There’s loads to see and do at the 4 Design Houses located across Dundee and in the online Design House.
Explore design that is hidden all around us and get hands-on with lots of playful design experiments.
Bring your own piece of clothing or pick up something from our collection and add personality, colour and pattern to your item to upcycle it. Will you customise, refresh or reinvent?
Make your own zine, follow the Dundee East design trail, pick up the festival colouring book and grab some design activities to take home.
View LocationAt a store like no other, trade your tokens wisely to pick your pieces and assemble your character.
Follow the Stobswell Design Trail, pick up the festival colouring book and grab some design activities to take home.
View LocationImagine a new park game with this mini activity, then return to see your ideas made into a full-sized games to play together.
Listen to soundscapes from across the world, follow the Hilltown Design Trail, pick up the festival colouring book and grab some design activities to take home.
View LocationTake a journey through the twists and turns of the design process and see if your idea can make it to the end.
Follow the Waterfront Design Trail, pick up the festival colouring book and grab some design activities to take home.
View LocationCome and explore Every Where Design in a house full of specially commissioned content looking at everyday objects, communities, historical features, soundscapes from across the world and loads more.
OPENS 9am — 23 SEPTEMBER
Visit the online Design HouseThis year’s festival is spread across 4 Design Houses in the city. We’d love you to access these by sustainable transport like walking, cycling or bus. So we’re working with Xplore Dundee and Embark to bring you discounts on bus travel and e-bike use for coming to the festival.
This Design House is located about 3 miles from the city centre of Dundee, to walk it’ll take you about an hour but it is a lovely walk. You want to head up Albert Street and past the Stobswell Design House (might as well stop in there on your way) towards Morgan Academy, then head onto Pitkerro Road and keep following that the rest of the way to Finlathen Park.
This Design House is located about 1 mile from the city centre of Dundee, to walk it’ll take you about 20 minutes as it is up a steep hill! Find your way to the Wellgate Shopping Centre. Once at the back steps just head straight up the hill infront of you.
This Design House is located in a shop at the top of Albert Street and is just over a mile from the city centre. To walk it’ll take you about 20 minutes as it is uphill, but not as steep as Hilltown! Find your way to the Olympia Swimming Pool, from there follow the main road up Blackscroft and onto Albert Street.
This Design House is located right beside V&A Dundee. If you are at the train station, it’s just a 2 minute walk, from anywhere else in the city centre, it should only take you 5 or 10 minutes to find your way to V&A Dundee.
Using a bike is a great way to get around the Design Houses sustainably. If you don’t have your own bike, you can use the city’s electric bike network from Embark Dundee.
If you aren’t a member of Ride On Dundee and don't want to join, you can still use the bikes as Pay As You Go. Keep an eye out on our social media for upcoming announcements about a special offer for Dundee Design Festival visitors.
More detailsService 17 goes directly to the Design House (with stops on Pitkerro Road at/opp The Hub Library). Service 32 stops on Glenconnor Drive (at/opp Rowantree Primary School) - with just a five-min walk to the end of Pitkerro Road. The 32 likewise stops on Fountainbleau Drive and Fintry Road, from where people can take a more scenic walk through the park to reach the building. Lastly, services 9/10 and 33 stop on Forfar Road (at/opp Mill o' Mains), with a nice ten-min walk along the Dighty Burn.
Service 22 is the main route which goes directly there. Service 2 is a less frequent off-peak route which stops nearby on Main Street. And service 1 stops a bit further afield down on Dens Road.
Services 32/33 run up and down Albert Street both ways. And service 17 runs down Albert Street (towards town) or up Dura Street (towards Whitfield), which is just a short walk away.
All local services come into the City Centre with many stopping on Shore Terrace (at the back of the Caird Hall).
More detailsDundee Design Festival wouldn’t be possible without the brilliant team who make it all happen. This year over 40 designers, producers, makers, developers and creatives from all over the world have been part of bringing you the festival's physical and digital content.
Build Team Intern
Dundee Design Festival is a UNESCO City of Design Dundee project delivered through Dundee Partnership and hosted by V&A Dundee.