Now in its fifth year, the DESIGN Canberra Festival returns to celebrate the ongoing growth and recognition of the capital as a global city of design.

Presenting one of the most eclectic programs yet, Canberra will be home to more than 100 events, talks, exhibitions, tours, activations, markets, collaborations, artist studios and open homes as part of the festival.

In keeping with Canberra’s innovative and burgeoning design community, this year’s theme will be geometry, referencing the city’s distinctive form and rich design history.

DESIGN Canberra artistic director Rachael Coghlan said the festival is in Canberra’s DNA.

“From the time of Walter and Marion Griffin’s visionary design a century ago, to iconic experimental architecture of the 1950s and 60s, through to contemporary and sustainable design developments today, Canberra has been — and always will be — a living design laboratory,” she says.

Canberra based designer and maker known for her work with timber, Chelsea Lemon, has been selected as the designer in residence for the 2018 DESIGN Canberra Festival.

Chelsea’s work questions archetypical furniture and showcases a new and fresh approach to a traditional woodworking technique. Her practice incorporates art into craft and design and offers a new perspective on furniture design within Australia.

Chelsea’s work was selected for its quality, the rigour of her practice and the symmetry of her work with the festival’s theme.

Back by popular demand, this year’s architecture tours will introduce people to architects who have used geometric forms in a variety of ways and will be presented by local architecture enthusiast and founder, writer and researcher of CanberraHouse.com.au, Martin Miles.

Montreal-based Daily tous les jours will bring their internationally award-winning pop-up installation which will invite visitors to share their dreams and visions for Canberra’s city centre through a playful yet beautiful field of balloons.

Kengo Kuma’s highly anticipated installation titled ‘NAMAKO’ is composed of a steel rod frame structure and mesh made with bio-acrylic rods woven together by zip-ties and is set to activate Aspen Island in Lake Burley Griffin for the duration of the 2018 DESIGN Canberra festival.

In 2017, the festival attracted a record 94,000 people, with most events throughout the festival free and easily accessible.

DESIGN Canberra is on from November 5 to 25.