The 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival celebrates Canberra as a creative capital and a global city of design and showcases the work of over 500 creatives, connecting them with the Canberra community. 

The 2026 Festival responds to the theme of ‘Dissent’ and advocates for creativity as a powerful tool for questioning, challenging and reshaping societal norms. Through alternative perspectives and boundary-pushing design, the Festival fosters critical dialogue, collaboration and cross-disciplinary practices. It honours Canberra’s rich cultural assets while positioning the city at the forefront of global design discourse, inspiring a collective movement toward a more equitable and inspired future. 

The program explores design for environmental and social impact, sustainability and accessibility in creative practice, and the future of Canberra as a city. Woven through the program is the value of the handmade and the locally made, which builds skill and wellbeing, keeps material knowledge moving between generations, and has proven environmental sustainability. 

Across ten days, more than 120 activations bring Dissent to Canberra:  symposiums, events, talks, tours, workshops, open studios, design markets, and performance in fashion, dance and theatre. Across November, exhibitions and public art carry the theme into the galleries and public spaces of the city.