When Carla Sorrell launched Design Victoria back in 2023, she was taking a leap of faith that the city was ready for a design-oriented festival—but more than that, she was hoping to recreate a little of what she was missing. After spending 15 years as a writer and coach in the UK in London’s creative sector, she returned home to Victoria during the pandemic. “I was working at a business magazine, and I met all of these interesting people – CEOs, ocean scientists, apparel designers and more. And through those interviews started to see a glimmer of the creative culture I missed from the UK.”

WL Design 25 winner and lighting designer Mike Randall will be hosting an open studio during Design Victoria 2025 (Photo Mackenzie Duncan)

That first year of Design Victoria kicked off as a roaring success, with over 3,000 visitors. “I expected only a handful of events, but we had over 20,” she says. By year two, that had ramped up to over 4,500 guests.

This year’s four-day event of over 50 events kicks off on Thursday, May 1, with a launch party at Thomas and Birch, where eight different local and Vancouver designers will be creating eight different bars, with a signature drink at each. (Look for WL Design 25 winner Mike Randall Design with Studio Dimo, designing an outdoor bar for the launch party patio experience using repurposed mahogany and ebonized cedar.)

The Design Victoria launch party will feature 8 bars designed by local and Vancouver-based designers. (Photo: Mackenzie Duncan)

For the first time this year, the festival will have a central hub at the Rotunda on Douglas Street in downtown Victoria. “Visitors will be able talk to someone from Design Victoria, and have an engagement point there,” she says. The site will also host talks, along with an exhibition from Cascadia architects, and family- friendly workshops on Sunday.

Workshops and talks are a central feature of Design Victoria (Photo: Mackenzie Duncan)

Throughout the four days, exhibitions and installations will explore how design can address critical challenges of sustainability, urban living, and technological integration. Attendees can expect everything from immersive architectural showcases to interactive design workshops that challenge traditional thinking. It’s a design-lovers playhouse of talks and exhibits: former Western Living Designer of the Year winner and judge Matthew McCormick talks lighting and design, Touci Ceramic Studio is doing a hands-on workshop on working with clay (and creating a functional piece!), famed architect John Patkau will talk about his experiments in material operations, there’s a stellar Arthur Erickson film showing at UVic, and more.

So much so, the hardest part will be choosing which of the 50 events to line up each day—and that’s just how Sorrell hoped it would be. “I want people to leave with a bit of FOMO,” says Sorrell. “That’s a sign of a great festival experience.”

For more info, head to the Design Victoria website. This is the last week to buy early bird tickets to the launch party. The sale ends at 11:45pm on Monday, March 31.

All other tickets events for Design Victoria go on sale ticketed events open for bookings on 2 April at noon.