Munich, September 24, 2025

From May 4th to May 10th, 2026, munich creative business week (mcbw) will open its doors for the 15th time and under the annual motto “Playground of Possibilities” invites you to rediscover the world of design. Like on a playing field, a space full of curiosity, exchange, and experimentation emerges – a space where the big questions of our time also find their place. Guided by four principles – Empowering the Creative Self, Exploring the Creative Field, Turning Ideas into Action, and Creating Visions that Enrich – a journey unfolds that stretches from the first spark to realizing the great vision.

SOMETHING IS IN THE AIR

Amid a changing world, new energy is awakening. In times of great challenges, fresh forces, bold ideas, and a strengthened sense of self are emerging. They do not arise despite uncertainty, but precisely from it – and therefore carry a special radiance.
mcbw 2026 responds to this transformation. With this year’s motto “Playground of Possibilities,” Munich once again becomes a hub for design, innovation, and future ideas. What the world needs is not perfection but the joy of creating. Openness. The courage to begin. Creativity not as an accessory, but as a tool for change.

The future cannot be planned, but it can be shaped – and that is exactly what mcbw invites you to do: on stages, in workshops, exhibitions, and discourse spaces. “Playground of Possibilities” is not a utopia, but a call to experiment, learn, act, and grow together. This attitude is guided by four overarching principles – a process that provides orientation while leaving space for experimentation, dialogue, and transformation.

1 / EMPOWERING THE CREATIVE SELF

Confidence. Trust. New tools. New roles.


Creativity has never been so easy – and so necessary. In a world full of challenges, we need people with the courage to actively shape the future. New technologies like AI and intuitive interfaces make creativity accessible to the masses, while at the same time increasing responsibility. What is needed are personalities who provide guidance and act as mentors to make new paths visible. Change begins with the trust that you don’t need to know everything in order to create something valuable. Trust in open, often chaotic, but always shapeable processes. And above all, trust in your own creative abilities.


To design means: daring to begin, even if not everything is clear. Trusting yourself as the first step.

2 / EXPLORING THE CREATIVE FIELD

Freedom. Curiosity. Intuition. Playing together.

Creativity needs space to play – and play itself. It is fueled by curiosity rather than rigid goals, by the joy of experimenting. To do this, we can awaken our playful lightness – the kind that marvels, tries things out, changes its mind, and ignores conventions. Play opens up spaces that inspire rather than control – in the mind, in everyday life, and within teams. In this context, design becomes a shared playground to create an inviting togetherness.

To design means: playfully experimenting and inventing new worlds.

3 / TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTION

Get started. Experiment. Prototype. Make it visible.

After trust and playful exploration comes the moment when ideas become visible – a return to a maker’s mindset. It has never been easier to turn an idea into a real product: thanks to new technologies, distribution models, and self-confidence. People want to bring their ideas into the world and celebrate success. Creating is about starting where you are - not waiting for perfection but showing what already exists. Testing, learning, improving. Design becomes action in rapid sequences.
To design means: acting concretely and making impactful ideas visible.

4 / CREATING VISIONS THAT ENRICH

Meaning. Impact. Responsibility. Shaping the future.

The decisive step: to elevate the idea beyond itself. Here, creativity gains direction – as a compass for community, quality of life, and the future. Design becomes a tool for empathy, responsibility, and bold ideas. It is about creating impact and feeling that action matters – and that this very feeling fuels the joy of design. Not just solving problems, but daring to envision the extraordinary: Imagining new perspectives, stories, and spaces that do not yet exist – but should. In this way, design becomes a means of influence. It shapes something that inspires people. To be creative today means changing mindsets. An invitation to fill our actions with meaning – and a reminder that innovation can foster hope.

To design means: embracing responsibility for our actions and helping shape the future in meaningful ways.

BE PART OF THE PLAYGROUND

mcbw 2026 is a collective expression of a new mindset and, beyond its annual theme, a place of exchange and collaboration. Every year, leading partners – from agencies to companies like BMW, Steelcase, and more – help shape the program and provide ideas and insights for a future-oriented design culture.
The “Playground of Possibilities” opens its doors to everyone who thinks, works, and lives creatively – from professionals to start-ups, universities, organizations, and visionaries. mcbw offers many opportunities for active participation as a partner, program contributor, or visitor. Interested parties can register now at contact @ mcbw.de.

For especially creative and innovative event ideas, mcbw offers a wildcard opportunity: selected projects will receive free participation in Design Week. Projects from start-ups, young professionals, or students with limited budgets are also regularly considered.

SAVE THE DATE – MCBW DESIGN SUMMIT

Monday, May 4, 2026 at Munich Urban Colab

The all-day conference brings together internationally renowned speakers to explore current trends, visionary impulses, and interdisciplinary design perspectives on the annual theme in talks and panel discussions.

Munich, July 10, 2025

• May 10 to 18, 2025 | 14^th edition of munich creative business week
• Largest design festival in Germany – more than 200 events | 390 speakers | more than 65,000 visitors
• Top-caliber, diverse, and multifaceted – events curated by close to 210 program partners
• Strong presence in public spaces
• Changes in mcbw project management team
• Save the date: mcbw 2026 from May 4 to 10, 2026

mcbw 2025 – Germany's largest design festival in the heart of Munich

For the 14^th time bayern design hosted the largest design event in Germany, munich creative business week (mcbw), this year following the motto How to create a vibrant community. From May 10 to 18, mcbw 2025 comprised a varied and interactive program aimed at design professionals and the public alike. Exhibitions, installations in public spaces, talks, and discussions enabled participants to experience design in all its facets.

With its bandwidth of formats – from scientific to playful interpretations of this year’s motto – mcbw 2025 invited people to engage, discover, discuss, and establish contacts. For nine days, Munich's city center was transformed into a vibrant design festival, offering numerous opportunities for the many participants to come together as a vibrant community.

mcbw 2025 – facts and figures

More than 200 events, close to 210 program partners, 390 speakers, and more than 65,000 visitors – that is the proud record of mcbw 2025. 

New program partners that contributed to making the festival a success with their own events included ABB Robotics, allmannwappner, Deutscher Designtag, Etcorporate, Lab Campus, Politide, Roland Berger, students of the Identity Design master program at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences Department of Design, and World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026. Frontify, Kurz, and Mars have joined BMW Group, Steelcase, and Ströer as new partners and sponsors.

Sold out – mcbw design summit

For the fourth time mcbw presented design summit, an international B2B conference that was extended into a full-day symposium this year. On May 12, the top-caliber panel of six keynote speakers met at Munich Urban Colab to discuss three thematic focal points – shaping togetherness, inspiring empathy, and opening minds. Through brief lectures and moderated discussions, 17 speakers from 10 countries sounded out the annual mcbw motto from diverse perspectives in front of approximately 250 visitors. The focus was on ways for design to contribute to a dynamic, vibrant, and democratic society. The conference concluded on a festive note with a well-attended get-together – a unique opportunity for the roughly 350 invited guests to meet, exchange ideas, network, and celebrate together.

Top-caliber, diverse, and multifaceted – close to 210 program partners curated an exciting lineup

The appeal of mcbw continues to grow with each passing year. This is reflected in the number of visitors and in the quantity and variety of events curated by the program partners to turn mcbw into a unique experience. Deutscher Designtag kicked off the festival with DIVE´25, the first country-wide design conference. Leading minds from the design industry and design-forward companies, marketing and communications discussed the social, ecological, cultural, and economic potential of design with representatives from politics, academia, and the corporate sector. The focus was on interdisciplinary dialog – on stage, backstage, and among the audience. 

At the same time, DDX Conference hosted by Microsoft Germany offered a day full of inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities – all aimed at opening up new perspectives and advancing the industry. DDX'25 was a high-energy conference for innovators, designers, and product leaders shaping the future of UX and digital innovation. Also, the Startup Awards made a comeback to honor emerging talent and forward-looking projects.

Every great party ends in the kitchen. The Interior Design Studio Holzrausch team and the J*GAST design collective took this insight to heart and told their Kitchen Stories on May 16, towards the end of mcbw: an open evening of food, drinks, and live music focused on exchange and ambiance. Four kitchen islands were set up in the showroom for participants to talk about culture, indulgence, craftsmanship, or music, each kitchen with its own theme, tone, and circle of voices featuring Mike Meiré, Oliver Jahn, Ana Relvão, Jan Heinzelmann, Angelika Nollert, Guido Walter, Susan Ann McKenzie, and many guests.

Strong presence in public spaces

Together with its program partners, mcbw presented installations at diverse locations throughout the city center on all nine days. The heart of the festival and its main information point again was mcbw hub, which was installed specifically for the occasion at Rindermarkt square and in the retail area at Ruffinihaus. Visitors were invited to try new things, from ping pong on round tables to a creative workshop. The futuristic metal capsule presented at Königsplatz square by Designblok Prague in cooperation with the Czech Center in Munich proved to be a highlight. Those willing to stand in line with other curious visitors were rewarded with views of spectacular glassworks staged in the interior of the capsule by the Czech Republic's currently best designers in an ensemble of 170 mirrors. 

The event hosted by the Sintesi Labs agency was titled Take a seat: A 23-meter-long table installed on the south lawn of Alte Pinakothek summed up the motto How to design a vibrant community by bringing people into conversation in a playful manner. After mcbw, Kunstareal München took over the interactive installation and will place the table at FLUX at Pinakothek der Moderne. At FÜNF HÖFE, together with the audience Dutch designer Noa Haim and her Studio Collective Paper Aesthetics team created an interactive piece of art from folded carton modules. The installation was implemented in cooperation with LEONHARD KURZ and with generous support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. At Viktualienmarkt, students of the Identity Design master program at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences presented wishing well. By coin toss, hundreds of people confided their most secret wishes for a future worth living in this pop-up container. The money will be donated to the organization Herzenswünsche e.V.

Changes in mcbw project management team

After serving as interim project manager during a two-year parental leave, mcbw project leader Thorsten Buch passed the baton to Lisa Braun this June. Lisa Braun already has begun to develop a concept for mcbw 2026 together with the interdisciplinary bayern design teams in Nuremberg and Munich.

Save the date

The next edition of mcbw will take place from May 4 to 10, 2026. 

Press material

We invite you to share reports and documentation about mcbw 2025 or individual events. You can download the latest images and extensive information on the top themes here. Please notify us if you need more information or are interested in interviewing with the mcbw organization team or one of the many program partners. We will be happy to coordinate schedules.

More information on the mcbw 2026 will be available shortly.