Clerkenwell Design Week is a free three-day design festival held each May in Clerkenwell, on the northern edge of the City of London. Its main purpose is trade, a showcase of furniture, lighting and interiors for architects and designers, but anyone can register for a free badge, and the badge gets you into historic buildings that are normally locked or open only on a paid tour.
The festival runs from Tuesday to Thursday, not over a weekend, and the 2027 edition is set for 25 to 27 May (checked November 2026). More than 450 brands take part, in the design showrooms that line the streets of EC1 and in a set of temporary exhibitions placed in old churches, a Victorian prison, a Tudor almshouse and a medieval gatehouse. Our guide to Clerkenwell explains the district itself; this page is about the festival week, what you can get into, and what you need to do first.
Clerkenwell Design Week at a glance
- Next dates
- Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 May 2027 (organiser's site, checked November 2026). 2026 was 19 to 21 May
- Cost
- Free
- Registration
- Required: a free visitor badge for the exhibition venues and showroom events. Local residents can show ID or proof of address instead
- Badge collection
- At Farringdon station on arrival, with a showroom map
- Size
- 450+ brands; 2025 had 16+ venues and 160+ showrooms
- Opening hours
- Vary by venue and showroom; check each listing
- Nearest stations
- Farringdon (Elizabeth line, Thameslink, Underground), Barbican, Angel
A trade show that behaves like an open-house week
The organisers describe it as the UK's leading trade event for commercial interiors, and that is accurate. Most of the people walking round with lanyards are architects, interior designers and the people who buy furniture and fittings for offices, hotels and restaurants. The products on show are mainly for commercial buildings: contract furniture, lighting, bathrooms, acoustic panels, surfaces, door handles.
For a visitor who is not in the trade, the interest is elsewhere. The organisers say Clerkenwell has more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else, and for three days the district opens up. Showrooms that are normally appointment-only put on talks, drinks and launches. Old buildings that are private, or open only on a guided tour, become free exhibition halls. And the public squares fill with temporary pavilions and installations. It is closer in spirit to the Open House Festival in September than to a conventional exhibition in a hall.
It is not the same event as London Design Festival, which is held in September across the whole city and run by a different organisation. Our page on London Design Festival sets out the difference and the September programme.
The buildings it lets you into
The exhibition venues change a little each year, and the organisers publish the list in the spring. The 2026 list shows the pattern: most venues were historic buildings that are private, or partly closed, the rest of the year. St Bartholomew the Great is the exception: it is free to visit on any ordinary day, and the festival simply fills it with furniture.
| Venue (2026) | What it is | Access on an ordinary day |
|---|---|---|
| House of Detention, Sans Walk | The underground vaults of a Victorian prison; in 2026 the lighting exhibition | Not open as a regular attraction |
| The Order of St John, St John's Square, and its crypt | The Priory of the Knights of St John; the crypt dates back to the twelfth century | Museum free; the crypt only on a paid guided tour |
| The Charterhouse, Charterhouse Square | Fourteenth-century monastery, then a Tudor mansion and almshouse | Chapel and museum free; historic rooms by paid tour |
| St Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield | A Grade I listed church of about 900 years | Free to visit outside services |
| St James's Church, Clerkenwell Close | Georgian parish church; the British Collection in 2026 | A working parish church |
| The Old Sessions House, Clerkenwell Green | The former Middlesex courthouse | Private events venue |
| Haberdashers' Hall, West Smithfield | A livery company hall; The Luxury Edit in 2026 | Private |
Other 2026 exhibitions were in pavilions on Clerkenwell Green and St John's Square, at Goldsmiths' on Britton Street, and at studio buildings on Sekforde Street and Saffron Hill. Earlier editions used other buildings, so treat any list, including this one, as a guide to the pattern rather than a promise. The ordinary-day access in the table is from our own pages on the Museum of the Order of St John, the Charterhouse and St Bartholomew the Great, where the normal visiting arrangements are set out in full.
The crypt of St John is free this week. On an ordinary day the Norman crypt under the Priory Church is seen only on a paid guided tour. During the festival it hosted an exhibition in 2026, open to anyone with the free badge. If you have only an hour, this and the House of Detention are the two rarest spaces on the map.
How registration works
Tickets are free, but the organisers say that all visitors need a visitor badge to enter the exhibition venues and showroom events. You register online in advance, then collect the badge, with a printed showroom map, at Farringdon station when you arrive. An app carries the interactive map.
The festival is aimed at the trade, but the visiting page does not limit registration to professionals: it says simply that tickets are free and every visitor needs a badge. The organisers also invite local residents to come without registering at all: they get fast-track entry by showing ID or proof of address at a venue.
Registration for each year usually opens in the spring. In November 2026 the site already gave the 2027 dates, but the registration link still pointed at the 2026 form, so wait until it is updated before you sign up.
What you can see without a badge
A good part of the festival happens in public space. Artworks and installations in the squares, such as the brick sculpture by Alex Chinneck commissioned for Charterhouse Square in 2025, can be seen from the street, and that one stayed on display for several weeks after the festival. The streets themselves, with showrooms open late and crowds outside the pubs, are free to walk.
The organisers' rule, however, covers exhibition venues and showroom events, and the outdoor exhibitions in pavilions on Clerkenwell Green and St John's Square are venues in their own right. Assume you need the badge for anything with a door or a canopy and a steward. Registration takes a few minutes and costs nothing, so there is little reason to come without one.
Two of the oldest venues are the hardest to get round in a wheelchair. For 2026 the organisers warned that St James's Church had no disabled access and that the crypt of the Order of St John had only limited access, because parts of it date back to the twelfth century. Check the venue notes on the visiting page before planning a route.
A walking route through the festival
The festival area is compact. From Farringdon station, everything is within about fifteen minutes on foot, and the district falls into three parts.
- The south, around Smithfield. Start at St Bartholomew the Great and the halls of West Smithfield, then walk up through Charterhouse Square to the Charterhouse. The area around Smithfield Market and the new London Museum is changing fast, with the London Museum moving into the old market buildings.
- The centre, around St John's Square. St John's Gate, the Priory Church and its crypt, the pavilions on the square, and the showrooms of St John Street and Britton Street.
- The north, around Clerkenwell Green. The House of Detention, the Old Sessions House, St James's Church and the showrooms beyond.
Allow half a day for a good selection, or a full day if you want to go into showrooms as well as venues. Many showrooms are in converted warehouses and printing works, and the buildings are often as interesting as what is inside them.
Eating, drinking and staying during the week
The week is busy, and the area's pubs and restaurants fill up from early evening. Our guides to the Jerusalem Tavern and the pubs of Clerkenwell and to Exmouth Market cover where to go; the market's cafés and street food are the easiest option at lunchtime. The organisers also mention discounts at a number of local bars and restaurants during the week.
Hotels are the bigger problem. The festival fills every room in the area, and Clerkenwell is at its most expensive of the year relative to its usual rates. Our page on staying in Clerkenwell and Farringdon explains the options; if your dates are fixed, book early, or stay one or two stops away on the Elizabeth line or Thameslink and travel in.
Getting there
Farringdon is the station to use, because it is where you collect your badge. It is served by the Elizabeth line, Thameslink and the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, so it is a direct journey from Heathrow, Paddington, Liverpool Street, St Pancras and Gatwick. Barbican is a few minutes' walk from the Charterhouse, and Angel is the closest station to the northern end of the district. Our guide to the Elizabeth line explains how the new line works for visitors.
Because the festival is midweek, the evenings are the busiest time, when showrooms hold drinks and launches for the trade. Our guide to London in May lists the month's other events, which can fill a long weekend either side.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clerkenwell Design Week free?
Yes. Tickets are free, but you need a free visitor badge to enter the exhibition venues and showroom events. Register online in advance and collect the badge at Farringdon station. Local residents can show ID or proof of address instead of registering.
When is Clerkenwell Design Week 2027?
The organisers give the dates as Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 May 2027 (checked November 2026). The festival is held over three weekdays in late May each year, not at the weekend; the 2026 edition was from 19 to 21 May.
Can the public attend Clerkenwell Design Week, or is it trade only?
The public can attend. It is primarily a trade event for architects, designers and buyers of commercial interiors, and the registration form reflects that, but anyone can register for a free badge, and residents are invited to come along.
What is the difference between Clerkenwell Design Week and London Design Festival?
Clerkenwell Design Week is three days in May, concentrated in Clerkenwell and focused on commercial interiors. London Design Festival is held in September across the whole city, with a much wider public programme. They are run by different organisations.
Which buildings can you visit during Clerkenwell Design Week?
The list changes each year. In 2026 the venues included the House of Detention, the Order of St John and its crypt, the Charterhouse, St Bartholomew the Great, St James's Church, the Old Sessions House and Haberdashers' Hall. The organisers publish the current list in the spring.
Sources
- Clerkenwell Design Week - home page (2027 dates) (checked November 2026)
- Clerkenwell Design Week - Visiting information (checked November 2026)
- Clerkenwell Design Week - Exhibition venues (checked November 2026)
- Clerkenwell Design Week - Information for Clerkenwell residents (checked November 2026)
- Clerkenwell Design Week - 2025 expansion and the Alex Chinneck installation (checked November 2026)