Officially unveiled in recent days, the programme brings together more than two hundred events, three major exhibitions at Fernán Gómez. Centro Cultural de la Villa, and a creative map connecting almost three hundred venues across the city. It is a distributed ecosystem that weaves together industry, craftsmanship, research, visual culture and social innovation under the shared theme Redesigning the World.
The concept of the 2026 edition celebrates design as a tool for change and vision. Balancing responsibility towards real needs, transcendence with the power to leave a lasting mark, impact that transforms spaces and society, and the transmission of knowledge across generations, each project tells a story of innovation and continuity. In this interplay, design becomes a bridge between present and future, between people and ideas.
The festival’s exhibition programme reaches a new scale. On one side, a major retrospective dedicated to André Ricard, a key figure in Spanish industrial design, whose iconic objects have shaped everyday life for more than six decades. On the other, Mediterranean Manifesto, a collective exhibition curated by Mariona Rubio, offering a contemporary reading of Mediterranean heritage through materials, craft traditions and environmental concerns.
Among the main new features is the debut of FORMA Design Fair, the first Spanish fair devoted to collectible design. Scheduled from 4 to 8 March, the fair aims to strengthen the sector’s economic value, creating a meeting point for designers, galleries, brands and collectors, while positioning Madrid as a new international hub for design collectables. The festival also expands its urban reach through Madrid Diseña, a network of nearly three hundred venues that will turn neighbourhoods, showrooms, studios and cultural institutions into spaces for exchange and experimentation. Chamberí joins the programme as the city’s new design district.
An international outlook remains central to the festival. Guatemala will be the guest country, presenting a project dedicated to contemporary textile design, while Madrid Design PRO will bring together figures such as Patricia Urquiola, Luca Nichetto and Studio Dumbar to reflect on materials, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and social impact. With this edition, Madrid Design Festival goes beyond showcasing design. It places design in direct dialogue with the city, the economy and everyday life, reaffirming it as a cultural practice and a shared responsibility.
