MUST-VISIT INTERIOR DESIGN EVENTS IN THE UK & UAE 2025-26
Keeping up to date with the latest interior design innovation and trends can inspire the transformation of a dated space in an office building or provoke the creation of a new area in an education setting.
Whether you’re a lighting designer looking for inspiration for commercial, residential or entertainment spaces and are looking for tips for transforming guest experience with lighting, or if you’re a lighting design beginner looking to connect with industry professionals, these are the five must-visit interior design events in the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates throughout 2025 and into early 2026 that you cannot miss.
Events in the United Kingdom
Lighting designers located in London, be ready to gear up for a busy second half of 2025 with unmissable interior design events across the city.
London Design Festival
Date: 13th-21st September 2025
London Design Festival celebrates and promotes the English capital as the design capital of the world, and 2025 will host the 23rd edition of the event, showcasing over 400 events and activities. It offers a platform for hundreds of design stories to be told to visitors and interior designers alike, including lighting designers. Supported by a range of partners including the Mayor of London, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the V&A, the festival’s focus is on promoting the creativity of London. It draws in some of England’s greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to deliver a celebration of design that is not to be missed.
London Design Biennale
Date: 5th-29th June 2025
Location: Somerset House
Held earlier than the main design festival, the fifth edition of London Design Biennale, ‘Surface Reflections’, is an international exhibition championing design’s importance in contemporary life and culture. The event invites exchange and collaboration from several worldwide leading figures and institutions and inspires its visitors through a journey of world leading design, innovation and creativity.
#LDF2025
Decorex London
Date: 12th-15th October 2025
Location: Olympia, London
Decorex has been London’s premier event for high-end interior design for over four decades. It connects the most distinguished designers, architects and specifiers with the finest brands in luxury interiors. With a range of partners, including Elle Decoration, British Institute of Interior Design and Dezeen, Decorex hosts premium brands for visitors to immerse themselves in the world of interiors and the latest high-end products. At the 2024 event, Design Talks were held from over 85 speakers within the interior design sphere, with industry professionals offering new tips, insights and perspectives for your next interior design project, perfect for all designers, including lighting designers.
Decorex offers visitors the opportunity to learn, connect and experience interior design with some of the industry’s best.
#Decorex2025
PAD London
Date: 14th-19th October 2025
Location: Berkeley Square, Mayfair
The only UK fair exclusively dedicated to 20th century and contemporary design, PAD London – the sister fair to PAD Paris – showcases London’s vibrant art and design circuits, and the very best in modern and contemporary design, plus historical design, from the world’s leading galleries. The fair has a distinct approach to collecting, so PAD epitomises how artistic genres across time and periods interact to reveal combinations which create individual and striking interiors, like combining retro and vintage influences to design a modern space.
#PADLondon
LiGHT25 London
Date: 19th-20th November 2025
Location: Business Design Centre, Islington
An unmissable event for lighting designers, LiGHT25 is the UK’s only trade show dedicated to showcasing high-end lighting specifications. More than 150 high-end lighting brands exhibited their latest work and collections at the 2024 edition, and the 2025 event will host the 5,500 design professionals who attended last year, and more. With lighting exhibitions ranging from exhibition graphics to LED lighting and vintage light fixtures, LiGHT25 has something for all lighting designers, regardless of your next project. The event also boasts LiGHT WORK, a dedicated co-working and networking space, so you can keep on top of business deadlines whilst attending the event, as well as a selection of specialised talks from industry professionals to inspire your next lighting project.
#LiGHT25
Events in the United Arab Emirates
If you’re based in the United Arab Emirates, there are a selection of interior design events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that you cannot miss at the end of 2025 and into early 2026.
Dubai Design Week
Date: 4th – 9th November 2025
Location: Dubai Design District (d3)
Reflecting Dubai’s position as the design capital of the Middle East, Dubai Design Week boasts a varied programme of installations, new commissions, exhibitions, talks, workshops and a marketplace. The 2025 event will be the 11th edition of the event, amplifying talent from the region to present the possibilities of what can be achieved through design, from lighting to interior fixtures and other aspects of contemporary design.
Downtown Design
Date: 6th – 9th November 2025
Location: Waterfront Terrace (d3)
The anchor event of Dubai Design Week, Downtown Design lies at the centre of design in the Middle East and brings together both established and emerging names of the international design scene. The event features dedicated sections for the latest collections and innovative solutions from around the world, alongside limited edition and bespoke works by studios and independent designers.
The Middle East’s fair for limited edition art and design, Editions, runs alongside Downtown Design after making its debut in 2024, and showcases a diverse collection of works from regional and international galleries, design studios and collectives.
Perfect for interior designers and lighting designers alike, whether you’re looking for specific fixtures or bespoke lighting solutions, Dubai Design Week hosts a selection of emerging trends for your next project.
#DXBDW25
Light + Intelligent Building Middle East
Date: 12th – 14th January 2026
Location: Dubai World Trade Centre
Light + Intelligent Building Middle East is the leading event for lighting and building technology, with the 18th edition in 2025 featuring over 442 global exhibitors and transformative conferences including the THINKLIGHT Conference, Smart Building Summit and InSpotLight.
The event unites industry leaders, innovators and government bodies from across the globe to explore the future of lighting and smart building technologies, connect with other key decision makers and experience the groundbreaking innovations shaping the interior design and lighting industry.
#lightbuildingme
Bespoke Lighting Solutions from No Grey Area
At No Grey Area, we can support your interior design project with our range of bespoke lighting solutions and installation services. From stretch ceilings to LED strip lighting, we can work together to solve your project’s needs.
