Explore the city’s design sector with dozens of free events
*SPONSORED ARTICLE
Much like its residents, Victoria’s reputation for design is humble yet strong. The city boasts an incredible range of designers whose work—from landscape to fashion design and architecture… and much more—is often more widely recognized outside the city than within it.
“This year’s festival will introduce audiences to the people and ideas that are defining the city’s design identity and shaping its future,” says director Carla Sorrell who launched the festival off the side of her desk last year. “The design community has come together to give you a sense of the growing cultural sector.”
Building on the popularity of last year, Design Victoria 2024 will double its size with over 30 free events thanks to the generous support of design-forward sponsors and event partners, growing the festival with exciting new additions to the program, like the Downtown Design Trail. The curated trail will guide visitors around downtown retail locations to discover window exhibitions by independent and emerging designers, and will also include a feature talk on landscape design in the stunning downtown showroom of presenting sponsor Gabriel Ross.
With dozens of events to choose from, the festival offers something for everyone,—families included—with children’s workshops hosted by dHKarchitects and Cascadia architects, and a community event hosted by Arzye Developments that will keep creative kids occupied with a craft activity zone while parents engage in a lively discussion about revitalising heritage spaces for creative communities and the future of the First Metropolitan Church as home to the Victoria Symphony.
Designing Victoria’s future is a theme that pops up in several events, from Cascadia’s panel discussion Unbuilt Victoria about unrealized past project and new ideas for a better city to DAUSTUDIO’s panel discussion Art in Public about the value of collaboration between artists, architects and developers—with panellists including prominent developers Robert Jawl and Jon Stovell.
Meanwhile, visitors will have the opportunity to access creative studios that are not normally open to the public, to learn more about the stories behind familiar business, and to get inspired by the design ideas and creative work being produced in the city. Many of these events need to be pre-booked, with event details and links available at designvictoria.ca
But not everything is limited to pre-booking. A big change from last year is the amount of events that are open to everyone, from a gourmet opening by one of the city’s newest showrooms to a wide range of exhibitions including Craigdarroch Castle’s exhibition of contemporary furniture by students, faculty and alumni of the Camosun Fine Furniture—the first-ever exhibition of this kind in the Castle.
The festival’s ambitious launch party will feature bespoke bars and one-off installations created by local designers, as well as craft cocktails—each created in collaboration with a matching bar—by some of the city’s best mixologists including Clive’s, Wind Cries Mary and Marilena Cafe. Party sponsors Vista Point and Creative director Villeneuve Creative are leading the charge in a unique and memorable celebration of local design.
Design Victoria has been quickly recognized further afield as a destination for design lovers, as it establishes Victoria as a destination for world-class design, creates opportunities for collaboration and business across the cultural industries and increases awareness of the power and value of design in our daily lives.
Follow Design Victoria @designyyi or sign up for the newsletter at designvictoria.ca to book tickets and plan your weekend.
