Dezeen Magazine

Design Shanghai postponed 2022

Design Shanghai postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak in China

Trade fair Design Shanghai has rescheduled this year's event as the city is in lockdown following a coronavirus outbreak. The show will now take place from 13 to 15 October.

Originally slated to take place from 9 to 12 June, the design fair has been moved to the autumn as China continues to feel the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with Shanghai currently under lockdown.

Postponement due to "challenges and restrictions" in Shanghai

The decision to postpone the show was made "in response to the latest government advice and challenges and restrictions to events in Shanghai during the current outbreak of Covid 19", the organisation said.

"This decision is based on advice and information from government and local authorities in China and in consultation with the show's partners, venue and team in China and internationally."

The October show will take place in the same venue as it would have in June, the Shanghai World Expo & Convention Centre. Details and updates to the programme along with associated digital initiatives will shortly be released.

Ongoing lockdown in China continues to affect design industry

Shanghai, China's biggest city, has been in lockdown since 28 March. Other cities, including Shenzhen, are also under lockdown as the omicron Covid-19 variant has spread across much of China.

The lockdown has had an impact on architects and designers in the country, with projects being put on hold and businesses closing or switching to remote working.

Restrictions in Shanghai are more severe than during the previous wave of the pandemic, according to Rossana Hu, co-founder of architect studio Neri & Hu.

"In Shanghai, it's the worst it's been, as many communities are under lockdown," she told Dezeen in March.

Design Shanghai is the latest in a long line of trade fairs to postpone their 2022 editions due to a Covid-19 resurgence. Salone del Mobile, the world's largest and most important furniture fair, moved from April to June due to safety concerns over the pandemic.

Sweden's Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair was initially postponed from February until September and has now been postponed until February 2023.

Design Shanghai will now run from 13 to 15 October 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.