Jerusalem Design Week Returns in July 2026 with Sports-Themed Program
Jerusalem Design Week will return for a large-scale edition from July 9 to 16, 2026, at Hansen House and across Jerusalem. Founded in 2011, it has become a major public cultural event in Israel for original design work, international collaborations, and new, experimental projects. The event will feature more than 100 participants and will be open to the public free of charge.
This year’s theme, “Triumphal Gate,” explores the meeting point between sport and design, and how ideas such as victory, competition, and belonging are translated into visual and cultural language. Against the backdrop of major international sporting events in summer 2026, the program treats sport as a social, political, and emotional space shaped by team colors, symbols, flags, sports fashion, and stadiums.
Among the projects are “I Came to Cheer,” with works by Alon Rotman, Oz Moualem, and Neta Dror; “Hall of Fame,” focused on victory and achievement with works by Bina Beitel, Eden Kichler, and others; “The Match,” curated by Roni Yekhezkel, which will offer games and interactive installations; and “The Matchmaker,” led artistically by Itai Yaakov, connecting Jerusalem designers with football fans through fashion, photography, and fan culture. Other projects include “Sparta,” about sport, power, and discipline, “Control Room,” on measurement, surveillance, and technology in sports, and a special poster project by Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, the Maccabiah, and Ben-Gurion University.
The week will also include screenings, performances, talks, and music curated by Yuval Mendlson. Visitors who stay overnight in Jerusalem during the event will receive a VIP wristband with free shuttle service between hotels, Hansen House, and the Jerusalem Cinematheque, plus selected perks, queue-free entry to events, and discounts at the sports bar at Hansen House and other city venues. Ran Wolf, the festival’s director, said the theme is intended to use sports language to examine “power, hope, identity, competition, solidarity and the human cost of the desire to win.”
