Design Festa

International Art Event Design Festa, abbreviated as Design Festa, is a large art, performance, fashion and music festival and convention, held biannually at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in Japan.[1][2] The event was founded in 1994, and anyone with original work to display is eligible to participate, regardless of genre.[3][4]

History

Design Festa (originally Design•Festa) was founded in 1994 by former Fashion designer and stylist Kunie Usuki.[5] The first event was held on 11 September 1994 and featured 830 booths displaying a mixture of performance, installations and painting.[6]

In 2011, more than 8,500 artists from around the world took part in Design Festa, and more than 60,000 people visited the exhibits.[7][8]

By 2013, the convention had been held more than 35 times[9] and more than 10,000 artists participated.[10]

At Design Festa vol.47 in May 2018, the convention welcomed 59,921 visitors and 15,000 artists;[11] the largest amount in the history of the event.[12]

Festival events

Design Festa includes a mix of events from music, painting, food and fashion to Crafts, photography, toys and performances.[13][14] Health services, fortune-telling and the illegal sale of Copyrighted work have been prohibited since 2011.

The festival has a large booth area, which includes a "Dimmed Lighting" section.[15][16] The 30th festival introduced Mini Live Paint areas and Kids Areas. The theatre area includes a 300-inch screen for film and video exhibitions. The main performance space features fashion exhibitions, music performances and dance.[17] There is also a stage for live concerts.[18] There is a separate restaurant, café and bar area which includes 13 to 15 international restaurant stalls.[2][19][20]

References

  1. ^ Stephen Mansfield (17 January 2013). Top 10 Tokyo. DK Publishing. pp. 87–. ISBN 978-1-4654-0614-9.
  2. ^ a b Andrew Bender (15 September 2010). Tokyo. Lonely Planet. pp. 131–. ISBN 978-1-74220-406-2.
  3. ^ "The Biannual Design Festa, Tokyo". Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Design Festa Vol 38 – Tokyo Big Sight – Time Out Tokyo". Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Design Festa still going strong: Tokyo's eclectic independent arts festival turns 15". Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  6. ^ Planet, Lonely; Milner, Rebecca; Richmond, Simon (1 August 2017). Lonely Planet Tokyo. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-78701-010-9.
  7. ^ Tokyo Design Festa draws in creative types" The Independent (London), 1 May 2011
  8. ^ Design Festa fascinates crowds in Tokyo – Culture – Citizenside France
  9. ^ "Design Festa is back for its 39th edition, bigger and better | Events". Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  10. ^ Design Festa 37 – Kawaii Culture Revolution
  11. ^ "開催情報". 29 March 2012.
  12. ^ @designfesta (14 May 2018). "デザインフェスタvol.47の来場者様は59,921人でした。（まじです。おしい。）デザインフェスタの24年以上の歴史の中で過去最高来場人数！15,000人のアーティスト様、誠にありがとうございました！デザインフェ…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Tokyo Design Festa 2012 Artist: Banakok
  14. ^ FASHION JAPAN: Design Festa (Tokyo,Japan)
  15. ^ Sang Woo Kim (15 May 2014) "Design Festa vol. 39 celebrates 20 years of original creativity", The Japan Times
  16. ^ "Metropolis – Arts & Entertainment | Design Festa". Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  17. ^ Design Festa Vol. 37
  18. ^ Design Festa – DeepJapan.org
  19. ^ Get Lost in Tokyo's Design Festa Gallery
  20. ^ "Harajuku's Quirky House: Design Festa Gallery – asiapundits.com". Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.