Busan City holds 'Design Busan 2026' ahead of 2028 World Design Capital

Busan City announced on the 27th that it will hold 'Design-Busan 2026' from November 5 to 15 ahead of the 2028 World Design Capital (WDC).

This is a special exhibition where the entire city becomes a design stage by connecting exhibition spaces around DRB Dongil and F1963, which were industrial sites but were reborn as design platforms.

According to the interim report recently announced by Busan City, the name of the event was changed from 'Busan Global Design Fair' to 'Design Busan 2026'.

The key keywords were people, sea, and environment.

Design exhibitions and related events will be held at six bases, including DRB Dongil (formerly Dongil Rubber Belt) and Suan Art House in Suan-dong, Dongrae-gu, F1963, Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center, and cruise ships.

The design theme hall set up in DRB Dongil will feature an exhibition using the facilities that produced rubber at the time and an outdoor exhibition using rubber, and will also display various design products made of rubber materials.

Suan Art House, which was previously used as a language and sports space but was transformed into a place for artistic experimentation, presents design works such as visuals, products, crafts, fashion, and video with messages on the themes of people, the sea, and the environment.

Designers actively based in Busan will participate, take on new challenges, and present their works.

At Suan Art House, workshops are also held with professors and students from overseas design schools and domestic universities to share related knowledge and experiences.

An on-board design party is also held during the event, where domestic and foreign designers interact on the cruise ship from 6 to 8 p.m., attracting attention.

From November 9th to 11th, at the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center in Dong-gu, collaboration plans with overseas designers and exhibitions of design products from major Busan brands will be held.

Hundreds of design companies from over 10 countries will be invited as buyers, business meetings will take place, and a design summit will be held where world-class design experts will present design discourse.

Hackathon competitions to solve urban problems through design and 'design convenience stores' selling various design goods will also be set up here and there.

A Busan city official said on the 27th, "'Design Busan' is a distributed design event that connects various spaces and places throughout Busan," and added, "A variety of design contents will be spread throughout the city to provide a new design experience."