Helsinki Design Week turns 20: Anni Korkman’s picks for the festival week
Founded in 2005, Helsinki Design Week is the largest design festival in the Nordics.
Hi Anni, and congratulations to Helsinki Design Week on its 20th anniversary! What moments or milestones from recent years stand out to you the most?
“Hi, and thank you! This is also my personal 20th year on the festival team. Two decades hold so many memories, and every year has its own highlights. Each festival also gives me energy and inspiration for planning the years to come.
What comes to mind first are the openings of our main venues. At the beginning of the year, we’re searching for spaces, trying to see their potential, making alternative plans – and then in September, entire blocks and buildings reveal themselves in a completely new light for a week.
My personal favorites are the neo-Renaissance building Erottaja2 in 2019, Kanavaranta 1 (Alvar Aalto’s “Sugar Cube”) in 2022, and Paasivuorenkatu 3 in Hakaniemi in 2024. All very different spaces with different kinds of programs, but we managed to bring a sense of HDW spirit into each of them.”
Anni Korkman works as the Program Director of HDW. Image: Heli Blåfield
The theme for 2025 is aptly Celebration. What other overarching themes are present this year, and are there any completely new initiatives in the program?
“The theme of Celebration felt especially fitting to mark our 20-year journey. We see celebrations as opportunities to be consciously and fully present in the moment. They allow us to look back and learn while also directing our hopes toward the future. In times of crisis, celebrations are deliberate pauses and choices, not merely reactions to the changes around us.
“We see celebrations as opportunities to be consciously and fully present in the moment.”
This idea also resonates with the theme of our main exhibition, Happiness. The exhibition explores the countless dimensions of happiness through the lens of design, both at the main show at Suomitalo and in a symposium.
The Happiness – Can it be designed? concept is based on a scientifically studied blend that researchers call the “happiness cocktail.” It consists of four hormones, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, that together regulate how the brain and nervous system respond to different stimuli. These hormones are activated by light, music, exercise, nature, smiles, and laughter, as well as certain foods like sugar. Just as much, their production increases through communal rituals, altruistic acts, and kindness.”
The ten-day celebrations at Suomitalo feature, among other things, the main exhibition titled Happiness. Image: HDW
What do you imagine Helsinki Design Week will be like 20 years from now?
“I hope that in twenty years’ time, when the festival turns forty, HDW will still present the design fields in an open-minded and multifaceted way, avoiding unnecessary boundaries. The concepts of design are constantly evolving, but I wish for HDW to continue finding ways to address news, novelties, and phenomena with expertise and inclusivity – always with curiosity and from many different perspectives.
“In the future, I hope we will also succeed in showcasing more and more intangible design.”
The future will no doubt bring new demands for experience design, and traditional spatial exhibition formats will surely be challenged. I hope we will also succeed in showcasing more and more intangible design: digital innovations, services, user experiences, and processes, while still embracing beauty, encounters, and memorable experiences.”
Could you share your top picks from this year’s program?
“If you only have time for one thing: the main venue at Suomitalo is the place to be every day throughout the festival. In addition to the Happiness exhibition, the building will host a series of installations, daily talks, Reaktor’s open workshop space, the charming HDW Wine Bar, and Kuurna’s pop-up restaurant, where designer Lauri Johansson has created a truly beautiful setting. Contemporary art for the bar and restaurant has been curated by WWW Contemporary.
Suomitalo is open daily from September 5–14, 2025. Lönnrotinkatu 5, Helsinki
Suomitalo also hosts Kuurna’s pop-up restaurant, furnished in collaboration with Finnish Design Shop. The tableware comes from HAY’s new La Pittura collection. Image: HAY
“As for the evenings: this year we decided to host the PechaKucha Night in the Old Church, located right across the street from Suomitalo. Expect inspiring speakers, each presenting 20 images that are shown for 20 seconds each, six minutes and forty seconds of insights, none of which I know about in advance! This year’s PechaKucha lineup includes Irene Suosalo, Sanna Mander, Marko Ahtisaari, Ari Heinilä, and Björk Hijoort.”
PechaKucha Night, September 12, 7–9 pm
The hugely popular PechaKucha Night takes place next door to the main venue, in the Old Church. Image: Aleksi Poutanen
“The culture of the night is an important part of city life! Once again, Helsinki Design Night will close the design week with a big party open to everyone. The event also highlights the role of nightlife in urban planning. I’ve noticed that ideas conceived at night often turn out freer and wilder compared to those developed in daylight. This year, HDN will take place in the attic floor of Suomitalo, in collaboration with Moomin Arabia and 417 World. Expect an exciting lineup of Finnish artists, fresh perspectives, and delightful drinks served in Moomin mugs.”
Helsinki Design Night, September 13, 10 pm–2 am
Helsinki Design Night, organized together with Moomin Arabia, crowns the festival week. Image: Aleksi Poutanen
Producing Helsinki Design Week must be a huge effort for your team. What does the rest of your year look like after HDW?
“It really is! After the festival, our whole team always takes a proper autumn break, and I actually think October is a wonderful and calming time for a vacation. We’ve recently moved, and I hope my partner and I will find the time to decorate our new home and finally put some artwork on the walls.
But soon after, the planning for next year’s projects begins: choosing the main venue for the 2026 Helsinki Design Week and announcing the curator of the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale. I also host the Helsinki Design Weekly radio show on Radio Helsinki, which runs all year round.”
Helsinki Design Week will take place from September 5–14, 2025. The program features over 100 other design-related events. Finnish Design Shop is a program partner of Helsinki Design Week.
Edit: Mikko Vaija
Published on 3 Sep, 2025
