For ten days, the Frankfurt RheinMain region was all about groundbreaking design: as the central public event and flagship format of World Design Capital 2026, Open – Design Week Frankfurt RheinMain, held from 5 – 14 June 2026, demonstrated impressively how deeply design is rooted in the region – and the vital role it plays in driving social, environmental and economic change. The organizers’ initial assessment is overwhelmingly positive, with the programme’s remarkable diversity receiving an enthusiastic response from the public, industry professionals and international guests alike. Around 35,000 visitors attended more than 200 events during the festival, which took place at over 150 venues under the umbrella of Open – Design Week. Alongside the four Focus Days in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Offenbach and Wiesbaden, the World Heritage Festival at Mathildenhöhe and the Forward Festival were among the biggest crowd-pullers.
“Open – Design Week has lived up to expectations and demonstrated just how much can be achieved when we view design as a collective endeavour that brings together business, culture, politics and civil society. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, combined with the outstanding quality of the individual events, underlines the valuable contribution we have made together to the region’s design landscape – and beyond,” says Kai Rosenstein, Director of Production and Head of the Open.
“We must not allow this momentum to fade. Our clear objective now is to sustain the energy generated during our year as World Design Capital. We are already working on a Design Action Plan for the region, which will include the continuation of Design Week. Together with political stakeholders, as well as partners and sponsors from the business community, we aim to establish the structural and financial foundations needed to make Open – Design Week a permanent fixture in the region from 2027 onwards – more connected, more visible and even more participatory,” adds Carolina Romahn, Managing Director of WDC 2026.
Open Doors during Focus Days: All Facets of Design
The ten-day festival showcased the full spectrum of design. As part of the Focus Days, more than 150 workshops, agencies, studios, research institutes and cultural organizations opened their doors to the public. Visitors were able to access the venues and make use of dedicated design shuttles organized in collaboration with mobility partner MAZDA. They experienced first-hand how design can help address some of the most pressing challenges of our time – from sustainable materials and the intersection of craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology to new approaches to social interaction and business. The focus was on exchange and interaction.
“Open – Design Week was a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate the many design challenges that lie ahead on the path towards a circular construction industry. Interest in the principles of the circular economy was enormous. These conversations foster the understanding that we as a society need in order to be prepared for the future,” says Lina Djouiai, Creative Director of Circle Cube Offenbach.
Supporting Programme Generates Strong Reach
A historic yet forward-looking highlight of the Open programme was the World Heritage Festival at Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt, together with the opening of the exhibition A Step Ahead / Einen Schritt Voraus, marking the 125th anniversary of Mathildenhöhe. Held during the opening weekend, the events attracted around 18,000 visitors. The Forward Festival, one of Europe’s leading creative conferences, celebrated a successful Frankfurt debut with around 1,100 participants, positioning the region as a hub for the international creative scene.
In addition, a 50-strong international UNESCO delegation from the Creative Cities of Design network visited the region, underlining the global significance of its design ecosystem. The world premiere of the documentary What Are People For? – The Legacy of Systems Design about design pioneer Patrick Whitney, also added an international dimension to the programme. The film was screened in the festival space at Massif E, located in the former E-Kinos.
Issues relating to urban development and Frankfurt’s future cultural mile were explored during a sold-out WDC 2026 event held in collaboration with Rooftop Day on the roof of the Jewish Museum. The participatory project OFF THE WALL also placed a particular focus on the city of tomorrow. As part of a three-day interactive intervention at the end of Open, it used temporary structures and workshops to transform Frankfurt’s Wallanlagen parklands into a vibrant real-world laboratory for urban encounters. On Frankfurt’s Goetheplatz the Beat by Bits project brought public space to life through dance performance.
