Top Design Events in 2026

Discover the most important design and UX events of 2026 in this curated guide prepared by the design team at Pony Studio. From global UX conferences and product design summits to digital, graphic, and service design festivals, this list highlights the must-attend gatherings for product designers, UX researchers, creative directors, and design leaders. Use it to plan a year of high-impact learning, networking, and inspiration across user experience, interface design, design systems, AI-powered UX, and brand-led digital product design.

Here’s the same list in chronological order, with your original copy preserved:

prompt:UX Conference

21–22 January 2026

Berlin, Germany

prompt:UX is Europe’s flagship event at the intersection of AI and UX, focusing on how designers craft experiences around generative models and intelligent systems. Talks and sessions emphasise concrete use cases, emerging patterns for AI products, and the evolving skill set of UX teams working in AI-first environments.

SmashingConf (Amsterdam)

13–16 April 2026

Amsterdam, Netherlands

SmashingConf events are known for their highly practical, live-coded, no-fluff format across UX, front-end, and digital product design. Designers and developers attend to sharpen skills in interface design, accessibility, performance, and design systems, with an emphasis on real-world workflows rather than abstract theory.

ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2026)

13–17 April 2026

Barcelona, Spain

CHI is the premier international conference for human–computer interaction, where researchers and practitioners explore the future of interfaces, interaction models, and user experience. For teams pushing into advanced UX, AI interaction, and experimental product design, CHI sets the research frontier that filters into mainstream tools and patterns.

UXLX: User Experience Lisbon

12–15 May 2026

Lisbon, Portugal

UXLX is a destination conference for UX practitioners who want deep-dive learning plus a strong community experience. The program mixes full-day workshops with keynotes from leading UX thinkers, covering research, information architecture, interaction design, and product strategy in one intensive week on the Lisbon waterfront.

UX London

2–4 June 2026

London, UK

UX London blends insightful talks, practical workshops, and curated networking for UX, product, and service designers. The 2026 edition will continue its focus on end-to-end digital experiences, covering research, strategy, content, and interaction design in a format that balances inspiration with tangible methods to take back to teams.

UXPA International 2026

22–26 June 2026

Las Vegas, USA & Hybrid

Organised by the User Experience Professionals Association, UXPA International gathers researchers, designers, and product leaders from around the world. Sessions focus on mature UX practice: rigorous research, metrics, organisational impact, and careers, making it a key stop for senior practitioners building and leading UX functions.

Figma Config

23–25 June 2026

San Francisco, USA & Virtual

Figma Config is the flagship gathering for the product design ecosystem, bringing together designers, developers, and product teams around workflows, collaboration, and design systems. Expect big product announcements, hands-on sessions, and case studies from leading digital brands on how they scale design across entire organisations.

UX Australia

27–28 August 2026

Sydney, Australia

UX Australia is the leading UX and product design conference in the APAC region, known for inclusive, practitioner-driven content. The 2026 program will cover research, service design, accessibility, and product strategy, giving teams practical tools for improving experiences at scale across complex organisations.

SmashingConf

7–10 September 2026

Freiburg, Germany & Virtual

SmashingConf events are known for their highly practical, live-coded, no-fluff format across UX, front-end, and digital product design. Designers and developers attend to sharpen skills in interface design, accessibility, performance, and design systems, with an emphasis on real-world workflows rather than abstract theory.

Future Product Days

22–24 September 2026

Copenhagen, Denmark

Future Product Days is a European roadshow-style event spotlighting forward-thinking product, UX, and digital innovation teams. With a strong focus on experimentation, AI-enabled workflows, and outcome-driven product design, it attracts design and product leaders looking to reshape how their organisations discover, build, and launch new experiences.

London Design Festival

September 2026 (dates TBC)

London, UK

London Design Festival transforms the city into a multi-venue celebration of industrial, graphic, digital, and experiential design. Alongside landmark installations and exhibitions, it hosts talks, studio events, and brand activations, making it a powerful stage for design-led businesses and creative teams to connect and be seen.