The upcoming 16th edition of DesignTO, one of Canada’s largest festivals, will open on January 23, and last till February 1, 2026. Over 100 exhibitions, talks, workshops, and other events will occupy the city to examine the notion of identity. Hundreds of artists and designers will try to answer the question: “What does it mean to belong to each other, to our cities, to our past, to the materials and spaces that surround us, and to the futures we hope to build?” The question of identity is explored thought many lenses – from ecological futures and ancestral craft, to queer domesticity and urban advocacy. Throughout these 10 days, the city of Toronto will be transformed into a living laboratory of ideas. Memories, materials, and communities will unite to tell complex stories about belonging.
Photo credit: Pi’tawita’iek: we go up river (mural by Jordan Bennett), photo by Kurtis Chen
Opening night
The Launch Party opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA) with a music set curated by local·global, featuring DJs Isabel Okoro and Adeola Abegunde. The party will celebrate art, design, architecture, and diasporic culture throughout the night. Guests will have an opportunity to enjoy three floors ofJeff Wall Photographs 1984–2023 show.
Photo credit: Dean Tomlinson
Over 100 exhibitions
Knot: Holding On exhibit by Alanoud Emaish (noudiee) showcases nostalgia, Palestinian memories, and inherited stories as a mosaic of cultural continuity. Another show exploring migration and relocation is named Traces. Spanning in range to include sculpture, installation, furniture, textiles, and geographic maps, the show focuses on the difficulties of preserving culture and identity. Beneath One Sky, piece by Asli Alin celebrates diversity while Suspended Vessels Installation by Bram Locknick transfroms the window of the Drake Hotel with glowing handmade glass droplets suspended from a conopy. Flourish, a light fixture by 3K1D and Hot Pop Factory, mirrors the natural rhythm while adapting to lighting conditions. TO ·BE·LONGING: Portraits of Queer Living, an experiment by Quan Thai, reframes queer domesticity as a place of resilience, fluidity, and chosen family. Teston+ Zhang’s space-making experiment is presented with six design products: thermal drape, simulations, milli-fluidic prototypes, DIY drip cooling, and mock-up installations.
Photo credit: Bram Locknick, Anthony Toomey
Photo credit: Asli Alin
Architecture and crafts
In a segment dedicated to architecture, visitors can see a film exploring the weight of architecture. Developed by Ha/f Climate Design and Make Good Projects, How Heavy is a Building? addresses the cultural, material, and environmental weight of Lisbon’s best-known cultural institutions. The Signs of Change: Pedaal project starts a conversation about the evolution of cycling and the urban landscape in response to climate and technological shifts, as well as public policy. Finally, the Ideas Forum will gather five fast-paced presentations (20 slides each). A segment dedicated to materials and craft will include an exhibition of ceramics crafted from Kensington Market clay titled Kensington Unearthed and (Re)formed. All Light exhibition celebrates the local Canadian artists will a showing of glass, textile, wood, metal, and ceramic art pieces. DesignTo talks: Within the Weave and Soft Grid textile installation by Shao-Chi Lin will also be a part of the program.
Photo credit: Si Hoang
Photo credit: Shao-Chi Lin
Bringing tourists and profit to Canada’s largest city
The festival will span across several neighbourhoods in Toronto as certain activities are set in Kensington Market, Stackt Market, Roncesvalles, Yonge + St. Clair, Trinity Bellwoods, 401 Richmond, and along the Waterfront. So far, the festival has hosted over one million visitors, with another 2.6 billion interacting through media, bringing over $159 million in profit. Over 7,000 artists and designers participated in the festival’s prevous editions.
Header: TO ·BE·LONGING: Portraits of Queer Living, credit: Quan Thai
