Budapest Design Week has been the most important event for Hungary’s creative industry for 22 years, shining a spotlight every autumn on the values, innovations, and creators of design. The 2025 program series, under the motto “Fluid Boundaries”, reflecting the blurred lines within the design industry, will take place in 10 cities with more than 175 programs from October 8–19.
The festival aims to provide inspiring events for everyone, regardless of age or background, with opportunities to explore design in depth. The general public can discover how design shapes everyday life through diverse programs, guided tours, walks, and hands-on creative workshops—whether through objects, interiors, or urban spaces.
One of this year’s novelties is that Debrecen is joining the vibrant nationwide event, offering a unique and diverse program lineup as the creative hub of Hungary’s eastern region.
Debrecen Design Week will take place from October 8–18 in collaboration with the city’s cultural actors: the University of Debrecen Faculty of Arts (DE BTK) Art Center, Kós Károly Secondary School of Arts, Technical School, and College, the Malter Film Festival, and the MODEM Center for Modern and Contemporary Art.
The program kicks off on October 8 with an open workshop at Kós Károly Secondary School of Arts, Technical School, and College, where visitors can explore the fashion, graphic design, motion animation, and goldsmith workshops, gaining insight into students’ creative work. From October 9–11, the Malter Film Festival will be held at the Apolló Cinema, screening exciting short films, Debrecen-based and international works, as well as the best entries from the 2025 competition program.
On October 11, the “Fluid Boundaries” workshop series will offer creative activities—such as T-shirt painting, animation creation, and character design—giving participants hands-on experience. On October 15, an interactive workshop led by Dóra Balogh (WEALL) and the DE BTK Art Center, “Making the Invisible Visible in the Fashion and Textile Industry”, will sensitively explore the working conditions of child laborers in fashion and textiles through role-playing, highlighting injustices in global supply chains and raising awareness of consumer responsibility.
On October 17, the DE Art Center, the University and National Library of Debrecen (DEENK), and BIKSZ will jointly present the interdisciplinary volume “Mi a (m)érték?!”, with topics introduced by Dr. Zsigmond Lakó and Dr. Kata Anna Váró. On October 18, MODEM will host the roundtable discussion “What Generation Are You? – Generational Questions in Design”, moderated by Dr. Kata Anna Váró, featuring Kopócs Éva, Kiss Katka, Harcsa Erzsó, Mándli Kristóf, and Csalár Bence, discussing generational differences related to design, material use, and mindset shifts.
The series will conclude with the guided tour “Fashion and Generations”, led by fashion expert and journalist Csalár Bence, at MODEM’s exhibition What Generation Are You?.
The national press conference for Budapest Design Week was held on October 8 at 10:00 a.m. at the 360 Design Budapest exhibition in the Buda Castle District. At the event, Kata Vizi, Managing Director of MODEM and Chief Organizer of Debrecen Design Week, spoke about how Debrecen is increasingly connecting to Hungary’s expanding design network and how the city builds on the shared language of art, education, and innovation.
