The Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026 is envisioned to transcend a mere annual cultural and artistic event or a typical festival – aiming to become an urban creative institution, a place for the convergence, experimentation, and dissemination of new ideas, contributing to improving the quality of life for the people of Hanoi.

Delegates attending the ceremony.

In 2026, the Hanoi Creative Design Festival will shift from "Organizing a festival" to "Building an urban creative ecosystem" with an interdisciplinary mindset, connecting visual arts - design - technology - architecture - sound - data - crafts - performance... creating multi-sensory experiences, new art forms and interactive spaces with an international character.

Ms. Vu Thu Ha, Vice Chairperson of the Hanoi People's Committee, delivered a speech.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Vu Thu Ha, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, emphasized: "Hanoi hopes that projects, ideas, and concrete actions that exploit and promote the value of culture, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, traditional craft villages, etc., will become creative, commercially viable, and sustainable projects, where all efforts to preserve culture, innovate thinking, and develop the economy are harmoniously connected."

Accordingly, the main activities in the festival are oriented towards building a creative economy - a center for connecting, forum and testing creative economic models, specifically in the following areas: creative exhibitions, creative fairs, creative forums, creative competitions, creative projects, creative design awards, creative funds, and creative infrastructure.

Mr. Jonathan Wallace Baker, Head of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam, delivered a speech.

Jonathan Wallace Baker, Head of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam, affirmed: “The shift from a festival to building a creative ecosystem will create sustainable opportunities for designers, artists, creative businesses, students, and the community. From there, creativity becomes a shared practice – a place where everyone participates, creates, and integrates it into daily life.”

What sets this year's festival apart is the city-wide spread of creative spirit, divided into specific zones: Heritage space (Dong Xuan Market - Bac Qua area and Dong Xuan Cultural Industry Center), Old Quarter space (Hanoi Old Quarter with 36 streets), Future space (the network of parks throughout the city), Ecological space, and Community space (across the entire city).

The Hanoi Creative Design Festival will kick off with the "Creative Gathering" event, held in early January 2026 at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square and the Hoan Kiem ward area in Hanoi.

Awarding the Certificate for Hanoi's Creative Cultural Space.

At the ceremony announcing the framework for the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports announced the Decision and awarded Certificates of Hanoi Creative Cultural Space to 82 creative cultural spaces that fully met the criteria according to the set of criteria for classifying and evaluating spaces participating in the Hanoi Creative Cultural Space Network.

TRAN HOANG HOANG

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/nhieu-net-moi-tai-le-hoi-thiet-design-sang-tao-ha-noi-2026-1016194