CEA Joins Forces with Bangkok to Launch Design Festival 2026, Signaling "DESIGN S/O/S" and Highlighting Thai Design

The Creative Economy Agency (CEA) has collaborated with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and various national and international partners to open the Bangkok Design Week 2026 (BKKDW2026), the largest design festival in Southeast Asia. Now in its 9th year, the event is themed "DESIGN S/O/S" - a signal to "Do/Give/Survive" by using design as a tool to find innovative solutions to challenges across economic, social, environmental, and quality of life dimensions. This year's festival will run from January 29 to February 8, 2026, covering four main districts: Charoenkrung-Talad Noi, Phra Nakhon, Pak Khlong Talad, and Banglamphu-Khaosan, along with over 140 locations across Bangkok. Organizers expect to attract more than 400,000 visitors and generate at least 1,000 million baht in economic impact. Chaiyong Rattanangkura, CEA Chairman, explained that the festival is a key milestone reflecting Bangkok's creative and design power. The event is not just a design festival, but a platform that applies design practically in urban and economic contexts. The "DESIGN S/O/S" theme reflects global challenges including economic volatility, geopolitical complexity, climate change, and rapidly changing global trade. The festival explores how design can help cities, businesses, and people "survive" and "move forward" through three key axes: Secure Domestic, Outreach Opportunities, and Sustainable Future.