At a glance
| Dates | Expected Oct 2027Mid to late October 2027, 11–12 days ending on a Sunday, if the pattern of 2024–2026 holds (17–27 Oct 2024, 15–26 Oct 2025, 14–25 Oct 2026); nothing announced as of 19 October 2026. |
|---|---|
| Next edition | 2027: Mid to late October 2027, 11–12 days ending on a Sunday, if the pattern of 2024–2026 holds (17–27 Oct 2024, 15–26 Oct 2025, 14–25 Oct 2026); nothing announced as of 19 October 2026. |
| Weather | October average 20/11 °C (68/51 °F), 52 mm of rainComfortable: light layers. Monthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Seoul station. |
| Admission | The exhibitions, the Design Market, Green Chips and the Seoul Design Road are free. Only the DDP Design Fair in the Art Hall was paid (₩15,000 on site, ₩9,000 early bird), and it ended on 18 October 2026.DDP Design Fair, on site (14–18 Oct): ₩15,000 · DDP Design Fair, early bird (to 13 Oct): ₩9,000 · DDP Design Fair, super early bird (from 18 Aug): ₩6,000 (2026 prices) |
| Venue | Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)서울특별시 중구 을지로 281 (을지로7가) |
| Nearest station | Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (동대문역사문화공원역), Seoul Subway Lines 2, 4 and 5, Exit 1DDP is right outside Exit 1 |
| From Seoul | In Seoul · SubwayFull route |
| Organizer | Seoul Design Foundation, with the Seoul Metropolitan Government서울디자인재단 |
| Usual timing | Eleven or twelve days in mid to late October, ending on a Sunday: 17–27 Oct 2024 (branded 'Seoul Design 2024'), 15–26 Oct 2025 and 14–25 Oct 2026. First held in 2014, the year DDP opened; the 2026 edition is the 13th. In 2025 and 2026 the paid DDP Design Fair filled the first five days. Browse October festivals. |
| First held | 2014 |
| Last checked | 19 October 2026Checked against 17 sources · See sources |
What it is like
Seoul Design Week is the autumn design festival of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Design Foundation, the city body that runs Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). It began in 2014, the year DDP opened, and went by the name 'Seoul Design' in 2023 and 2024. The 2026 edition, the 13th, has the theme 'The Design Recipe' and runs for 12 days, 14–25 October, at DDP and in five neighbourhoods across the city.
The flagship is the DDP Design Fair, a lifestyle and design fair that fills the whole DDP Art Hall for the first five days and is the only paid part. In 2026 it ran 14–18 October with Musinsa's 29CM platform: 79 brands arranged by taste rather than by product type, in four 'markets' (the attentive homemaker, the quiet dreamer, the warm gourmet and, new this year, the cheerful companion for pet and children's brands), plus a Young Designer pavilion where 20 university teams showed products made with companies such as Hyundai Motor. Tickets cost ₩15,000 on site and ₩9,000 in advance; the 2025 fair drew about 30,000 visitors in five days. A two-day conference brought speakers including Maria Porro, president of the Salone del Mobile, and Mauro Porcini, chief design officer of Samsung Electronics.
For anyone arriving after 18 October, the free side keeps going until 25 October. Indoors and along DDP's walkways are exhibitions on design studios, Italian industrial design, food design and Seoul's design industry, and the Seoul Design Award 2026 show, whose finalists came from a record 1,204 entries from 91 countries. On Eoullim Plaza, the Green Chips Seoul Festival has 20 companies making goods from recycled plastic, recycled felt and waste wood. The outdoor DDP Design Market, with about 200 sellers of lifestyle goods, vintage, crafts, fashion, jewellery and food, runs on two weekends, 16–18 and 23–25 October. Beyond DDP, the Seoul Design Road links about 150 design spots in Dongdaemun, Seongsu, Yeonhui, Seochon and Apgujeong, with 'Seoulness' content in Seongsu and open design studios in Yeonhui.
The honest caveats: the 2026 fair, the part with most brands, is already over; information is mostly in Korean; brand pop-ups keep their own schedules; and on the last day, 25 October, the exhibitions close at 18:00. It is a design fair and exhibition programme, not a street festival with stages and food stalls.
Highlights
- Free design exhibitions at DDP until 25 October 2026, 10:00–20:00 (10:00–18:00 on the last day), on design studios, Italian industrial design, food design and Seoul's design industry
- Seoul Design Award 2026 exhibition: finalists chosen from a record 1,204 entries from 91 countries, with the Otter Newborn Warmer as grand prize
- DDP Design Market: about 200 sellers of lifestyle goods, vintage, crafts, fashion, jewellery and food outdoors at DDP on 16–18 and 23–25 October 2026
- Green Chips Seoul Festival on Eoullim Plaza, 14–25 October: 20 companies making goods from recycled plastic, recycled felt and waste wood, free
- Seoul Design Road: about 150 design spots in five districts (Dongdaemun, Seongsu, Yeonhui, Seochon and Apgujeong), with 'Seoulness' in Seongsu and open studios in Yeonhui
- DDP Design Fair (14–18 October 2026, ended): 79 lifestyle brands with 29CM across the whole DDP Art Hall, plus 20 university teams in the Young Designer pavilion
Who it suits. Design and lifestyle-shopping fans, architecture lovers visiting DDP, and travellers already in central Seoul who want a free half day indoors and out. The paid fair, with most of the brands, has ended for 2026, so come for the free exhibitions, the last market weekend (23–25 October) and the Seoul Design Road neighbourhoods.
Getting there
From Seoul
Take Line 2, 4 or 5 to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station and leave by Exit 1, which comes out right at DDP. The exhibitions are inside DDP and along its Design Dulle-gil walkway; the Design Market and Green Chips are on the outdoor plazas. The Seoul Design Road neighbourhoods (Seongsu, Yeonhui, Seochon and Apgujeong) are spread across the city, so treat each as a separate trip.
From Busan
KTX from Busan Station to Seoul Station (about 2 h 30 m; ₩54,400 standard class since the 1 September 2026 fare cut), then Line 4 towards Jinjeop to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Exit 1.
From Incheon Airport
AREX to Seoul Station, then Line 4 towards Jinjeop to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Exit 1.
Last leg from Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station
Seoul Subway Lines 2, 4 and 5, Exit 1. DDP is right outside Exit 1
Getting home
The exhibitions close at 20:00 (18:00 on 25 October), long before the last subway trains.
How to switch Naver Map and Kakao Map to English
Google Maps shows train, subway and bus routes in Korea but not walking or driving directions yet, so for the walk from the station Naver Map or Kakao Map is more reliable.
Before you go
1330 · Travel hotline
The Korea Tourism Organization’s helpline answers in English, Japanese and Chinese around the clock, and in several other languages from 08:00 to 19:00. Dial 1330 from a Korean phone, or +82-2-1330 from a phone registered abroad.
112 / 119 · Emergencies
112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. Both are free from any phone. Police on 112 can add an English or Chinese interpreter to the call.
T-money card
Buy one at a convenience store such as GS25, CU or 7-Eleven and top it up there with cash. It pays for subways and buses in most cities, and for most taxis.
Maps
Use Naver Map or Kakao Map for walking and bus directions; Google Maps does not yet give walking directions in Korea. Both apps can be switched to English. Naver Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → Language (Japanese and Chinese also available). Kakao Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → App settings → Language. If the option is missing, change your phone’s language and reopen the app. Small shop names and some reviews stay in Korean.
Trains and buses
Book trains on Korail’s English site and express buses on Kobus. Holiday weekends sell out first.
Checked 18 October 2026.
Tickets, prices and practical details
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| DDP Design Fair, on site (14–18 Oct) | ₩15,000 | Regular price; the fair has ended for 2026 |
| DDP Design Fair, early bird (to 13 Oct) | ₩9,000 | ₩8,000 per person for groups of 20 or more |
| DDP Design Fair, super early bird (from 18 Aug) | ₩6,000 | Limited quantity, up to 4 tickets per ID |
| Exhibitions, Green Chips, Design Market and Seoul Design Road | Free | Free; only the Art Hall fair is paid |
| Seoul Design Week Conference | — | Listed by the city as paid or free depending on the session; prices not found |
- Booking
- No booking for the free programmes. DDP Design Fair tickets were sold on the official Seoul Design Week site (seoul-designweek.or.kr) and on Musinsa's 29CM; whether a Korean phone number is needed was not stated. Inquiries: 02-3141-7977 (KTO listing).
- English on site
- No English programme or on-site interpretation was documented; the city's announcements are in Korean, and The Korea Times covered the 2026 programme in English.
- Crowds
- The DDP Design Fair was crowded: about 30,000 visitors in five days in 2025, and packed aisles in the city's 2026 photos. No figures were published for the free exhibitions or the market.
- Best time to go
- Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026, when the second Design Market weekend overlaps the free exhibitions; on Sunday 25 October come before 18:00, when the exhibitions close early.
- What to bring
- Comfortable shoes if you plan to add Seoul Design Road neighbourhoods to DDP, and a bag and some cash or a card for market shopping.
- Rain
- Most exhibitions are indoors at DDP; the Design Market and Green Chips are outdoors, and no rain plan was published.
Editions
| Year | Dates | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Mid to late October 2027, 11–12 days ending on a Sunday, if the pattern of 2024–2026 holds (17–27 Oct 2024, 15–26 Oct 2025, 14–25 Oct 2026); nothing announced as of 19 October 2026. | expected | Super-early-bird tickets for the DDP Design Fair went on sale on 6 August in 2025 and 18 August in 2026, so the 2027 dates should be public by August 2027. |
| 2026 | 14–25 Oct 2026 | ended | DDP Art Hall, Design Hall, Design Dulle-gil, Eoullim Plaza, Design Lab, Igansumun Exhibition Hall and the outdoor park area, plus about 150 Seoul Design Road spots in five districts. |
| 2025 | 15–26 Oct 2025 | ended | 12th edition, theme 'Design, Designer, Design Life'. The fair drew about 30,000 visitors in five days. |
| 2024 | 17–27 Oct 2024 | ended | DDP (including Eoullim Plaza) and other areas of Seoul |
Nearby
- Seongsu-dong (성수동). One of the five Seoul Design Road districts; in 2026 it hosts the 'Seoulness' programme and an off-site exhibition at ZZON.
- Yeonhui-dong (연희동). Seoul Design Road district where local design studios open to the public during the week; off-site exhibition at Pigment Yeonhui.
- Jeil Pyeonghwa Market (제일평화시장). A Dongdaemun clothing market that KTO lists among the spots near DDP.
- maxtyle (맥스타일). A Dongdaemun fashion mall, also on KTO's list of spots near DDP.
- Jinokhwa Halmae Wonjo Dakhanmari (진옥화할매원조닭한마리). A dakhanmari (whole chicken in broth) restaurant that KTO lists near DDP.
Questions travelers ask
When is Seoul Design Week 2026?
14–25 October 2026 (Wednesday to Sunday) at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and across Seoul. The exhibitions are open 10:00–20:00, until 18:00 on 25 October. The DDP Design Fair ran 14–18 October, and the outdoor Design Market runs 16–18 and 23–25 October.
Is Seoul Design Week free?
Mostly. The exhibitions, the Design Market, the Green Chips Seoul Festival and the Seoul Design Road are free. The DDP Design Fair in the Art Hall was the paid part: ₩15,000 on site, ₩9,000 early bird and ₩6,000 super early bird in 2026.
How do I get to DDP?
Take Line 2, 4 or 5 to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station and leave by Exit 1, which comes out right at DDP. From Incheon Airport, take AREX to Seoul Station and change to Line 4.
What is the DDP Design Fair?
The festival's paid lifestyle and design fair in the DDP Art Hall, run with Musinsa's 29CM. In 2026 it ran 14–18 October with 79 brands grouped by taste and 20 university teams in a Young Designer pavilion. The 2025 fair drew about 30,000 visitors in five days.
What is the Seoul Design Road?
A set of about 150 design spots, such as studios, shops and cultural spaces, in five districts: Dongdaemun, Seongsu, Yeonhui, Seochon and Apgujeong. In 2026 Seongsu hosts the 'Seoulness' programme and Yeonhui opens design studios to the public, until 25 October.
When is Seoul Design Week 2027?
Not announced as of 19 October 2026. It has run for 11–12 days in mid to late October each year (15–26 October in 2025, 14–25 October in 2026), and fair tickets have gone on sale in August, so expect the 2027 dates by then.
What is the weather like at Seoul Design Week in October?
October in Seoul: average high 20 °C (68 °F), low 11 °C (51 °F), 52 mm of rain (Seoul station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Comfortable: light layers.
Sources and verification
Facts checked
19 October 2026, against the sources listed below.
This page is desk research from the sources below, not a firsthand report of the 2027 edition. Confidence in the current facts: high.
- KTO TourAPI listing 2026 서울디자인위크 (contentId 3011280)kto — 2026 dates 14–25 Oct (12 days), DDP at 을지로 281, coordinates, hours 10:00–20:00, early bird ₩9,000 and regular ₩15,000, Seoul Design Foundation, tel 02-3141-7977, homepage seoul-design.or.kr, 13th edition, theme The Design Recipe, works by 100 designers, exhibitions at DDP, Seongsu and Hongdae
- KTO tourist data — 2026 서울디자인위크 (ktriptips mirror, contentId 3011280, page titled 서울디자인 2023)kto — Fair 14–18 Oct in the whole Art Hall; exhibitions 14–25 Oct at Jandi Sarangbang, Igansumun, Eoullim Plaza and Museum Dulle-gil; market 16–18 and 23–25 Oct in DDP's outdoor park area; off-site exhibitions at Seongsu ZZON and Pigment Yeonhui; all ages; nearby spots; the same entry was titled 서울디자인 2023
- Seoul Mediahub — 디자인 따라 서울 한 바퀴! '서울디자인위크'가 온다 (2 Oct 2026)municipal — 2026 dates 14–25 Oct, theme; fair 14–18 Oct in the Art Hall with 29CM, 79 brands, four zones; 20 university teams; conference 15 and 18 Oct, DDP Design Hall (Porro, Porcini and others), paid/free; free exhibitions 14–25 Oct; market 16–18 and 23–25 Oct; 150 spots in five districts; early bird ₩9,000 to 13 Oct, regular ₩15,000; about 30,000 paid visitors in 2025
- Seoul Mediahub — 'DDP디자인페어' 사전예매 시작 (Aug 2026)municipal — Fair hours 14:00–20:00 on 14 Oct, 11:00–20:00 on 15–17 Oct, 11:00–18:00 on 18 Oct, sales and entry closing one hour before; super early bird ₩6,000 from 18 Aug (4 per ID), early bird ₩9,000 to 13 Oct, groups of 20+ ₩8,000, regular ₩15,000; official site and 29CM; new pet and kids zone; 20 teams, 100+ students; 2025 fair about 30,000 visitors in five days
- Seoul Mediahub — 내 취향을 발견하는 디자인 산책! '서울디자인위크' (Oct 2026)municipal — 13th edition; free Eoullim Plaza, Design Dulle-gil and Green Chips, paid fair only (₩15,000 on site); special exhibitions 10:00–20:00 on 14–24 Oct and 10:00–18:00 on 25 Oct; Green Chips 14–25 Oct; Seoul Design Award and Oraegage Week exhibitions; crowded fair aisles
- Seoul Mediahub — 2026 Seoul Design Week opening (Oct 2026)municipal — Venues (Art Hall, Design Dulle-gil, Eoullim Plaza, Design Lab); Green Chips with 20 companies using recycled plastic, recycled felt and waste wood; Seoul Design Award 2026 with 1,204 projects from 91 countries, grand prize Otter Newborn Warmer; Seoul Design Industry Spectrum 14–25 Oct; Helinox, Youngpoong Bookstore and Audio-Technica pop-ups on their own schedules
- The Korea Times — Seoul Design Week opens with record entries for design award (14 Oct 2026)news — Opened 14 Oct, runs to 25 Oct; 150 spots in five areas; market with 200 sellers on 16–18 and 23–25 Oct; 79 brands; conferences on 14, 15 and 18 Oct; Seoul Design Award in its seventh year, 1,204 entries from 91 countries, 36 jurors from 20 countries; about 250 at the opening including Mayor Oh Se-hoon
- The Korea Times — Seoul Design Week turns city into lifestyle destination (14 Oct 2026)news — English programme names (DDP Design Fair, Seoul Design Conference, DDP Design Market, Seoulness, Design Open Studio, Seoul Design Road) and fair zone names; 12 days to 25 Oct; 150 spots in Dongdaemun, Yeonhui, Seongsu, Seochon and Apgujeong; market about 200 vendors 16–18 and 23–25 Oct
- The Korea Times — Seoul Design Week turns city into sprawling creative showcase (1 Oct 2026)news — Exhibitions on design studios, Italian industrial design, food design and Seoul's design industry; market goods (lifestyle, vintage, crafts, fashion, jewellery, food and drink); about 100 students in 20 teams working with companies including Hyundai Motor
- Seoul Mediahub — '서울디자인위크' DDP에서 개막 (2 Oct 2025)municipal — 2025 dates 15–26 Oct; 12th edition, begun in 2014 with DDP's opening; theme; fair 15–19 Oct with 29CM and 70 brands; conference 17 and 18 Oct with six speakers each; Seating Seoul (100 chairs, Design Lab 4th floor), Appendix (12 studios, Igansumun); market on Fri–Sun; 150 design spots with stamp tour
- YTN radio — 2025 서울디자인위크 interview (13 Oct 2025)news — 12th edition, begun in 2014 with DDP; 15–26 Oct 2025, 12 days; fair and conference paid; exhibitions, market and other programmes free; market in DDP's outdoor park on Fri–Sun of both weeks
- Seoul Mediahub — 'DDP디자인페어' 슈퍼 얼리버드 티켓 오픈 (Aug 2025)municipal — 2025 fair 15–19 Oct in the DDP Art Hall; tickets ₩6,000 (6–17 Aug), ₩8,000 (18–31 Aug), ₩10,000 (1–28 Sep), regular ₩15,000, sold on 29CM
- Seoul Mediahub — 서울디자인 2024 (Oct 2024)municipal — 2024 edition branded 서울디자인 2024, 17–27 Oct 2024 at DDP and across Seoul, theme Imagine Tomorrow; DDP Design Launch Fair in Art Hall 1; paid exhibitions and conference booked on Naver or the official site
- Seoul Mediahub — 시선 사로잡는 디자인의 맛! '디자인서울 2024' (Oct 2024)municipal — 2024: 17–27 Oct (11 days); Art Hall 10:00–19:00, some outdoor areas 11:00–19:00; conference on 23, 24 and 26 Oct; Kang Lee-yeon's Light Architecture; pop-ups by 12 companies; Seoul Design Market; Eoullim Plaza; earlier edition named 서울디자인 2023
- Seoul Mediahub — 10주년 맞은 DDP (Mar 2024)municipal — DDP right outside Exit 1 of Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Lines 2, 4 and 5); 281 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu; run by the Seoul Design Foundation
- Hankyung: 9월 1일부터 서울~부산 KTX 5만4400원…운임 평균 10% 인하 (31 Aug 2026)news — KTX and SRT run as KTX from 1 Sep; former SRT trainsets renamed KTX-Sancheon; Seoul–Busan ₩59,800→₩54,400, Yongsan–Gwangju Songjeong ₩46,800→₩42,000; Suseo seats +30%; booking unified in Korail+
- Busan → Seoul Station train timetable, 16–22 Oct 2026 (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed)other — Last trains 22:00 KTX 82 (arr 00:27) and 22:10 KTX 84 (arr 00:42), about 2 h 30 m; checked for the site's Busan Fireworks Festival record
What we could not confirm
- The official site (seoul-designweek.or.kr, named by the city) was not opened; KTO lists seoul-design.or.kr as the homepage instead. Dates, prices and hours come from the city's Mediahub, KTO data and news.
- Design Market opening hours, and whether market sellers take foreign cards, were not published.
- Official Japanese and Chinese names were not found on KTO's or the city's foreign-language pages.
- DDP parking, wheelchair access and restrooms during the week were not checked.
- The Line 4 connection from Seoul Station (for AREX and KTX arrivals) is from the subway map, not a fetched source; the walking time from Exit 1 was not published.
- Whether the festival ran in person every year since 2014 (including 2020 and 2021) is inferred from the edition count only.
- KTO's mirrored entry is still titled 서울디자인 2023 and mentions a 10th anniversary in one block, which looks carried over from earlier years.
Changes: 2026-10-19 — Added to the site: fact-first record (dates, hours, prices, getting there, sources). · 2026-10-19 — Added a photograph from the Korea Tourism Organization (Korea Tourism Content Lab), KOGL Type 1.
