Design Silicon Valley citywide design series

Design Bay Area opened the inaugural Design Silicon Valley series on May 13, 2026, as part of its yearlong “Year of Design” program across the Bay Area. The run is billed as a regional sequence of events for industry professionals spanning innovation, interiors, architecture, landscape, tech, startups, venture and art, according to San Francisco Design Week’s event page. The official calendar lists stops in San Jose, Palo Alto and Stanford, with additional events extending to May 30 and one listed for June 1 on the standalone Design Silicon Valley site. Tickets are sold per event rather than through a single festival pass. ### Is this one festival or a string of separate events? The May 10 announcement on San Francisco Design Week’s site describes Design Silicon Valley as “a series of events” rather than a single conference or expo. The lineup includes fireside chats, home tours, panel discussions, workshops and open studios, and the organizers say each event requires individual registration. The Design Silicon Valley homepage shows why that matters. (sfdesignweek.org) The listed program ranges from a May 13 discussion on AI-powered tools in San Jose to a May 16 modern home tour, a May 21 event on the history of design in Silicon Valley, a May 27-30 typography conference at Stanford and a May 30 social-club visit to the Computer History Museum. ### Who is organizing it, and how does it fit into the broader calendar? Design Bay Area is producing the series under its 2026 “Year of Design” umbrella, which the group announced in January as a region-wide program tied to the 20th anniversary of San Francisco Design Week. (sfdesignweek.org) That initiative said events in 2026 would extend beyond San Francisco into the South Bay and Silicon Valley, as well as the North Bay and East Bay. (designsiliconvalley.org) San Francisco Design Week’s own site places Design Silicon Valley first in a four-part annual sequence. The same page lists San Francisco Design Week for June 1-12, Design Marin for August 20-30 and Design Healdsburg for October 2-4. ### What is actually on the schedule this month? The current calendar emphasizes a mix of professional programming and public-facing visits. The standalone site lists “Creatives in Conversation: Processes & AI-Powered Tools Shaping Today’s Design” on May 13 in San Jose, “Design Sprints & Spirits Open Studio” on May 14, the Cilker Art + Design Student Expo from May 14-16, and “Refraction: SJSU Animation & Illustration BFA 2026” on May 15. (sfdesignweek.org) (sfdesignweek.org) The later May schedule shifts toward architecture, typography and local design history. Design Bay Area’s events page lists “Where Flavor Meets Connection” at Eylan on May 18, “How Design Defined Silicon Valley” on May 21, ATypI 2026 Stanford beginning May 27, a Verner Panton centennial event at Design Within Reach Palo Alto on May 27, Patrick Coyne speaking on May 28, and a May 29 program with architect Jess Field and Bernard Trainor of Ground Studio. (designsiliconvalley.org) ### Where are the events happening? San Jose, Palo Alto and Stanford are named directly in the official listings, and San Francisco Design Week’s announcement says the series will take place at “various locations” across the region. AIGA San Francisco’s event page also describes the program as annual and spread across Palo Alto, Stanford, San Jose and other Silicon Valley locations. The spread of venues matches how Design Bay Area framed the Year of Design. (designbayarea.org) Its January announcement said the 2026 program would activate cities, neighborhoods, storefronts, studios and public spaces across the Bay Area rather than center everything in one hall or district. ### How do tickets work, and what happens next? The registration model is decentralized. San Francisco Design Week’s attendance page says public registration opened on May 11, 2026, while the Design Silicon Valley announcement says tickets for 2026 are “extremely limited” and that attendees should check each event for date and registration details. (sfdesignweek.org) The next dates on the published calendar are May 18 at Eylan, May 21 for “How Design Defined Silicon Valley,” May 27-30 for ATypI 2026 Stanford, May 30 at the Computer History Museum, and June 1 for “Open Box: An Open Studio Experience with Zenpack,” according to the Design Silicon Valley and Design Bay Area event pages. (sfdesignweek.org) (designsiliconvalley.org) (sfdesignweek.org)