The Vision
The vision of Desert Design Week is to become a leading platform for art, design, and architecture in the Southwest, recognized for its thoughtful curation and sense of place. Desert Design Week envisions a creative ecosystem where people, ideas, and spaces come together to inspire dialogue, collaboration, and lasting cultural impact. Through continued growth and intentional programming, Desert Design Week aims to connect local and national creative voices, elevate the desert as a meaningful design context, and foster a community that values creativity, craftsmanship, and design led living.
Our Mission
The mission of Desert Design Week is to celebrate art, design, and architecture while fostering meaningful connection within the creative community. Through thoughtfully curated programming, Desert Design Week creates opportunities for discovery, dialogue, and collaboration across Phoenix and Scottsdale, bringing together designers, architects, artists, brands, and the design minded public.
Each edition is intentionally edited to encourage slower engagement, thoughtful exchange, and a deeper appreciation for the spaces, objects, and ideas that shape how we live. By highlighting both emerging and established voices, Desert Design Week serves as a platform for creative expression, cultural exchange, and community building within the desert and beyond.
Desert Design Week FAQs
This FAQ offers an overview of Desert Design Week, including when and where it takes place, who it’s for, and how programming is curated. Designed to help first-time and returning attendees alike, it provides practical insight into the festival experience.
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Desert Design Week is a biannual citywide celebration of art, design, architecture, and creative community held in Phoenix and Scottsdale each April and October. The festival brings together designers, architects, artists, brands, and design-minded audiences through curated events, exhibitions, and conversations. Each edition is intentionally edited to highlight thoughtful design and meaningful connection.
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Desert Design Week takes place across Phoenix and Scottsdale rather than in a single centralized location. Events are hosted in galleries, showrooms, studios, private homes, and cultural spaces throughout the city. This distributed format allows the festival to highlight different neighborhoods and creative communities while creating a more immersive, place-based experience.
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Desert Design Week is for anyone interested in art, architecture, design, and creative culture. While many attendees work in design related fields, the festival is open to collectors, students, creatives, and design curious members of the public. No professional background is required to attend.
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Desert Design Week features a curated mix of design talks, panel discussions, exhibitions, open studios, architectural tours, art markets, and makers markets. Programming also includes interior design showrooms, creative pop-ups, and immersive experiences that highlight art, architecture, and design in real-world settings. Events range from intimate conversations to larger public gatherings, with some ticketed and others free and open to the public.
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Desert Design Week is for the pros as well as the design minded public. Some events are ticketed and others are free.. Event access details are clearly listed on each event page. Attendees can choose to attend a single event or multiple events throughout the week.
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Desert Design Week is intentionally curated rather than large scale or trade focused. The festival prioritizes quality over quantity, emphasizing thoughtful programming, meaningful dialogue, and strong design context. Its perspective is shaped by the creative energy of the Southwest and the desert environment.
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Designers, artists, brands, and venues can participate in Desert Design Week through curated partnerships and collaborations. Opportunities vary by edition and are selected to align with the overall vision of the festival. Interested partners can express interest through the website or by reaching out directly.
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Yes, Desert Design Week attracts attendees from outside the region who travel to Phoenix and Scottsdale for the experience. The festival offers a unique perspective on art, architecture, and design in the desert, paired with access to local creative spaces and community. Many visitors plan trips around the full week of programming.
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Tickets for Desert Design Week are released approximately three weeks before the start of each edition. Ticketed events are listed on the website once sales open, and availability varies by event. Many events sell out quickly, so we recommend signing up for the Desert Design Week newsletter to receive early announcements and updates.
You can subscribe to the newsletter here:
https://desertstyleaz.myflodesk.com/ddw
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