DesignMarch in May happened in Reykjavík 2021

Iceland's annual design festival, DesignMarch, was held for the 13th time from 19-23 May 2021. The festival was a huge success with over 85 shows throughout Reykjavik and the greater capital area. According to participating designers and thousands of guests who attended the shows, DesignMarch was a much welcomed addition to the current turbulent times and was full of optimism and hope.

DesignMarch is known for bringing together participants and guests through progressive design and innovation. The festival heralds new and surprising approaches and is a vibrant platform for ideas, diverse perspectives and knowledge, being a driving force that enriches and enhances society.

At DesignMarch 2021, focus was on design as a driving force for innovation and the shows demonstrated the important role of design, architecture and innovation in society, especially during times of uncertainty. Designers shared a strong focus on sustainability, reuse, recycling, wellness, nature, innovation and community. A common theme throughout was to design for a better future.

In collaboration with Icelandair, DesignMarch launched a short documentary about design in Iceland, called Why not? Designing the Spirit of Iceland. The documentary can be viewed here.

DesignMarch in collaboration with the Icelandic Embassies in the Nordic capitals host events in the form of podcasts, taped in the preparation of the festival in Iceland. The aim was to bring together designers from Iceland and the Nordic capitals in an interesting conversation about design and architecture, thereby creating a foreign forum for the festival in collaboration with the embassy and foreign cooperation site.
Read more about it here and listen to the interesting conversations on design and architecture.

The festival was opened by Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Iceland's Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation, Dagur B. Eggertsson, the Mayor of Reykjavik, and Halla Helgadóttir, CEO of the Icelandic Center for Design and Architecture. The president of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannsson and first lady Eliza Reid, as well as several ministers, visited shows and spoke to designers. As the festival is open to the public, thousands of guests enjoyed visiting the shows, which were spread throughout the greater capital area.

We would like to thank all participants, guests and our partners for DesignMarch in May 2021. We are all full of hope and optimism for what the future holds and look forward to DesignMarch 2022!