Romanian Design Week 2025 kicks off: The future of design unfolds in the heart of the city!

Bucharest becomes the capital of creativity between May 16–25. From curated exhibitions and urban installations to guided tours through independent spaces and architecture studios, Romanian Design Week 2025 brings together over 150 organizations. The festival activates the city for 10 days through six formats dedicated to this year’s theme “Design Tomorrow, Today.” Organized by The Institute and presented by UniCredit Bank, Romanian Design Week 2025 launches one of its most extensive editions dedicated to collaboration, sustainability, and visionary ideas that reshape the city. With a program curated entirely through local and international partnerships, RDW 2025 offers a complete urban experience where design breaks out of its usual boundaries and engages directly with the public.

From May 16 to 25, Romanian Design Week can be explored every day across multiple locations throughout the city. The main venues of this year’s edition are the former CINA restaurant building (10 Benjamin Franklin Street), the ground floor of the National Gallery of the National Museum of Art of Romania (49–53 Calea Victoriei), and Casa Fratelli, located at 9 Episcopiei Street.

Under the theme “Design Tomorrow Today,” this year’s festival will catalyze bold ideas that challenge us to rethink how we live, build, and interact with the city. It’s an invitation to get involved, connect, and participate. This year, at Romanian Design Week, design will become the language of a community in motion—open, curious, and united.

The edition brings together over 150 organizations from Romania and across Europe, transforming Bucharest into a living network of exhibitions, installations, and public interventions. Romanian Design Week is a meeting point for professionals, the general public, and representatives of the creative industries, bridging product design, architecture, graphic design, fashion, and new technologies.

“Design is a force that shapes cities, sparks new thinking, and builds the future. Romanian Design Week 2025 lives in the streets, galleries, and independent spaces, an immersive experience that brings the future into the present and connects communities through creativity.” – Andrei Borțun, CEO, The Institute.

Romanian Design Week 2025 is structured around several curated formats, including:

RDW Exhibitions – RDW Exhibitions brings together a selection of 10 curated exhibitions developed through partnership with creative organizations from across the country, showcasing projects that are highly relevant to the current Romanian design scene. This format is presented by Rompetrol and co-produced by the City Hall of Bucharest through ARCUB – the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Bucharest. The Order of Architects of Romania – Bucharest Branch presents Sustainable Bucharest, showcasing nominated and awarded projects from the 2024 Bucharest Architecture Annual. FABER introduces Woven Secrets, presenting artifacts, stories, and multimedia installations that deepen our understanding of the textile industry. BETA – Timișoara Architecture Biennial celebrates its anniversary with 10 Years of Beta – A Retrospective, a capsule exhibition highlighting a decade of urban innovation. Local Design Circle contributes with ABCDG, a project that makes graphic design accessible to everyone. Transylvanian Design Week presents The New Middle Ages, an exhibition curated by Oláh Gyárfás. The Romanian Association of Luthiers showcases From Craft to Music, supported by Rompetrol, an exhibition of handcrafted instruments made from local materials at various stages of production. Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week presents collections from 19 established and emerging designers. Mihai Popescu Studio creates Fratelli XX – a modular plant-like installation and celebratory space marking the 20th anniversary of the Fratelli community. Additionally, six Romanian brands — ASKIA, Meze Audio, Optimef, Lunet, Mind the Gap, and Kairos  will present collections of product and industrial design in a showcase format.

The international format RDW Design Flags brings together 12 exhibitions curated by embassies and cultural institutions, exploring themes such as sustainability, inclusive design, and global creative exchange. International format presented by Purcari features contributions from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Embassy of Spain, Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Sweden, the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute, the Liszt Institute, the Czech Center, the French Institute, the Austrian National Tourist Office, Artcor (Moldova), Project1, Intro & Vitra, and Retros Gallery.

RDW & the City – Four public space design installations will transform Calea Victoriei into a spectacular route through the city’s heart. Me Apunto! was created by Studio An-An, and the design is our shared language, developed by BAZA. Deschidem Orașul, in collaboration with Łódź Design Festival as part of the Poland–Romania cultural season, will be installed in the Piața Revoluției area. The installation Human ± Nature, by OAR Brașov-Covasna-Harghita, will be placed in front of the Odeon Theatre. These three installations will be joined by Urban Seats, a project by ASAP România in collaboration with De-a Arhitectura, which invites the public to explore and use urban space sustainably. Urban Seats will be located in Piața Amzei and proposes an interactive, educational experience that reimagines how we relate to public space.

With over 140 independent events across the city ranging from exhibitions and guided tours to parties, fairs, and open studios—RDW Design GO! offers visitors a free, self-guided journey through Bucharest’s creative landscape. This year’s edition features Romania’s first academic and business conference dedicated to the cultural and creative industries, organized by ASE (Bucharest University of Economic Studies) and the Lena Criveanu Anniversary Exhibition – Art, Fashion, Celebration. The format includes Urban Spaces & Aici, a stat, a curated walking tour, and Hot Lagoon, an art print fair. These initiatives highlight local heritage, emerging art, and the power of community transformation through creativity.

On May 22, over 20 architecture studios across Bucharest will open their doors to the public for Architecture’s Night In, an evening route through the spaces where the city’s future is imagined and designed. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to enter the studios, meet the architects behind the projects, and gain insight into the creative processes shaping Romania’s built environment.

RDW Young Design is the platform that supports Romania’s new generation of designers and emerging artists selected from the 2024 edition of the DIPLOMA Show. This format is presented by UniCredit Bank, supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute, and powered by Pepsi, the festival’s creative energy partner. RDW Young Design highlights bold projects, fresh ideas, and visionary approaches that sketch the future of local design. It’s a space where young creators find their voice—and where the future starts taking shape now.

“UniCredit Bank has been supporting Romanian Design Week for 13 years, driven by our commitment to help shape a better, more sustainable, more harmonious, and more beautiful future through design. We firmly believe that success begins when young people are encouraged to express themselves and have the right context to grow. This year, we placed special emphasis on the RDW Young Design capsule within the festival because we believe initiatives that support creativity and artistic development can change the course of an entire generation,” – Anca Ungureanu, Identity & Communication Director, UniCredit Bank.

A festival enriched by brand installations and creative activations

A series of capsule exhibitions, installations, and original activations by Romanian Design Week 2025 partners will enrich the festival content, offering multisensory experiences, creative interaction points, and diverse perspectives on contemporary design. From artistic reinterpretations of recycling to anniversary collaborations and striking visual interventions, the former CINA restaurant building becomes an ecosystem of dialogue between brands, creators, and visitors.

From Milan Design Week to Romanian Design Week, IQOS brings Sensorium Piazza to the exhibitions hosted at the former CINA restaurant. Created in collaboration with the Italian design brand Seletti, Sensorium Piazza is a multisensory installation that reimagines the traditional Italian market square. The installation explores physical and digital connections, inviting the public to engage through interaction, curiosity, and human connection.

To mark 30 years of inspiration and impact, the Regina Maria 30 anniversary collection, created by Saddo and Alina Gavrilă-Borțun, will be accompanied by an interactive activation at the stand. This fast-paced memory game invites visitors to discover the pieces in the collection and win limited-edition items.

The first floor of the former CINA building will host the Design Lounge by Promenada Mall Bucharest & Mega Mall, a space for socializing and inspiration. Here, visitors will discover sustainable design pieces and furniture created through the It’s Not Goodbye, It’s Rock It Later campaign—an initiative by Electric Castle, NEPI Rockcastle, and Promenada, which transforms old clothes into renewed identity objects, through collaborations with atelier Velements and local artisans. The space also includes Loc de Design by Mega Mall, an artistic intervention in the form of an oversized chair reimagined by designer Alina Marinescu.

Starting May 13, Mega Mall and Promenada Mall Bucharest will host a visual and interactive activation encouraging personal expression and organic social media sharing: a photobooth where visitors can take creative photos and leave personalized messages directly on the shop window using markers an open invitation to play, interact, and be creatively visible.

On the second floor of the CINA building (10 Benjamin Franklin Street), visitors can explore Raffaello by Mia Peculiar – White Collection: A Dreamlike Poetry of Textures, a capsule exhibition that imagines the question “What if Raffaello were… a dress?” and expresses femininity and refinement through six fashion creations—woven into a delicate dialogue between texture, color, and timeless elegance.

Throughout the festival, Pepsi, the creative energy partner, brings a fresh boost to the RDW community through two special collaborations: People of RDW, a photography project by Andreea Retinschi renowned for her expressive portraits for TIFF and Electric Castle and a unique design intervention by Ramona Bizbac: a handmade bag created especially for a Pepsi can, in the brand’s iconic color palette.

Program & Access

The festival can be explored daily across more than 140 events throughout the city and at the three main RDW 2025 venues: the former CINA restaurant (10 Benjamin Franklin Street), the ground floor of the National Gallery of the National Museum of Art of Romania (49–53 Calea Victoriei), and Casa Fratelli (9 Episcopiei Street).

Access conditions vary by location. Tickets for the exhibitions hosted at the former CINA restaurant can be purchased online at https://bilete.romaniandesignweek.ro. Entry is free for students, pensioners, and people with disabilities. The festival’s main partner, UniCredit Bank, supports youth participation through special benefits: “Young people benefit from free or discounted access to RDW, supported by UniCredit: school pupils have free entry, and university students receive a 50% discount on tickets purchased on-site, with a valid student ID. We are also organizing a guided tour for students from the Teach for Romania community. It’s important to note that all our clients enjoy a 50% discount on tickets when using their UniCredit Mastercard. We’re looking forward to enjoying everything Romanian Design Week 2025 offers – together!” — Anca Ungureanu, Identity & Communication Director, UniCredit Bank.

Access to Casa Fratelii is free of charge and within available capacity. Entry to the National Art Museum of Romania (MNAR) is granted based on the museum’s standard admission ticket, which must be purchased on-site. This ticket is separate from the one used for access to the CINA venue.

The T Show Collection by UniCredit Bank x RDW will be available at the booth located in the courtyard of the CINA building, and the festival brochure which includes full details about the program and locations will be available at all three main RDW venues.

The full festival schedule is available at https://program.romaniandesignweek.ro, on the RDW app (App Store & Google Play), and on Facebook and Instagram.