This January, DesignTO, the non-profit organization that produces Canada’s largest design festival, marks its 15th anniversary with an expansive program featuring over 100 events and exhibitions, from art installations and furniture design, to thought-provoking talks and immersive experiences. Since its inception, DesignTO has welcomed over one million attendees, showcased more than 6,500 artists and designers, and contributed $120 million in tourism spending. With a global media reach of 2.6 billion over 14 years, the festival highlights design’s crucial role in addressing pressing issues like sustainability and social justice. Join us January 24 - February 2, 2025, as Toronto transforms into a vibrant hub of creativity and innovation.

Here are a few must-see projects on the DesignTO 2025 festival schedule:

Images HERE

DesignTO Talks: Net Positive

January 31, 2025 | Interspace at Ace Hotel, 51 Camden Street

What is the trajectory of the climate crisis? If you envision our collective, planetary path, do you feel optimistic or distressed? ‘Net Positive’ invites artists, designers, and thinkers to explore innovative responses to the climate crisis from a perspective of abundance. How do we design from an understanding of humans as a part of nature, and not apart from nature? How do we repair the damage done to ecosystems? How can we design whole living systems?

DesignTO Launch Party

January 24, 2025 | Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West

Kick off the 15th DesignTO Festival at our official Launch Party! Mix and mingle at the event that brings Toronto’s creative community together. Experience a one-night-only installation by Toronto-based artist Asli Alin, and be among the first to see ‘REVIVE’, a DesignTO-curated group exhibition featuring the work of seven local and international artists and designers. As a fundraiser for the non-profit Festival, all proceeds will go to help achieve our purpose to bring people together to design a better future.

Ensemble

January 24 – February 2, 2025 | the plumb, 1655 Dufferin Street

This exhibition showcases the talent emerging from Montreal’s design community. It highlights both the individual creations and the collaborative spirit that defines the work. Collaboration enhances creativity, and the synergy of these exhibitors reflects the essence of Montreal—diverse, dynamic, and forward-thinking. Many of the furniture and objects are being shown for the first time, or are being reinterpreted to offer a fresh perspective, adding an element of tension and playful interaction.

Ideas Forum: Labour in Architecture

January 28, 2025 | Virtually

Organized by DesignTO in partnership with the Toronto Society of Architects, ‘Ideas Forum: Labour in Architecture’ features five fast-paced presentations representing diverse organizational structures, including co-operative, union, and employee-owned. This Ideas Forum considers the business of architecture as a project worthy of (re)design.

DesignTO Talks: Material Expressions

January 26, 2025 | Collective Arts Taproom Toronto, 777 Dundas Street West

Join DesignTO for an engaging presentation and discussion with glass artists Nadira Narine and Lauren Rice, whose projects ‘Chromatic Echoes’ and ‘Queer Connections’ explore identity, memory, and emotion. Through boldly coloured, expressive works in glass, Lauren and Nadira navigate community connections, current and past, evoking nostalgia for what has been, and a celebration of what is.

Design Collection @ STACKT Launch Party

January 25, 2025 | STACKT market, 28 Bathurst Street

Meet the designers and curators of a collection of projects organized as part of the DesignTO festival. The Design Collection @ STACKT will host 10 days of designer residencies, creative showcases, and entertainment. Join the public opening and industry meet-up on Saturday, January 25, from 6 pm at STACKT market.

The Legacy of Claude Cormier: Screening & Panel Discussion

January 30, 2025 | Daniels Building, 1 Spadina Crescent

Join the Toronto Society of Architects, the TCLF, and the University of Toronto John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design for a special screening of a 45-minute director’s cut of the TCLF’s Claude Cormier Oral History Project, specifically highlighting Claude’s Toronto projects. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion reflecting on his legacy and how we can carry it forward when shaping our future public spaces.

Surface Impressions

January 20 – February 21, 2025 | Umbra Concept Store, 165 John Street

‘Surface Impressions’ is an exhibition highlighting the dynamic interactions between a material’s physical properties and the results of creative techniques applied to it. This exhibition includes 9 local and international designers exploring how materials can respond to different processes, leading to unexpected outcomes and applications.

DesignTO Tours: Dualities

February 2, 2025 | 2 St. Clair Avenue West

This walking tour invites you to take a closer look at three temporary artworks in the Yonge + St. Clair neighbourhood that explore ideas of self-image and identity, perception and reflection, and absence and presence. With firsthand insight from the artists and designers behind the projects, delve deeper into the site-specific installations, their stories, and how they came to be. The tour starts at ‘Narcissus Falls’ (with Audric Montuno) located at 2 St. Clair Avenue West, followed by ‘Bubble Quilt’ (with Studio Rat), and ‘Beyond the Body’ (with Pixel Heller), all within a short walking distance of each other.

To Hold: A Group Exhibition Curated by Yabu Pushelberg

January 25-30, 2025 | Yabu Pushelberg Toronto Studio, 55 Booth Avenue, Toronto

Yabu Pushelberg's curated exhibition, 'To Hold', asks Canadian artists and designers to explore the role of presentation in showcasing a personally meaningful object; underscoring a connection between design and personal narrative.

The Hospitality Effect: Transforming Fitness & Wellness Spaces into Destinations

January 29, 2025 | Sweat and Tonic at The Well, 486 Front Street West

Join David Ingram, founder of Sweat and Tonic, and Craig Stanghetta, co-founder of the hospitality brand Banda Volpi and founder/creative director of acclaimed design studio Ste Marie, for an illuminating conversation at Sweat and Tonic’s second location at The Well. Together, they will explore the intersection of hospitality, fitness, and wellness, and how design transforms spaces into unforgettable destinations.

About DesignTO

DesignTO is a non-profit arts organization celebrating 15 years of designing a sustainable, just, and joyful future. From January 24-February 2, 2025, the DesignTO Festival features 100+ free events across Toronto, showcasing hundreds of artists and designers. Known as Canada’s largest annual design festival, DesignTO has welcomed over 1 million attendees, reached 2.6 billion people through media, supported 6,500+ artists, and generated $120 million in tourism impact.

“DesignTO isn’t just a festival; it’s an anti-loneliness machine,” co-founder Christina Zeidler remarked, underscoring the organization’s power to foster belonging and spark vital conversations about design’s role in shaping a better world.

For media inquiries, images, or interview requests, please contact Lisa Barnes lisa@lisa-barnes.com and Lindsay Singer 

lindsay@lindsayksinger.com of SBB Collective