# Vienna Design Week celebrates 20th anniversary > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/vienna-design-week-programming-and-anniversary > Updated: 2026-10-02T09:02:00.000Z. Sources: 12. Developments: 4. Vienna Design Week is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades since its founding by Lilli Hollein, Tulga Beyerle, and Thomas Geisler. To commemorate this milestone, the MAK museum is hosting ‘20 Years of Vienna Design Week – A City Full of Posters,’ an exhibition running from September 29 to November 1 that documents the festival’s visual evolution and poster campaigns since 2007. The current festival is centered in a former Allianz office high-rise in Vienna-Hietzing, which serves as a hub for exhibitions, talks, and workshops through October 4. Programming includes installations in unconventional spaces, such as former cold storage rooms, and a group exhibition titled ‘Wellness’ by Bureau Fomo, which examines the self-optimization boom. Additionally, Designforum Wien is presenting ‘20 x 20,’ an exhibition highlighting the work of the next generation of local designers. As the festival continues through October 4, it is taking place across 80 locations in Vienna with a focus on sustainability and the role of design in urban and global life. A notable exhibition, ‘Critical Utopia – Possible Futures,’ is a joint presentation by Collegium Hungaricum and Budapest Metropolitan University (METU) that explores sustainable fashion and material experimentation through the use of recycled materials and natural elements. For the 2026 edition, the festival is scheduled from September 25 to October 4, featuring site-specific installations and new manufacturing languages across urban spaces. This celebration of design heritage coincides with other local creative initiatives, including a fashion history retrospective at the Wien Museum and residential projects, such as those by designer Yana Molodykh, which draw inspiration from the historical synergy between the Lobmeyr workshop and the Wiener Werkstätte to evoke the Viennese Jugendstil era. ## Timeline ### 2026-10-02: Budapest Contemporary and Vienna Design Week showcase art and design Budapest Contemporary expands into design and fashion at Bálna Budapest, while Vienna Design Week celebrates its 20th anniversary with a focus on sustainability and urban innovation. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/budapest-contemporary-and-vienna-design-week-showcase-art-and-design ### 2026-09-27: Vienna celebrates design heritage with upcoming festivals and projects Vienna prepares for the 20th Vienna Design Week in 2026, alongside new museum retrospectives and interior design projects that celebrate the city's Art Nouveau and Jugendstil heritage. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vienna-design-week-celebrates-20th-anniversary-1 ### 2026-09-24: Vienna Design Week celebrates 20th anniversary The Vienna Design Week celebrates its 20th anniversary with a festival in Vienna-Hietzing and a poster retrospective at the MAK museum, highlighting the pervasive influence of design on daily life. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vienna-design-week-celebrates-20th-anniversary ### 2026-09-16: Vienna Design Week announces new sponsor and urban design initiatives Vienna Design Week has announced paper republic as a new sponsor for its 2026 festival and continues to develop its 'Urban Food & Design' initiative focused on urban food systems and circular economies. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vienna-design-week-announces-new-sponsor-and-urban-design-initiatives --- Cite as: Vienna Design Week celebrates 20th anniversary. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/vienna-design-week-programming-and-anniversary