Celebrating 15 Years of Designing a Better Future

The annual DesignTO Festival in Toronto, Canada, marks its 15th anniversary and will take place from January 24 to February 2, 2025. Featuring over 100 free events, installations, tours, talks, and exhibitions by more than 300 designers and artists, this year’s festival asks: “Are we older and wiser?” as it reimagines Toronto through the lens of design. 

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Photo credit: DesignTO

This year’s theme, Joy, Justice, and Sustainability, reflects DesignTO’s commitment to going beyond aesthetics. The festival highlights how design can solve problems, build solutions, drive change, and foster innovation while evolving toward a better future. Through this lens, DesignTO explores the transformative impact of design on creating a joyful, just, and sustainable world.

What Sets DesignTO Apart

Expansive Program

Over 100 events covering art installations, furniture and lighting design, talks, immersive experiences, and celebrations.

Canada’s Largest Design Festiva

DesignTO has welcomed over one million attendees, showcased more than 6,500 artists and designers, and generated $120 million in tourism spending.

Global Reach

With a media reach of 2.6 billion over the past 14 years, the festival amplifies the role of design in addressing issues like sustainability and justice

15 Years of Milestone

Established in 2011 by a diverse team of creatives, DesignTO reflects Toronto’s vibrant creative scene. With 1,000+ members and over 100 annual projects, the organization continues to grow. It has spotlighted 60+ designers in major editorial features and attracted 207,000+ tourists, injecting $120 million into Toronto’s economy.

Program Highlights

JOY
DesignTO Launch Party
  • Date: January 24, 2025
  • Venue: Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West
  • Details: Celebrate the festival’s opening with the Toronto creative community. Enjoy a one-night-only installation by Toronto-based artist Asli Alin and preview “REVIVE,” a curated group exhibition showcasing seven local and international artists and designers. Proceeds will support DesignTO’s mission to design a better future.
At the conjuring of roots, I wished to meet Me...
  • Dates: January 1 to January 31, 2025
  • Venue: Sankofa Square, 1 Dundas Street East
  • Details: A photo exhibition by Ghanaian-Nigerian photographer Delali Cofie, exploring self-identity through costuming on five digital screens at Sankofa Square.
Bubble Quilt
  • Dates: January 24 to February 2, 2025
  • Venue: 55 St Clair Avenue West
  • Details: Studio Rat’s immersive installation crafted from reclaimed waste plastics features glowing, quilt-inspired patterns in a playful and sustainable design.
JUSTICE
Ideas Forum: Labour in Architecture
  • Date: January 28, 2025 (Virtual)
  • Details: Explore diverse organizational structures in architecture, from cooperatives to unions, in a fast-paced forum organized by DesignTO and the Toronto Society of Architects.
BIPOC Portfolio Collaboration 2025
  • Dates: January 30 to January 31, 2025
  • Venue: Hybrid (In-person and online)
  • Details: BIPOC students can engage with professionals in architecture, interior design, and other fields to receive portfolio-building advice and feedback.
SUSTAINABILITY
DesignTO Talks: Net Positive
  • Date: January 31, 2025
  • Venue: Interspace at Ace Hotel, 51 Camden Street
  • Details: This talk explores innovative, design-driven responses to the climate crisis, focusing on creating holistic, abundant solutions that repair and sustain ecosystems.
REVIVE
  • Dates: January 24 to March 30, 2025
  • Venue: Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West
  • Details: A group exhibition featuring local and international artists exploring endangered creative practices and materials as vital expressions of identity and storytelling.
About DesignTO

DesignTO is a non-profit arts organization celebrating 15 years of designing a sustainable, just, and joyful future. Known as Canada’s largest annual design festival, DesignTO hosts over 100 free events across Toronto, showcasing hundreds of artists and designers. Since its inception, the festival has welcomed over one million attendees, supported more than 6,500 creatives, and generated $120 million in tourism spending. Co-founder Christina Zeidler describes DesignTO as “not just a festival; it’s an anti-loneliness machine,” emphasizing its role in fostering a sense of belonging and sparking vital conversations about design’s role in shaping a better world.