The 20th anniversary edition of Helsinki Design Week will take place from 5 to 14 September 2025.

The festival’s main venue will be Suomitalo, located by the Old Church Park in the heart of Helsinki. The programme features exhibitions, talks, launches, workshops and evening events for design professionals and the public alike. In addition to the main venue, the festival spreads across the Helsinki region with nearly 100 design-related events. The main exhibition, Designing Happiness, explores how happiness can be designed. Curated by Anniina Koivu, it features works by renowned designers such as Eero Aarnio, Erwan Bouroullec, Oiva Toikka and Clara von Zweigbergk.

The 2025 theme, “Celebration”, is interpreted through immersive spatial installations and brand collaborations at Suomitalo – with contributors such as Artek and SAAS Instruments. The daily programme includes conversations on topics like new materials and urban development. On the fourth floor, visitors can enjoy experiences created by the Kuurna pop-up restaurant and the Klaava wine bar.

The festival extends across the city: Design Market returns to Kaapelitehdas on 6–7 September, accompanied by Aalto University’s ARTEFAKTI graduation exhibition, workshops, and the family-friendly HDW Children’s Design Week, co-produced with Skidit Collective. Other highlights include Open Studios, the Design Diplomacy talk series, PechaKucha Night at the Old Church, exhibitions by Hanna Anonen and Stefan Lindfors, Aalto University’s Designs for a Cooler Planet, and the announcement of the new Architecture and Design Museum’s architecture competition results. Explore our programme summary here and check the event calendar here – please note that details will be updated throughout the summer.

This year’s anniversary identity was created together with our friends at Grafia, with book designer Samuli Saarinen invited to lead the design. “Festivals like HDW give the creative community an opportunity to set its own goals – ones that aren’t necessarily commercial or dictated by clients. They give the field and its practitioners a space to define their own achievements. If that task is left to the rat race of the market, it will drain the whole field of meaning,” added Saarinen.

Oh and speaking of happiness and celebrations – will you be in Copenhagen next week? We’re hosting a 20th anniversary pre-party at 3 Days of Design in collaboration with the Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark and the 10 Days of Summer exhibition. Join the exhibition Thursday 19 June, 12:00–13:00, as HDW’s Main Exhibition curator Anniina Koivu and programme director Anni Korkman take the stage to talk about designing happiness.

The top image in the article courtesy of Helsinki Design Week.

> via Helsinki Design Week