Design Silicon Valley: Design Week Events

Design Bay Area’s Design Silicon Valley program is underway from May 13 through May 30, 2026, with a string of in-person events spread across Palo Alto, Stanford, San Jose and other Bay Area locations. The organization describes the series as part of its broader Year of Design 2026 programming, with events focused on innovation, interiors, architecture, landscape, technology, startups, venture and art. (sfdesignweek.org) The lineup includes fireside chats, home tours, panel discussions, workshops and open studios, according to the event overview and calendar. (designsiliconvalley.org) Individual events require separate registration through the program website. ### Where is the program happening? (designsiliconvalley.org) Palo Alto, Stanford and San Jose are named on the official overview as host locations for Design Silicon Valley events, with additional Bay Area sites included on the calendar. The series is positioned as a regional program rather than a single-venue festival, and the event pages route attendees to separate registration pages for each session. Menlo Park also appears on the event list. One social event, “Where Flavor Meets Connection at Eylan,” is listed as a by-invitation gathering at Eylan Restaurant in Menlo Park. ### What kinds of events are on the calendar? (sfdesignweek.org) The official description says the program includes fireside chats, home tours, panel discussions, workshops and open studios. The event mix on the site reflects that range, from architecture and design talks to networking events and student showcases. May 16 was scheduled to include the Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour presented by Wellmade. The event page said the tour would feature five homes plus a Sunday ADU open house, for six stops across the Peninsula. (sfdesignweek.org) A separate three-day program, the Cilker Art + Design Student Expo, was listed for May 14 to May 16. (designsiliconvalley.org) The page said the expo would include self-guided tours and scheduled events such as a student film festival, figure-drawing workshop, gallery opening, student art sale and a spring fashion show. ### Which named participants are showing up? (sfdesignweek.org) Patrick Coyne is listed on the Design Silicon Valley home page for “The Printed Standard: Communication Arts and the Rise of Silicon Valley Design,” scheduled for May 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The listing places that event within the program’s architecture, art and landscape categories. (designsiliconvalley.org) Jess Field and Bernard Trainor are named participants in another listed event, “Dynamic Minds, Brilliant Inspiration.” The event page says Field would present recent residential work before being joined by Trainor for discussion. (designsiliconvalley.org) Stanford University is also on the calendar through ATypI 2026 Stanford. The event page says the typography gathering returns to a campus tied to the history of digital typography and computer science. ### How much of the program is tied to technology and AI? (designsiliconvalley.org) San Jose is hosting at least one event directly framed around current design tools. “Creatives in Conversation: Processes & Tools Shaping Today’s Design” was listed as a discussion among local creative professionals about design processes and tools, and the event page said registration would close at 3 p.m. on May 13. (designsiliconvalley.org) Another San Jose event, “Design Sprints & Spirits Open Studio,” was described by organizer Mighty as an inaugural Design Silicon Valley program that would open its studio for a walkthrough, drinks and networking with designers and guest experts. (designsiliconvalley.org) A separate talk, “How Design Defined Silicon Valley,” traces design’s role from Hewlett-Packard and Xerox PARC to Apple, according to its event listing. ### How does this fit into the wider 2026 design calendar? Design Bay Area said in January that 2026 would mark the 20th year of San Francisco Design Week and expand into a year-long regional program under the theme “Multitudes.” The organization said the year would culminate in San Francisco Design Week from June 1 to June 12, 2026. (designsiliconvalley.org) May 11 was the general on-sale date for San Francisco Design Week tickets, according to the organizer’s attendance page. (designsiliconvalley.org) Design Silicon Valley is running earlier on the calendar, from May 13 to May 30, with its own event-by-event registration flow. ### Where do attendees go next? (designsiliconvalley.org) The Design Silicon Valley website is carrying the live event calendar and registration links for the remaining May dates. The official overview says the series continues through May 30, 2026, and the broader Design Bay Area program then moves into San Francisco Design Week beginning June 1. (sfdesignweek.org) (sfdesignweek.org) (sfdesignweek.org)