In a city that never stops reinventing itself, Singapore Design Week 2024 (SDW) returns from September 26 to October 6 in a citywide celebration to honour the everyday people who reshape the way we live with their brilliant ideas.
Themed 'People of Design,' the festival is painting the town red with over 80 events, which includes key events across three design districts – Bras Basah.Bugis, Orchard, and Marina. At BrasBasah.Bugis, the People of Design Showcase Series sees different designers reimagining everyday activities – eating, sleeping, commuting, and more – through site-specific installations across multiple venues like Bugis Village, the National Library building, and pre-war bungalow 42 Waterloo.
At Marina Central, Neufolk: Bridging Tradition and Future in Design offers a series of activations that blend community spirit with forward-thinking Singaporean design, while over at Orchard Road, Re-Route: Orchard invites you to 'Be Here Now' with an investigative design approach that reinvents the iconic shopping belt experience.
Anchored by three pillars – Design Futures, Design Marketplace, and Design Impact – this year’s festival lineup is designed to inform, intrigue, and inspire. The expanded Design Futures Forum – now a two-day conference – brings together heavyweights to engage you on the intersection of design, technology, and sustainability. Metaverse trailblazer Cathy Hackl from Spatial Dynamics will be delivering her keynote virtually, alongside fellow tech futurist Lindsey McInerney who will be presenting in person.
Meanwhile, FIND – Design Fair Asia sets up shop at Marina Bay Sands for its third edition, where you can bag a stunning masterpiece for your home. Be sure to check out Emerge @ FIND, curated by Suzy Annetta of Design Anthology, where Southeast Asian designers showcase their creative takes on the theme ‘These Precious Things’. This year, recent graduates get their work spotlighted alongside established designers.
A standout, Future Impact 2: Homecoming Showcase first turned heads at Milan Design Week 2024, and now returns to the Asian Civilisations Museum with refreshed works for an eight-week run.
SDW doesn’t just light up the days – it’s set to electrify the nights with two Friday Late events too. On September 27, the Bras Basah.Bugis district comes alive with curator-led tours, interactive VR experiences, and experimental food adventures at hotspots like the National Design Centre and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Then on October 4, Marina Central hosts District M for an evening of music, design, food, and craft, spanning four vibrant zones at Marina Square, Millenia Walk, South Beach, and Suntec City.
Beyond these highlights, SDW also features plenty of ground-up design community events, including exhibitions, talks, workshops, and pop-up experiences, all designed to inspire you. If all these sounds like a lot to trudge through, there’s also a free shuttle bus service running between each of the Design Districts on Fridays to Sundays.