Budapest Design Week 2025 opened with the sixth edition of 360 Design Budapest, filling the Buda Castle District with nearly 400 objects that show where Hungarian and regional design is heading. For the 22nd time, the festival has become a meeting point for professionals, students, and curious visitors, stretching across ten cities with close to 200 events between 8 and 19 October.
“Budapest Design Week has been celebrating Hungarian creativity for more than two decades… one of the greatest values is that it builds a bridge between tradition and innovation,” said Zsófia Jakab, CEO of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency. That bridge was visible in diploma shows from Moholy-Nagy University and other schools, exhibitions that ranged from industrial design to visual arts, and workshops that let visitors experience design thinking first-hand. Installations, hybrid performances, guided tours, talks, shopping pop-ups and film screenings completed a programme that felt as wide as the discipline itself.
Highlights in Budapest ranged from the Open Graduate Exhibition of Visart Art School’s graphic design students to the Viaplant Pop-up Store and workshops that explored sustainable materials. Design met lifestyle at the Matcha Workshop & Jewellery Experience, while fashion and art entered dialogue with the NUBU autumn–winter collection, presented alongside sculptures by Tamás Melkovics. Guided tours such as Slow Design in the Time of Miksa Róth or Three Iconic Budapest Hotels opened up new perspectives on the built environment.
The Local+ section gave space to regional communities. Sopron marked ten years of its own design week with exhibitions, open studios and podcasts. In Pécs, DesignPécs brought together more than 40 programmes, while Debrecen focused on collaboration between cultural institutions. “Hidden champions and values are revealed and professional results become public knowledge,” said Szabolcs Rabb of the Pécs-Baranya Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
At the centre, 360 Design Budapest showcased the work of nearly 100 designers and a dedicated section on the legacy of Sándor Borz Kováts. “Over the past five years, the exhibition… has been visited by more than 14,000 people,” added Jakab. This year, the mix of contemporary objects, interactive workshops, performances and discussions underlined why the exhibition has grown into one of the festival’s highlights.
For those who could not make it to the castle, the virtual platform of 360DBP opened the doors digitally, allowing visitors to explore the exhibition in 3D and connect with designers online.
Budapest Design Week 2025 confirmed once again why design here is not just a profession but a way of thinking, a collective celebration and a reminder that creativity is part of everyday life.
More info: budapestdesignweek.hu | 360dbp.com
