With Copenhagen's annual 3 Days of Design festival just over a week away, we've rounded up 13 must-see events and exhibitions both on and off the official schedule.

The 2026 edition of 3 Days of Design will take place across eight Copenhagen districts, ranging from the central Kongens Nytorv to the hip harbour area of Nordhavn, from June 10 to 12.

Among the projects responding to this year's theme, Make This Moment Matter, are an installation of designs all made using a sewing machine, a collaboration with an award-winning Barcelona studio, and an exhibition that explores the pleasures of bathing.

Ahead of Denmark's biggest design event, we have rounded up 13 things not to be missed during 3 Days of Design, including independent exhibitions not showing as part of the official program:

Vipp x Mesura

Danish homeware brand Vipp has teamed up with Barcelona-based studio Mesura for this year's 3 Days of Design. Mesura, which won the Dezeen Award for best interior in 2024, will take over Vipp's garage and courtyard space in Copenhagen.

Here, it's set to create an installation that will be a "playful take on the Vipp guesthouse inspired by Danish Midsommar" and was inspired by picnics and playgrounds.

Inside, visitors will see bespoke versions of Vipp's designs, as well as a limited-edition Vipp x Mesura Swivel chair.

Snorresgade 22, 2300 Copenhagen 

Japanmade Vol. 1

In a year when it feels like much of the world either already is travelling or wants to travel to Japan, multiple Japanese designers are bringing their work to Copenhagen, underlining the growing interest in east Asian design.

One of the many exhibitions that focuses on Japanese design is Japanmade Vol.1, which was organised by Copenhagen-based OEO Studio and Japan-based writer Jens H Jensen.

The exhibition will take place outside of the official 3 Days of Design schedule but during the same dates, and show lighting, furniture and accessories by Japanese brands including New Light Pottery, MAS, Naowashi, Sekisaka and Sheep.

Dampfærgevej 2, 2100, Copenhagen 

Material Matters

British design think tank Material Matters, which made its international debut at 3 Days of Design last year, returns to Ukraine House at Gammel Dok, where it will show works by 19 exhibitors, all with a focus on materials.

Among the brands and studios taking part are The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), Bundle Studio, PriestmanGoode and ReCraft Studio.

"This year, we have drawn together makers, manufacturers and researchers from Hong Kong to Slovakia, from the UK to Ukraine," Material Matters co-founders Grant Gibson and William Knight said.

Ukraine House, Gammel Dok, Strandgade 27B, 1401 Copenhagen

Sell Out

One of the most innovative show ideas at this year's design festival, Sell Out is curated by Bruno Pauli Caldas, Frederik Buchmann, Guillaume Gindrat and Massimo Scheidegger and will be staged inside a vending machine at a Copenhagen kiosk.

Twenty-six designers have created objects to be sold from the machine – including candles, cigarette holders and pencil cases – with all profits going straight to the creators. The exhibition will be held outside the official 3 Days of Design schedule.

"By allowing participants to circulate and sell their work directly, Sell Out challenges established hierarchies within the design and creative industries," the curators explained.

Maria's Kiosk, Holbergsgade 9, 1054 Copenhagen

Ukurant Makes Room

An annual favourite, exhibition platform Ukurant will return after a year's absence with Ukurant Makes Room, a show set in former factory Fabrikken.

The organisers have gathered 26 emerging designers from around the world for an exhibition that focuses on the process of making and will give people a chance to discover up-and-coming talents.

The works will be shown on large paper podiums in the Fabrikken venue to minimise the use of new materials, in a show curated by Ukurant founders Kasper Kyster, Josefine Krabbe, Kamma Rosa Schytte and Lærke Ryom.

Sundholmsvej 46, 2300 Copenhagen

Fredericia: A Chronicle of Danish Design

While this exhibition about Danish design first premiered at Milan design week, it seems almost more fitting to see it in Copenhagen.

Put on by furniture brand Fredericia, it looks at a century of furniture-making in the country and will show works by selected designers, including Børge Mogensen, Nanna Ditzel, Mogens Koch, Cecilie Manz and Barber Osgerby.

Fredericia: A Chronicle of Danish Design will show both archive materials and contemporary designs at the brand's central Copenhagen showroom.

Løvstræde 1, 1152 Copenhagen

Vaerktøj

It's all about the process at Vaerktøj – tool in Danish – a recurring exhibition that showcases pieces by different designers, all made using the same tool. Now in its third year, the exhibition was established in 2024 by designer Trampedach together with Frederik Gustav, Kasper Salto and Michael Antrobus.

While last year it was a hydraulic press that took centre stage, this year the focus is on the sewing machine.

The designers taking part range from up-and-comers to established names, including Erwan Bouroullec, Frederik Gustav, Foster + Partners Industrial Design, Jonas Trampedach, Lærke Ryom, Pearson Lloyd and Sia Hurtigkarl.

Gothersgade 30, 1123 Copenhagen 

Beginnings & Endings by Tarkett

Flooring brand Tarkett has brought together a quartet of buzzy designers for its Beginnings & Endings exhibition, which will be curated by design consultancy Tilt and focuses on circular design and material choices.

British-Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori, making his debut at 3 Days of Design, is set to take over a whole room using carpet.

Danish-Singaporean design duo Christian + Jade, meanwhile, will create designs using linoleum flooring, and Austrian designer Laurids Gallée will work with homogeneous vinyl flooring.

Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Gothersgade 49, 1123 Copenhagen 

The Carpark by Tom Dixon 

If there's one city where you don't need a car, it's the cycling haven of Copenhagen, which British designer Tom Dixon might have taken into account when planning his exhibition.

Dixon will be taking over the Egmont carpark in the city centre to transform a "raw urban structure into an exhibition exploring hyper-mobility and contemporary living", the brand said.

The exhibition will show lighting and furniture designed for both indoor and outdoor use.

Vognmagergade 5, 1120 Copenhagen

Alvar Aalto 90 Pavilion by Iittala

The iconic Aalto vase, designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino, turns 90 this year. In Copenhagen, it'll be celebrated by Finnish brand Iittala, which produces the design, with the seven-metre-tall Aalto 90 Pavilion.

Designed by local studio Tableau and made in low-carbon aluminium from Norwegian brand Hydro, the pavilion will let visitors feel like they're walking into an Aalto vase.

"In creating the pavilion, I wanted to echo Aalto's thought-provoking design philosophy and place it in dialogue with Copenhagen's most iconic cityscape," Iittala creative director Janni Vepsäläinen said.

Ofelia Plads, 1250 Copenhagen

Other Circle

A new addition to the Copenhagen design scene, Other Circle made waves last year as probably the most high-profile show outside the official 3 Days of Design schedule.

Located in a large industrial building slightly outside the city centre, Other Circle has stayed independent this year and will be showing works by a number of international designers and brands.

Participants include designers Nick Ross, Cristina Roman Diaz and Nao Iwamatsu, brands Muuto, Pholc and Tajimi Custom Tiles, as well as craft gallery Innenkreis and creative studio Sucuk und Bratwurst.

The Lab, Vermundsgade 40, 2100 Copenhagen

Bread and Butter 

Last year, Bread and Butter curators Hee Choi, Myung Nyun Kim and Pyeori Jung asked 12 designers what the perfect pairing of accessories for the dining table is – like bread and butter.

This year, the exhibition will return to the 3 Days of Design schedule and explore the act of bathing, from saunas to onsens, with 16 designers creating their perfect pairs of bathing accessories.

The resulting work will be showcased in two exhibitions, one that displays the finished products and one that explores the processes involved. Fittingly, the latter will be set at Badezone Sandkaj, one of Copenhagen's many bathing spots.

Venue 1: Noura Residency, Sankt Peders Stræde 35A, 1453 Copenhagen
Venue 2: Sandkaj 30, 2150 Copenhagen

Other Matter Leather by Jessie French

The latest material to be unveiled by designer Jessie French is Other Matter Leather, which will have its European launch at 3 Days of Design as part of the Australian group exhibition Latitude: 55°N Meets 12°S.

Made from offcuts and decommissioned signage from the brand's algae-derived OM Signage Film, it is Other Matter's first product as part of a whole-system circular model. At the Latitude exhibition, it will be used as upholstery on chairs by furniture brand Made by Morgen.

As well as at Latitude, Other Matter will also show materials in collaboration with Aesop, creating installations at the brand's Nyhavn and Kronprinsensgade stores.

Grønningen 5, 1270 Copenhagen

3 Days of Design takes place from 10 to 12 June 2026 at various locations across Copenhagen, Denmark. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.