Qatar Museums Reveals Details of Design Doha 2026

Qatar Museums has announced the second edition of Design Doha, which will take place from 5 November 2026 to 31 January 2027. This year, the biennial will focus on Fereej Al Asmakh, using the heritage district as a setting for exhibitions and projects that explore the relationship between design, community, heritage and urban transformation.

More than 100 multidisciplinary designers and studios from across the MENASA region and its diasporas will feature in a city-wide programme spanning over 15 exhibitions, public commissions, talks, workshops and collaborations. Among the key presentations is Arab Design Now 2026, curated by Noura Al Sayeh, which will bring together 81 designers from 27 countries, alongside 78 new commissions and 15 films.

Led by Fahad Al Obaidly, director of Design Doha, with Glenn Adamson as artistic director, the 2026 edition is organised around five thematic frameworks, with the exhibition examining contemporary design in the Arab world through Narration and Ornamentation, Land and Agrarian Practices,  Landscapes of Production and Extraction, Crafts, Technology, and Community and Belonging and Migrating. 

The programme will also activate Doha’s public spaces through public design commissions curated by Javier Peña Ibáñez. Ten designers, architects and urban practitioners were selected through an open call across the MENASA region, with five projects set to be realised as part of the programme’s first stage.

Alongside its exhibitions and public commissions, the biennial will present the Design Doha Prize, announcing four winners across craft, product design, furniture design and emerging talent. Chaired by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, with Iranian-French architect and designer India Mahdavi leading a 24-member international jury, the prize will award a total of QAR 800,000 in funding, alongside mentorship and opportunities to further develop the winners’ practices.

Design Doha 2026 will run from 2026 until 31 January 2027