FREMANTLE DESIGN WEEK 2026: EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Expressions of Interest are now open for the third Fremantle Design Week, 16 – 25 October 2026. Be part of it!
What is Fremantle Design Week?
Fremantle Design Week (FDW) is a biennial festival of design and design ideas. It brings ten days of exhibitions, conversations, tours, workshops, films, open studios and special events to Walyalup/Fremantle.
See the FDW2024 program here and read the Impact Report here.
How can I be on the program?
We invite you to be a part of FDW by hosting an event. Why? FDW brings our talented and diverse design and creative community together, connecting people to share experiences, celebrate creativity and build design culture in our city and state.
Event ideas include, but are not limited to:
Open studio – invite people into your space to see what you do
Workshop / demonstration – teach something
Talk – share a project or idea
Tour / site visit – take people inside a local project or to place/s of interest
Kids’ activity – inspire future designers
Exhibition – showcase your work / ideas
Product launch/showcase – introduce something to new audiences
Special event – something great of your own invention
The theme for FDW2026 is ‘imagine.’ How can we imagine a better world by design? Designers are responding creatively to the challenges of our time. FDW2026 brings together people and ideas to imagine a healthy, equitable and optimistic future.
Whilst we strongly encourage you to consider and engage with the theme, it is not essential. We prioritise events that do one or more of the following: showcase local talent, creativity and innovation; foreground regenerative/circular design approaches and ideas; offer First Nations perspectives; and engage different audiences.
If you want to run a workshop, we can provide a space. We also have a limited number of shopfront window spaces available for showcasing work – let us know in the EOI if this is of interest.
Conditions
The times, dates and format of your event is up to you – the only limitation is your ability to deliver it.
Your event must:
- be design-related;
- take place within the City of Fremantle (this includes all the suburbs that fall within the City);
- take place between 16 and 25 October; and
- be entirely run by you, including any venues, costs and resourcing required.
Please consider what will be required to deliver your event. We are committed to ensuring that Fremantle Design Week provides a great experience for our audience.
If you are selling tickets or need people to register, you will need to set this up yourself. We use Humanitix – it is simple to use, and the proceeds of any ticket sales for your event go direct to you.
What you’ll get from us
- There is no fee for participation
- Your event will be included in the FDW program and promoted via the FDW website, social media and marketing channels. FDW will be widely publicised via a marketing campaign by Detail Marketing Communications.
- We can assist with editing your event copy.
What next?
The Fremantle Design Week Event EOI process is done online and has two stages.
Stage One – Complete the EOI (link below) and submit it for consideration no later than 12 June. We will get back to you within a week of receiving your form.
Stage Two – Once your event is approved, you will receive an email with a link to upload images and final event details for inclusion on the website and marketing collateral. Stage Two information is due no later than 10 July.
Image: FDW2024 exhibition Gradients / photographer Dan McBride
