Hanoi launches Creative Design Festival 2026 with year-long program
Hanoi is turning its flagship design festival into a year-long initiative, spreading exhibitions, performances and policy-focused events across the capital as it seeks to build a sustainable creative economy rooted in heritage.
THE HANOI TIMES — Hanoi has launched the Creative Design Festival 2026 as a year-long program, marking a shift from a short-term cultural event to a sustained effort to build a citywide creative ecosystem.
The exhibition space along the shores of Hoan Kiem Lake. Photo courtesy of the event organizer
The festival, organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, will no longer be limited to the year-end period as in previous editions but taking place throughout 2026 in major cultural and tourism sites, including the pedestrian zone around Hoan Kiem Lake, Thong Nhat Park and the Hanoi Children Palace.
The new format reflects the capital’s ambition to strengthen its cultural industries and better harness heritage-driven creativity as a pillar of urban development.
The opening event, known as the “Creative Gathering Program,” began this weekend with a series of exhibitions, seminars and public performances. At the Octagonal House in Ly Thai To Flower Garden, the Architecture Pavilion traces the festival’s evolution under the theme “From Annual Event to Creative Ecosystem.” Nearby, an exhibition highlighting the Dong Xuan Market Creative Project presents the market as a symbol of Hanoi’s commercial and cultural identity.
Along Dinh Tien Hoang Street, the “Hanoi Cultural Industry Innovation Area” showcases works by young artists, pilot art fair models and creative products from schools and businesses, including handicrafts and design gifts, along with a community performance venue, where live shows will be held every weekend from morning to early evening.
The Architecture Pavilion at the Octagonal House in Ly Thai To Flower Garden, Hoan Kiem Lake.
The Ho Guom Cultural Information Center is staging “Local Essence,” an exhibition of 89 works by 98 artists exploring Vietnamese cultural identity, running from January 10 to January 18. This will be followed by “Connecting Hanoi,” a multi-genre exhibition showcasing more than 40 works from January 10 through February 28.
Beyond exhibitions, the festival’s opening weekend includes policy-oriented discussions and industry events. On January 10, Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square will host presentations on sustainable urban housing and an award ceremony for a social housing design competition. Seminars on surveying potential creative spaces and the launch of a book on building livable communities in Southeast Asia will take place at the Octagonal House.
The official opening ceremony of the Creative Gathering Program is scheduled for 7 PM on January 10 at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, followed by an art performance titled “Tu hai giao tinh.”
The funky creative space at Thong Nhat Park.
Activities will continue on January 11 with discussions on turning festivals into urban creative ecosystems, the launch of the Dong Xuan Market Creative Project and games and mini shows at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square.
The program also expands beyond Hoan Kiem Lake to Thong Nhat Park, featuring installations and interactive attractions such as a photo exhibition on the park’s history, themed trains, play areas, simulators and family-oriented activities.
Additional community events are being organized by local cultural centers, while the Hanoi Children’s Palace is hosting workshops, performances and traditional craft activities for children.
The local officials said the expanded format underscores Hanoi’s ambition to make creativity a long-term economic and cultural driver rather than a seasonal attraction.
