Fuorisalone 2026: the evolution of the event and Milan Design Week over the years

Fuorisalone 2026: from showcase to urban landscape

Milan Design Week has grown exponentially, with an army of often deep-pocketed design enthusiasts attracted to the city every April, and as more brands arrive, the event has long ago spilled over from Salone del Mobile to include larger Fuorisalone installations, exhibitions and launches across the city.

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For those of us working in event planning in Milan, Fuorisalone week transforms the entire city into an open-air creative laboratory. Design doesn’t just appear in galleries or showrooms—it invades courtyards, historic palaces, former industrial spaces, every available corner.

This is the hottest week of the year for our city, and for event agencies like Smart Eventi, it’s when we see firsthand how brands push boundaries with installations and immersive experiences that draw an international audience of professionals and design enthusiasts—and this was equally evident in the 2026 edition.

The automotive invasion we’ve witnessed firsthand

One of the things that has caught our attention in recent years is that, between artistic installations and experimental design projects, the automotive world has carved out significant space.

Cars have left dealerships and traditional motor shows to occupy the same historic courtyards and iconic Milan locations where furniture and lighting once dominated. We’ve watched them become design objects in their own right, protagonists of narratives about innovation, sustainability, and lifestyle rather than just engineering specs.

The car industry is increasingly seeking to align itself with design, and it’s now the norm for marque brands to commission installations, run events, and even launch cars during Milan Design Week.

The installations that stopped traffic (and won awards)

Škoda Auto’s installation at Palazzo del Senato drew nearly 60,000 visitors and won the Fuorisalone Award as the highest-rated installation of 2026. We watched crowds queue to experience the immersive environment showcasing the camouflaged Škoda Epiq, created by Spanish architect Ricardo Orts of Ulises Studio.

The historic courtyard of Palazzo del Senato was transformed with soft, malleable volumes that created a continuously shifting landscape, anchored by an interactive digital dome at its core. The contrast between the rigid Renaissance architecture and these fluid, playful forms created the kind of spatial tension that makes Fuorisalone installations work.

Automotive installations during Design Week 2026 occupied an extraordinary range of contexts—from former factories to palace courtyards, museums to Liberty-style buildings.

Why Fuorisalone became essential for automotive strategy

Born as a celebration of design and furnishings, Fuorisalone has over the years become a strategic platform for the automotive industry as well, with more brands choosing Milanese design week to present concept cars and immersive installations, leveraging design language to showcase technology, materials and future mobility solutions.

The underlying shift is fundamental: automobiles have transformed from pure transportation into design objects that increasingly resemble the furniture and lighting we’ve always showcased during Design Week. They now sit at the intersection of architecture, art, lifestyle, and public engagement. As it becomes ever more difficult to stand out amid the noise, brands descend on the city looking for ways to create impact.

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