What happens when a whole city decides to argue with the status quo using clay, glass and timber? Canberra is about to find out. The 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival takes Dissent as its theme, bringing together more than 500 artists, makers, designers and creative thinkers across more than 130 events, from exhibitions and open studios to architecture tours and symposiums.
| Event Name | Craft + Design Canberra Festival 2026 |
| Date | Thursday, November 5 – Sunday, November 15, 2026 |
| Location | Venues across Canberra, ACT, Australia |
| Official Website | https://www.craftanddesigncanberrafestival.org/ |
| Social Media | https://www.instagram.com/craftdesigncanberrafestival/ |
| Visit Info | https://www.craftanddesigncanberrafestival.org/tickets |
| Exhibit Info | https://www.craftanddesigncanberrafestival.org/2028eoi |
| Contact Email | [email protected] |
Key Highlights
- Architecture opens its doors: Canberra Open Homes (November 9–15) tours the city’s award-winning architecture, from new landmark buildings to inventive sustainable residences, through the local ACT Chapter program.
- A city-planning debate: The symposium “Are we measuring Canberra all wrong?” (November 6, National Film and Sound Archive) asks whether a growing city is chasing easy metrics or genuine livability.
- Waste glass, reborn: Revitrification turns discarded architectural glass into sculptural installations at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, testing circular methods for material headed to landfill.
- Public art in Civic Square: NEST | Design for a Displaced Future, the festival’s major public art commission about the instinct to nest and belong, shares the square with Eggpicnic’s animated light piece Stories in the Dark.
- Slow design in the galleries: Bespoke Utopia at M16 Artspace and Senden Blackwood’s hand-carved granite vessels in Small Rituals push back against fast, disposable production.
- Makers up close: The Open Studios weekend (November 7–8) takes you inside local workshops, while the Undercurrent Design Market (November 13–15, Ainslie Arts Centre) gathers more than 50 makers from across Australia.
- Fashion meets activism: Clothing the Loop (November 6–7, Canberra Institute of Technology, Woden) blends a runway parade, live dance, clothes swaps and workshops around sustainable, circular design.
Why Craft + Design Canberra Festival 2026 Matters
What makes this edition worth watching is how seriously it treats design as a civic tool rather than decoration. The program asks how a city should be measured and built, how waste materials can earn a second life, and why handmade, repairable objects deserve space over disposable ones, all questions sitting at the heart of today’s sustainability conversation. Architects, interior designers and anyone sourcing locally made furniture, glass or ceramics will get the most out of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Craft + Design Canberra Festival 2026 events free?
Many are, including the Open Studios weekend, the Undercurrent Design Market and a long list of exhibitions and public artworks. Ticketed events are booked through Trybooking via the visit info link above or each program page.
Can I still see exhibitions after November 15?
Yes. Several run longer, including EMERGENCY | Signal, Adapt, Repair and the National Robert Foster Metal Prize, both at Craft + Design Canberra until December 12, 2026.
How can makers take part in a future edition?
The festival is already collecting expressions of interest for its 2028 edition through the exhibit info link above.
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