Downtown Design

Downtown Design, formerly known as Design Days Dubai and Downtown Editions, is an annual trade fair focusing on limited edition and collectible design. Held in Dubai, UAE, it is the only event of its kind in the Middle East. The fair features leading design galleries from across the globe and offers an assortment of workshops, seminars and guided tours held in Dubai Design District.

Downtown Design is owned and managed by Art Dubai Fair, a company responsible for organizing a series of art-related events in Dubai. Its initiatives include Downtown Design Dubai, Dubai Design Week, Art Week, Art Dubai, Campus Art Dubai, and Global Art Forum. Thanks to the efforts of Art Dubai Fair, Dubai is becoming one of the world’s best cities for art and design along with London, Paris, New York, Florence, Berlin, Barcelona, and others.

Art Dubai Fair founded Downtown Design in 2011 because the Middle East and South Asia region needed a quality event dedicated to collectible and limited edition furniture and design objects. The fair presents purchasable and highly desirable contemporary design created by designers from more than 30 countries. Here items from leading international designers and galleries can be found alongside works by daring up and coming designers that are waiting for their big break, and this might be it for some of them.

Downtown Design welcomes exhibitors from all over the world. For example, the 2016 edition featured galleries from the UAE, Qatar, Lebanon, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Brazil, the Netherlands, Kuwait, Jordan, Spain, Belgium, and Austria.

Along with an impressive showcase of high-end collectible items Downtown Design presents a non-commercial program that includes a wide range of educational and entertaining events. The program consists of practical workshops, talks, mentorship sessions, live performances, screenings, and panel discussions. All events are open to all attendees at no extra charge but some require prior registration due to limited seating capacity. All events are conducted in English.

Downtown Design is held in Dubai Design District, a business park in Downtown Dubai dedicated to promoting emerging local talent and providing a creative home to established brands. The fair attracts over 13,000 visitors, with more than 600 people attending its expanded public program.