With only three days to go, I’m sharing my favourites of this year.
It all started back in 2013 with a small ‘must-see’ list for students from HAS green academy, — those with an extraordinary interest in the future of food, innovation, design, and sustainability, to help them navigate Eindhoven and Dutch Design Week. Over the years, it has grown into an annual curated tour: Mary’s Favourites.
This year, it even became an official part of DDW with The Hidden Taste Trail on Monday 20 October, joined by a group of Food Professionals.
In this article, you’ll find a special selection of carefully curated initiatives in the fields of future, food, design, and circularity, perfect for the final weekend.
PAST.PRESENT.POSSIBLE. let’s go!
DUTCH DESIGN WEEK EINDHOVEN – 18–26 October 2025 – PAST.PRESENT.POSSIBLE
On Saturday 18 October, Dutch Design Week opens in Eindhoven. Past.Present.Possible. is the theme of the 25th edition — an invitation to look at the world differently. DDW is not about polished end products but about experimentation, new ideas, and bold future visions. Designers explore and question; they are in love with the problem, not the solution. They offer new perspectives for action and show us ways forward that we could never have imagined.
AREAS & MAP
DDW is organised around five missions: Thriving Planet, Living Environment, Digital Futures, Health & Wellbeing, and Equal Society. There are nine design areas: Canal, Centre, Hallenweg, Other, Sectie-C, Station, Strijp-S, Strijp T+R, and West — with over 500 events to explore. Most of DDW requires a ticket [get your tickets here].
Mary’s favourites are easy to find on Google Maps.
EXPOSITIONS & EVENTS
GRADUATION SHOW 2025 | Design Academy Eindhoven | STATION
The starting point of DDW is the Graduation Show. The show brings together the work of over 200 graduates, revealing potential new futures, offering critique on today’s realities, and exploring complex ideas about what design truly is. Location: Centre, Heuvel – DDW ticket required.
Co/Lab: Hungry for Change | Barbara Vos & Anna Noyons | Strijp-S
Eat It! The Future is Fast Food! Today, no burgers or fries are served. Instead, the ultimate menu for the future: Happiness, Convenience and Money. Three “flavours” that shape our eating behaviour daily, from a quick snack to weekly shopping. Pleasure, ease, and price are the real driving forces behind our food choices, the same forces that made fast food giants thrive, yet often sideline healthier, more sustainable options. But what if we use those same forces for something better?
Imagine a world where your craving, a good deal, and convenience naturally lead you to food that’s delicious, healthy, good for the planet and your wallet. A super deal you simply can’t refuse.
MANIFESTATIONS | Theme: HAPPY END? | Veemgebouw | Strijp-S
One of the most thought-provoking exhibitions — an absolute must-visit. Manifestations surprises with projects, 80% of which come from young talents. Expect world premieres before they end up in major museum collections. Bold, playful, and innovative — Manifestations is a journey into the future through ‘unreal’ technological realities. Location: Strijp-S area, VEEM floor 8, Torenallee 100.
Reversing the Food Chain | Klokgebouw | Strijp-S
What happens when the four Dutch technical universities join forces? The consortium of TU Eindhoven, Wageningen, Twente, and Delft showcases the complexity of our food system in an inspiring way. Location: Strijp-S, DDW ticket required.
LEMNA | Klokgebouw | Strijp-S
Avans University student Isa Angeneind found a way to make eating duckweed less daunting for consumers: What if you could grow it at home? Discover her graduation work in the Avans Gallery at the Klokgebouw and taste the future: water lentils. Location: Strijp-S, DDW ticket required.
Circle Farming | Klokgebouw (Secrit Talent Podium) | Strijp-S
Designer Floris Schoonderbeek reimagines agriculture with circular fields — Circle Farming combines efficiency and sustainability, creating space for nature, recreation, and biodiversity. Location: Strijp-S, DDW ticket required.
Want to see it in action?
Drive to Vaderland in Nederwetten and enjoy a culinary evening with Lianne van Genugten, gastronomy and design come together beautifully, including a guided tour of the working circle farm. Location: Kerkhoef 12, Nederwetten.
HUB Build Tomorrow: from materials to society | Melkfabriek | CANAL
The beautifully renovated Melkfabriek hosts a fantastic bio-based creation exhibition featuring designers-to-watch like Lucas De Man and Pascal Leboucq. Location: Canal, DDW ticket required.
Also at the Melkfabriek:
Viskraam De Eeuwigheid by Fides Lapidaire, where you can order a portion of fish based on your personal PFAS level, a playful, thought-provoking experience. Location: Canal, DDW ticket required.
eXtended Reality Dining | NEXT NATURE MUSEUM | WEST | Evoluon
Discover how virtual environments can enrich the dining experience. A collaboration between Imane van Haasen and her father, merging food design and immersive technologies. A shared, multisensory dining experience exploring new forms of eating together.
EVENT: Bio Design | 24 October | NEXT NATURE MUSEUM | WEST | Evoluon
On Friday 24 October, designers, researchers, artists, and entrepreneurs gather at the iconic Evoluon for the Bio Design Conference.An inspiring afternoon at the intersection of biology, design, and technology. As AI, living systems, and sustainable materials become increasingly intertwined, we explore how biodesign can shape a regenerative future. What does it mean to design with life, not just for it? And how can AI, empathy, and ecology spark new creative practices? Tickets available here.
EVENT: Design Debate | 25 October | NEXT NATURE MUSEUM | WEST | Evoluon
Welcome to a world where everything seems wrong — eating meat, smoking, crypto, data, campfires, WhatsApp. Even your houseplant might be a climate offender. We live in an age full of rules and moral “don’ts”, where daily life seems guided by invisible ethical forces. But what if we don’t retreat in shame, what if we dare to imagine forward? On Saturday 25 October, designers, thinkers, and contrarians gather for the Design Debate, led by Tracy Metz, to explore six bold statements on the ethics, power, and potential of design in our morally charged times. Tickets available here.
GRAIN SENSATION | De Wilde Boerin | Het Wasven
On Sunday 26 October, De Wilde Boerin hosts the Grain Sensation (Graan Voelerij in Dutch) at Wasvenboerderij in Eindhoven. Join every hour between 10:30–18:00 for a sensory grain-feeling workshop. Through playful, surprising presentations of food, Linette Mak sparks imagination and curiosity, creating space for wonder, openness and maybe even a touch of intimacy. Location: Wasvenboerderij, Celebeslaan 30, 5641 AG Eindhoven. Free entry.
HUNGRY FOR FOOD? WHERE TO EAT…
LEF: Let’s Explore Food organised the secret pop-up dinner for The Hidden Taste Trail. Food designer Eylien Lommen celebrates 10 years of LEF this year with an Ode to the Pickle. Enjoy soups, cakes, and cookies at Sectie-C. Ask for the Pickle Bitch!
’t Koffiehuisje: small, cosy, and the perfect coffee stop between Strijp-S and the Centre. Don’t miss the special lemonades by food designer Franke Elshout.
Happiness Café for a delicious, healthy lunch by Linsey van Oers. Location: Centre.
Intelligentia ICE by Jeffrey during DDW, ice chef Jeffrey lets his creativity run wild. Enjoy extraordinary flavours in a pretty-in-pink, wild-in-taste setting at Strijp-S.
Frietje Precies: once a design project, now a regular food truck at Strijp-S. An ode by farmer Jacob van den Borne to precision farming: eat fries and improve the soil at the same time! Fresh from the backyard of Eindhoven. Learn more about this project here.
Resty by Doreen at Strijp-S, Doreen Westphal proves how delicious plant-based can be with her Resty burger, sausages, and kebab, made from oyster mushroom stems. By rescuing this byproduct, she not only prevents food waste but also supports a future free of animal-based foods.
