The NYCxDESIGN Festival is set to once again immerse New York City in the world’s top art and design, May 16-23, 2024. Announcing this year’s emblematic theme – ‘Design is All Around Us’ – NYCxDESIGN highlights community, inclusivity, and the broad coalition of design disciplines. This May the Festival will guide thousands of attendees through engaging events, inspiring exhibitions, public installations, international trade fairs, and new Keynote programming radiating design across the City and beyond.
“The NYCxDESIGN Festival plays a vital role in promoting the City’s design culture, unifying its creative capital through all design disciplines, drawing significant exposure and opportunities to New York City as a design destination,”
said NYCxDESIGN’s Executive Director Ilene Shaw.
Key Events
- NYCxDESIGN Opening Night Party partnered with and located at Mercer Labs, May 16, 6 PM-8 PM EDT. Ticketed Event.
- NYCxDESIGN Opening Night After Party presented by Kouros in partnership with Surface Magazine at Spring Studios, May 16, 8 PM-12 AM EDT. Ticketed Event.
- NYCxDESIGNxSouvenir and the Emerging Designer Residency at The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, Level 1, May 16-23
- Ode to NYC Talk at Samsung 837, May 19, 2-4 PM EDT
- International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Javits Center, May 19-21
- NYCxDESIGN Awards Ceremony presented by Interior Design, May 20, 6 PM-8 PM EDT
NYCxDESIGN Keynotes
The 2024 Festival marks the premiere of the NYCxDESIGN Keynote series, a platform conceived to invite sharing, educating, learning, and uniting. Tickets are open to the public and design community, the daily series invites top designers and brands from around the world to explore their inspiring visions of architecture, interior design, technology, product design, and more. Thematically, the Keynotes will address the pressing needs of our world by embracing design as a tool for solving problems and contributing positively to tomorrow’s challenges.
Keynotes to include:
- “Supercharging Creativity & Design with AI” presented by Adobe, May 16
- “Unity not Uniformity” presented by IBM, May 17
- “Vision for Visionaries: Design in AR” presented by MagicLeap, May 20
- Architecture Keynote presented by the National September 11th Memorial & Museum, May 21
- “Get Smart: Embracing Smart Technology in Design” presented by Samsung, May 22
Keynotes are ticketed events and can be purchased online here.
Design Districts
Through the use of the first-ever NYCxDESIGN Festival app in May with Bloomberg Connects, creativity will surge in each of the boroughs, weaving the design communities together for one week of vibrant art and design. This free-to-download app will also have a map view, guiding users directly to the events that appeal to them.
Taking centre stage in the Flatiron South Public Plaza, Flatiron NoMad Improvement District (BID) will host a groundbreaking public art installation for the Festival. NYCxDESIGN will spotlight this innovative piece’s capacity to foster connection, both in-person and across the globe, in celebration of its theme, “Design is all around us.” Madison Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) will present its 2nd annual Madison Avenue Design Week, from May 16-23, hosting bespoke collection viewings, curated experiences, and more. On May 18, SoHo Design District will celebrate its 10th anniversary with the best national and international brands during their Soho Design Day Out. The Brooklyn Navy Yard will be sponsoring the second annual “Design Day at the Yard” on May 18, including several events that celebrate diversity in design, sustainability, and the importance of supporting local designers. The Union Square Partnership (USP), in collaboration with the NYC Department of Transportation Art Program, will present the 4th annual East 14th Street mural in Union Square. Through May 17, the 7,500 sq ft asphalt mural will be on full display, celebrating the rich history and cultural significance of the Union Square neighbourhood.
Museum and School Exhibitions
Supporting the next generation of innovators, the Festival overlaps with multiple student showcase exhibitions in partnership with the Pratt Institute, The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Parsons Industrial Design MFA Program, the School of Visual Arts (SVA), and the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). For the second consecutive year, the Wanted Design School Workshop at ICFF will shine a light on international design schools presenting the work of their best students.
This Spring, attendees have the opportunity to explore The Guggenheim Museum’s “Jenny Holzer: Light Line” installation, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum’s “Acquired! Shaping the National Design Collection”, and much more. Museum exhibitions are open to the public, please visit the NYCxDESIGN website on April 1 for additional information.
International Spotlight
As an established centrepiece on the international design calendar, the Festival has continued to expand, welcoming new participants from the global design community. For the first time in New York City, design leaders from Estonia will discuss the unique aesthetics of Estonian Design in SoHo. For the second year in a row, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) is working with standout Italian brands with special events organized by Rimadesio, Poltrona Frau, Natuzzi, Kartell, Poliform, FLOU, Technogym, Florim, and others. Villa Albertine’s Oui Design! is back for its second edition of French design, with a curated path of open studios, galleries in Chelsea, demonstrations in the D&D building, and more.
STAYxDESIGN
NYCxDESIGN has partnered with design-forward NYC hotels to present STAYxDESIGN, offering special discounted rates for Festival visitors. Immersing attendees in design, Hotel AKA NoMad and Moxy Williamsburg have announced their participation, with more to be announced on the NYCxDESIGN website.
Special Thanks to Key Supporters
NYCxDESIGN thanks its 2024 supporters that make the Festival possible, including NYC Economic Development Corporation, IBM, Samsung, Adobe, Magic Leap, SANDOW Design Group, Bloomberg Connects, and Material Bank. This year’s media partners include Aspire One, Interior Design, Metropolis, Luxe Interiors + Design, Dezeen, Surface, The Architect’s Newspaper, Dwell, SixtySix, Interni, Architzer, Cool Hunting, D5, designboom, officeinsight, Builder, DDN, and IFDM.
This event is supported by a Market New York grant awarded to NYCxDESIGN from Empire State Development and I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.
