says Lanigan, is to better understand that we are all capable of engaging in the design decisions that impact our communities. Calgary is changing rapidly. Design is one of the most important tools for shaping that future. Design Week helps Calgarians understand, celebrate and participate in that conversation.
“People who are more aware of design are more likely to volunteer within their communities, they’re more likely to vote, be civic-minded and pay attention to topics that are affecting them at a local level. When we think about what that means for a city, that’s the kind of city that we want to see,” says Lanigan.
Registration is open now. Head to designweekcalgary.com to secure your tickets.
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