Lake Como Design Festival announces its eighth edition, taking place from September 12 to 20, 2026. Confine (Border) is the central theme of this new appointment. A boundary not only as a line that divides territories, ideas, states of mind, or levels of consciousness, but also as a point of encounter—a space that defines while connecting. It is a zone of tension and transformation, of contact and exchange. To reflect on this theme today is not only to question where “the other” ends, but to rediscover ourselves — to understand who we are and the direction we wish to take. Nine days of exhibitions, installations, and talks will unfold across a network of venues, offering multiple perspectives on the concept of the boundary. Stay tuned!
program
Villa del Grumello
Future in the Past
A new exhibition experience that invites us to view the past not as something to be preserved unchanged, but as a creative material to be reinterpreted.
villa del grumello park
In Nature
An exhibition of words and images, born from a journey by journalist Paola Manfredi together with photographer Selene Magnolia Gatti.
Serra del Grumello
Serra del Grumello
Serra del Grumello hosts a series of talks exploring the theme of the festival's eighth edition from a range of different perspectives.
Villa saporiti
Contemporary Design Selection
Lake Como Design Festival renews its appointment with a selection of contemporary design curated by Giovanna Massoni.
Archivio Design Ico Parisi
ICO PARISI AND GIULIANO COLLINA: SHARED ART
A group exhibition opens the doors of the Ico Parisi Design Archive, celebrating the artistic collaboration between Ico Parisi and Giuliano Collina.
Borgovico 33
Fine Comune
In the former Church of Santa Caterina, an installation exploring the ideas of boundaries and sharing, conceived as a transitional space that transforms into a temporary place of encounter.
Cloister of Saint Abbondio
Alberto Granata
In their vivid and unpretentious antiquity, Granata's figures seem to speak to us of history, centuries-old civilization, and pathos. Curated by Eugenio Bitetti.
Accademia di Como Aldo Galli
AFTER EVIDENCE
An exhibition project set within the spaces of the Aldo Galli Academy of Fine Arts in Como, emerging from a dialogue between IED and LABANOF–MUSA as part of a research initiative exploring archives and the relationship between music and image.
Conservatorio di Como
Atto Puro
An evocative setting for a unique sound installation in the organ hall of the Como Conservatory.
Lectures
Rationalist Como
For this eighth edition, the festival once again offers a series of lessons led by architects, introducing to the masterpieces of Como’s Rationalist architecture.
Francesca Brambilla Comunicazione
Beyond Seeing
Through innovative devices and audio-tactile paths, the project turns what is normally perceived through sight alone into an inclusive multi-sensory experience.
Politecnico di Milano - Polo di Lecco
ALPINE LANDSCAPES
The installation highlights the themes and objectives of the PAESALP project. This initiative aims to enhance the cultural, landscape, and material heritage of the Alps.
Politecnico di Milano - Polo di Lecco
UNSTABLE BORDERS
Developed as part of the AMALPI MORE research project, a series of narrative devices designed to engage the public with the topic of landslides and land fragility.
Politecnico di Milano - Polo di Lecco
The Eternal Feminine
A metahistorical reflection on the meaning of the Feminine that opens up spaces for thought and creation, restoring the complexity and plurality of its meanings, between memory and contemporaneity.