One week full of design. Thank you, mcbw 2026!
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Germany's biggest design event #designconnects

Empowered by bayern design, the mcbw is the biggest design event in Germany and an important meeting point for the national and international creative and design industries. During its seven days, we annually bring together designers, design enthusiasts, companies, and students from all design-related fields and industries to promote interdisciplinary exchange and make the relevance of design accessible and tangible for everyone. To highlight the societal, ecological, and economic importance of design, each year we dedicate the mcbw to a new annual theme.

Annual theme: Playground of Possibilites

After years of complexity and constraint, a new creative impulse is rising – a new desire to create. An impulse that isn’t about perfection, but about participation. About curiosity, not certainty. About shaping futures without knowing exactly what they will look like. The playground is a place we all know – open, imperfect, full of motion and emotion. It’s where we try, test, fail, build, laugh, and return to. That makes it the perfect metaphor for design today: less about control, more about momentum.  At mcbw 2026, we move through four creative territories – not as a linear process, but as a mindset for making, thinking, and imagining.

The four focus topics of mcbw 2026

Empowering the Creative Self

Courage to Begin

Empower. Trust yourself. Begin without knowing it all. Creativity starts with self-belief – in you, in others, in the process.

Exploring the Creative Field

Space to Play

Explore. Play with ideas. Take detours. Rewrite the rules. This is where surprise begins.

Turning Ideas into Action

Time to Build

Act. Make what you imagine visible. Prototypes, pop-ups, platforms – Momentum beats perfection.

Creating Visions that Enrich

Visions that Last

Enrich. Create with purpose and responsibility. What lasts is what touches, helps, transforms.

Annual Theme 2026

Welcome to the Playground of Possibilities

From 4 to 10 May 2026, Munich transformed into a vibrant hub for design, innovation, and creative exchange for the 15th time. Together, we discovered a new passion for design – playful, visionary, and with an eye on the pressing issues of our time.

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We took you on an inspiring journey through four interlocking phases: from the creative self to new fields and bold ideas, all the way to visions that enrich our future. The 2026 theme, ‘Playground of Possibilities,’ created space for your perspectives, impulses, and real change.

 

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Program 2026

A week full of inspiration, exchange, and networking

7 days, more than 200 events, 8 installations across the city, and over 65,000 visitors: mcbw 2026 was a vibrant mix of exhibitions, workshops, talks, guided tours, and public interventions spanning a wide range of design disciplines. 

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A big thank you for being part of this major design event. Your energy, creativity, and commitment made these seven days an unforgettable experience.

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mcbw 2026 visitor survey

Take our survey on mcbw 2026 and win one of three fantastic pieces from our Design Shop.

Partner 2026

Thank your for inspiring events

For seven days, a wide range of event formats and installations took place across Munich, bringing design to life in all its facets. Our partners presented their ideas, projects, and perspectives to an international audience. In May, mcbw provided the creative platform for this exchange – an inspiring backdrop for the entire design community.

The city as a playground

These were our public spaces

For mcbw, the architecture collective Studio Carraldo set up two interactive pavilions on the south lawn of the Alte Pinakothek—open, experimental, and inviting participation. Studio adpa transformed Rindermarkt into a work of art, while university exhibition containers invited visitors to interactive exhibitions at Viktualienmarkt and Königsplatz.

A day full of design and inspiration

Design Summit 2026

On 4 May 2026, international designers, thought leaders, and decision-makers gathered at the Munich Urban Colab to develop new perspectives on the role of design at the intersection of technology, society, and creativity.

Recap: mcbw 2026

For the 15th time the munich creative business week took place in May 2026 under the annual motto “Playground of Possibilities” with more than 65,000 visitors, making it Germany's largest design event. Inspiration, ideas, dialogue, networking, innovation, technology – #designconnects! Click through our mcbw archive and find out more about our programme and partners.

65k+

Visitors

200+

Events

210

Partners

300+

Speakers

mcb_what ?

The munich creative business week takes place every year in May. During 7 days of mcbw, the creative scene meets in Munich to learn about the latest trends, technologies and innovations in the various design disciplines, to exchange ideas and to network.

Partners of mcbw 2026

Contributors Wall

Planning and implementing the largest design event in Germany is only possible with strong partners at our side. We try to offer almost all events during the 7 days of mcbw free of charge in order to make participation possible for all interested parties. A big thank you goes to our supporters, sponsors, media partners, program partners and network partners who make mcbw what it is today!

#designconnects

Join the design movement

You already have an idea for an mcbw event and are interested in a project promotion? We have summarised our frequently asked questions.

Do you already have a cool concept for an installation or exhibition for the mcbw public space or mcbw pop-up? Write us an email and connect with us.

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