From 1 to 8 November 2026, Thessaloniki becomes the setting for DNA Thessaloniki / Design. Narratives. Artifacts, a new initiative that seeks to bring design where it truly belongs: into the city and the everyday lives of its people.
The inaugural Design Dialogue Days begin with a simple idea: to look at the city and the world around us with fresh eyes. To reconsider the objects we use every day, perhaps without ever wondering who designed them, why they take the forms they do, what needs they serve, and how their design ultimately shapes the way we live.
Held under the auspices of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Design Dialogue Days #1 reaffirm the ambition of DNA Thessaloniki to establish itself, from its very first initiative, as an open platform that engages and activates the city as a whole.
The City Becomes the Museum!
At the heart of the initiative is Aristotelous Square, where an unexpected pop-up design museum will take shape on 1 November. Open to everyone, this temporary space offers the public its first encounter with DNA Thessaloniki.
The pop-up museum unfolds across three themed containers, each offering a different perspective on the world of design. The first invites visitors to rediscover familiar everyday objects through a fresh lens. In the second, objects emerge from the cinematic, red-hued universe of Pedro Almodóvar, while the third showcases iconic designs that have left their mark on design history.
Free and open to all, the installation can be explored with the help of volunteers, offering the starting point for a different kind of walk through the city’s historic centre.
Because the museum doesn’t end at the square. From there, a design trail unfolds across the city, with 30 selected shop windows transformed into intimate storytelling spaces. Everyday objects take on new meaning as visitors discover the stories behind their design, the people who created them and the needs they were intended to meet. What once seemed familiar is suddenly seen in a different light.
The initiative also extends to the premises of Minas Kosmidis Architects, where another small pop-up installation brings designer fabrics into dialogue with design objects, creating yet another unexpected encounter with the many facets of design.
Where Design, Culture and Creativity Meet
The inaugural Design Dialogue Days #1 seek to open up a dialogue between design, art, architecture, commerce, culture and the everyday life of Thessaloniki.
As part of this broader vision, the initiative connects with the city’s wider cultural programme, with the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography and Contemporary Art Organisation (MOMUS) and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival joining as Cultural Partners.
The ambition of the DNA Thessaloniki team is for design to engage with every creative force in the city and, above all, with the people who bring it to life.
And What Better Way to Begin Than with a Celebration?
On 1 November, Aristotelous Square sets the initiative in motion with a large-scale party featuring a DJ set curated by Street Outdoors, marking the beginning of a week filled with design, walks, discoveries and encounters across the city.
A week in which Thessaloniki is invited not simply to visit an exhibition, but to walk, observe, discover and take part.
From a Small Idea to a Greater Vision
DNA Thessaloniki began with a group of people who believe that the city has all the qualities needed to become a significant meeting point for the creative community of Southeastern Europe.
Their goal is to establish Greece’s first design museum in Thessaloniki and, by 2030, to see the city emerge as a design hub for the Balkans.
The vision extends beyond a dedicated space for design to embrace the city itself as a living platform for exchange: a place where designers, creatives, residents, children, university students, visitors and businesses can come together, share ideas and explore how design can make everyday life more functional, beautiful and engaging.
Design Dialogue Days #1 mark the first step.
A step that begins on a modest scale, but aspires to grow alongside the city.
And that can happen only if Thessaloniki itself becomes part of the story.
Thanks to the supporters who embraced the initiative from its earliest stages, Design Dialogue Days #1 welcome everyone, with all events and activities free of charge.
Because DNA Thessaloniki does not seek to create yet another space for the city simply to visit. It wants to create something that belongs to the city.
And perhaps, on our next walk through Thessaloniki, an object we pass every day will make us pause for a moment and see it differently.
Because design is everywhere. We simply have to learn to see it.
Design Dialogue Days #1
1–8 November 2026 | Thessaloniki
Pop-up Design Museum at Aristotelous Square and a design trail through the historic city centre.
All events and activities are free and open to the public.
Design is everywhere.
And Thessaloniki is ready to discover it.
DNA Thessaloniki / Design. Narratives. Artifacts
