Milan Design Week 2027 – the Salone del Mobile and the Fuorisalone

Every April Milan becomes the capital of the design world. The 65th Salone del Mobile.Milano runs from 13 to 18 April 2027 at Fiera Milano in Rho, while the Fuorisalone fills showrooms, courtyards and palazzi across the city. How the week works, and how to plan it.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile was launched in 1961 with Italian furniture at its heart. More than six decades later it is the most important date in the design calendar, and for one week each April the whole city takes part: manufacturers, architects, collectors and the curious arrive from all over the world, and every showroom, courtyard and empty palazzo seems to host an exhibition or a party.

There are really two events. The fair itself is a trade show on the edge of the city; the Fuorisalone – literally 'outside the Salone' – is everything that happens in Milan at the same time.

The fair at Rho

The Salone is held at Fiera Milano Rho, the fairground designed by Massimiliano Fuksas and opened in 2005 on the north-western edge of the city, at the end of metro line M1. The 65th edition, from 13 to 18 April 2027, brings together the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Workplace3.0 and S.Project, with Euroluce, the lighting exhibition held in odd-numbered years; in even years its place is taken by EuroCucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition.

SaloneSatellite, founded in 1998 by Marva Griffin, gives space to designers under 35 and is where many now-famous names were first noticed. New in 2027 is Salone Contract, and Salone Raritas returns for a second edition. In 2026 the fair drew 316,342 visitors from 167 countries, and its core exhibitions brought together 915 exhibitors from 32 countries.

The Fuorisalone

What has made design week famous far beyond the trade is the city programme. Brands open their showrooms in the centre; galleries, courtyards, palazzi and former factories host exhibitions and installations; and districts have formed their own identities. The Brera Design District fills the streets between the Pinacoteca and the botanical garden; Zona Tortona, behind Porta Genova station, grew up around the Superstudio spaces as the younger, more experimental side of the week; Porta Romana, Isola and others have joined since.

Alcova, which has moved between historic and disused buildings – among them two villas in Brianza, one the former home of the architect Osvaldo Borsani – has become one of the most talked-about shows. Most Fuorisalone events are free, though some need booking.

The Triennale, and Bar Basso

The Triennale Milano, in Giovanni Muzio's Palazzo dell'Arte in Parco Sempione, built between 1931 and 1933, is one of the week's fixed points; its permanent Triennale Design Museum opened in 2007. And when the day's visits are over, the design world meets on the pavement outside Bar Basso on Via Plinio, as it has done since a party there during the 1999 fair drew more than a thousand people.

How to plan

Hotels fill months in advance and prices rise sharply, so book as early as you can – or stay a little outside the centre on the M1 line, which runs straight to Rho Fieramilano. Register for the fair online before you travel and check which days are open to the public. Book restaurants weeks ahead, wear comfortable shoes, and divide the city by district rather than trying to see everything: a day at the fair, a day in Brera and the centre, a day in Tortona and the south.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.