Design Vancouver Festival 2026 to Feature More Than 40 Open Studios, Dozens of Events

Former Designer of the Year winner Becki Chan brings the design community together with her recurring design festival in Vancouver.

Photo Credit: Obj:Obj

If you read Western Living, it’s safe to assume you’re a fan of design—and that you appreciate our local design scene and all it does to make our life more beautiful. Which is why we know you’ll be just as thrilled as us at the return of the always lively Design Vancouver Festival, curated by former Western Living Jewellery Designer of the Year Becki Chan.

Running September 17 to 27, DVF offers design lovers dozens and dozens of ways to celebrate and engage with the West’s incredible design scene.

Step into the active development process for Pneuma, a large-scale interactive light and sound installation.

More than 40 local design studios are opening their doors for office tours (we spot Designers of the Year alumni like Measured Architecture, Studio Roslyn and Propellor on the list this year!), and a wide range of other events, workshops, lectures and demos celebrate the full spectrum of design.

Take a tour of one of Leckie Studio’s prefab designs.

Yes, there’s a typography speaker series, but you can also explore interactive light displays, take a workshop from an award-winning pastry chef on “The Architecture of Dessert” or dance the night away at a listening party.

Furniture design exhibit Obj:Obj (pictured as the feature image for this article) is curated by Nolan Talbot Kelly and Annaka Hoelk and presents a cross-section of Vancouver’s contemporary furniture, lighting and objects.

Chef Kenta Takahashi will lead a 75-minute hands-on workshop and talk about the architecture of dessert.

Whatever you choose to add to your calendar this fall, we hope we’ll see you there. And if not… maybe we’ll catch you at our Designers of the Year party or Interior Design Show Vancouver? Design season, it seems, is here—and we couldn’t be happier.

See full schedule and ticketing details for Design Vancouver Festival here.

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey is a senior editor at Western Living magazine, as well as editor-in-chief of sister publication Vancouver magazine. She loves window shopping on the job: send your home accessories and furniture recommendations over to [email protected]