After 20 years, Designblok returns to Prague Castle—with 'Courage'

The 27th edition of Designblok opens this week with an ambitious program that spans four of Prague’s most distinguished cultural sites, united by a singular theme: courage.

From Oct. 8 to 12, the festival brings together more than 250 designers, studios, and brands from across Europe, celebrating the work of women who continue to shape the global creative landscape.

The event showcases over 150 exhibitions across 5,500 square meters at the Křižík Pavilions, with additional displays at the Royal Summer Palace, Museum of Decorative Arts, Galerie Rudolfinum, and New Spiral.

Highlights include the High Craft and Between Unity and Diversity exhibitions, celebrating women in design, alongside Designblok Talks on creativity and architecture.

The festival brings together leading European designers, attracting over 40,000 visitors to Prague’s design scene. Guest of honor, British photographer Mary McCartney, will also present her work that focuses on intimacy and human relationships.

After more than two decades, Designblok returns to Prague Castle's Queen Anne's Summer Palace, a Renaissance jewel from the 16th century that hosts the High Craft exhibition. Curated by festival director Jana Zielinski and Vogue CS editor-in-chief Danica Kovářová, the exhibition presents over twenty Czech creators and manufacturers who are transforming traditional crafts.

“We are pleased that once again this year we can host the traditional celebration of design at Prague Castle,” said Veronika Wolf, Director of Culture and Programming at Prague Castle. “We believe that the work of the very best Czech creators will complement its beautiful spaces perfectly."

For Zielinski, courage represents more than creative boldness. “Courage is one of the most important ingredients of good design,” she said. “From Designblok’s perspective, it lies in the exhibitors’ effort to push their work further, to enter uncharted territories, to make use not only of traditional crafts but also to explore new technologies."

The theme extends beyond aesthetic risk-taking. "For me, Designblok 2025 will also be about the courage to connect individual disciplines, to place design in a broader social context, to seek the best solutions and, last but not least, to pay special attention to women designers and all women who today significantly influence the global creative scene," Zielinski noted.

The Museum of Decorative Arts anchors this focus with Courage: Women in Architecture, Design, and Applied Arts, curated by Michaela Kádnerová. The exhibition presents around twenty female creators across three generations, featuring designers Eva Eisler, Kateřina Handlová, and Lucie Koldová, fashion designer Liběna Rochová, and architects Lenka Míková and Bára Škorpilová, among others.

“The exhibition reflects courage as an energy that manifests itself in many forms through the will and the need to create meaningfully and satisfyingly,” Kádnerová explained.

“In their case, however, it constitutes one of the ingredients necessary to compete and succeed even in artistic fields that are still largely male domains."

At Galerie Rudolfinum, photographer Mary McCartney, daughter of Paul McCartney, presents a new selection of portraits spanning her thirty-year career. Mary McCartney by PLAYCE, curated by Martina Lowe, focuses on strong women and the female figure, offering what Julia Bailey, Director of Galerie Rudolfinum, describes as “a beautiful counterpoint” to the gallery’s autumn exhibition.

This year’s edition of Designblok brings several new features, both for the curious artgoer and families. A new children’s pavilion, Designblok for Kids, features interactive installations, including the play element MRAK by Maxim Velčovský.

The Museum of Decorative Arts also showcases DARK 'n' LUSH, the first solo exhibition by Czech jeweller Zdeněk Vacek marking 25 years of his work, and Design is My Religion, celebrating the 75th birthday of leading Czech designer Jiří Pelcl.

Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola will also receive the Designblok Award for Extraordinary Contribution to Global Design, presented by Zielinski herself.

Last year, Wallpaper* magazine named Designblok the world’s most playful design festival. This year’s edition suggests that playfulness and courage need not be mutually exclusive.

Designblok 2025 runs from Oct. 8 to 12 at the Křižík Pavilions, Queen Anne's Summer Palace at Prague Castle, Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, and Galerie Rudolfinum.