DesignTO Launch Party 2027

Join us for the 2027 DesignTO Launch Party at the Gardiner Museum, as we kick off our 17th Festival and celebrate DesignTO’s legacy of showcasing design and sparking vital conversations about its role in shaping a better world. 

This event brings together Toronto’s creative community and serves as a fundraiser in support of DesignTO, a registered charity. Ticket proceeds fund our charitable purpose of increasing the public’s awareness and appreciation of design.

Kick off the 10-day Festival while experiencing three floors of art at the Gardiner, including the collection galleries and the special exhibition ‘After the Island: Caribbean Canadian Ceramics’, with sounds by DJ Odario. ‘After the Island’ brings together four Canadian artists with roots in the Caribbean—PJ Anderson, Eddy Firmin, Manuel Mathieu, and Sharon Norwood—who use clay to explore what our bodies inherit, protect, and carry forward. Be inspired by art and architecture, connect with the creative community, and dance the night away.

Tickets

Tickets are on sale in advance online and will also be available at the door on the event day.

General Admission (until Dec 31, 2026): $35 + HST

General Admission (between Jan 1-22, 2027): $40 + HST

Admission includes access to the ‘After the Island’ exhibition and the Museum’s collections (value of $18). DesignTO Members get 10% off and DesignTO Premium Members 20% off their Launch Party tickets until Dec 31, 2026, with promo code. 

This is a 19+ event. Please bring government-issued identification for access. Cash bar: debit and credit accepted.

About DJ Odario

DJ Odario is a longtime staple in Canada’s club culture. Over the last two decades, he has been a regular fixture in some of Toronto’s legendary spaces, such as Drake Hotel, Sneaky Dee’s, Valdez, Octopus Lounge, Nuit Blanche and GotStyle. Today he is widely known as Canada’s nighttime DJ for CBC Radio’s Afterdark program. Basically taking after his father, who was a party DJ during the 90s, Odario is a genuine lover of music that seamlessly combines multiple genres and soundscapes during his sets. Odario is a master curator known to bring people together and provide a vibe that feels good.

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The ‘DesignTO Launch Party’ is organized by DesignTO, with venue partner the Gardiner Museum, and supported by the Bloor-Yorkville BIA, Studio TK, Fisher & Paykel, media sponsor The Globe and Mail, media partner AZURE Magazine, and Rosewood Winery. The DesignTO Festival is supported by the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto. 

About DesignTO

DesignTO is a charitable arts organization celebrating 17 years of shaping a more sustainable, just, and joyful future through design. From January 22-31, 2027, the DesignTO Festival offers 100+ free events and exhibitions across Toronto, showcasing hundreds of artists and designers. As Canada’s largest annual design festival, DesignTO has welcomed over 1.2 million attendees, garnered 2.7 billion in media reach, showcased 7,500+ artists and designers, and generated $600 million in tourism impact since 2011.

About the Gardiner Museum

The Gardiner Museum welcomes and inspires audiences of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and experiences through the rich history and storytelling power of clay. It stewards and animates an internationally significant collection of ceramics while centering hands-on learning and making. The Gardiner engages in important cultural conversations taking place in Toronto and beyond through gallery programming and collaborative partnerships. It works to advance Indigenous self-determination and build human connections, creating space for reflection and dialogue. Founded in 1984 by George and Helen Gardiner, the Museum stewards a permanent collection of over 5,000 objects from Ancestral Abiayala, Europe, Japan, and China, as well as contemporary works with an emphasis on leading Canadian artists.