Boston, MA - Boston Design Week, a 12-day citywide design festival, returns for its third year March 30 – April 10, 2016, and will feature an array of more than 80 programs and events across the design spectrum. All programs are open to the public, and most are free of charge. Some free events do require RSVPs, and last year 20% of the events were Sold Out, so people are encouraged to sign up early. Events are held throughout Boston and in numerous cities and towns in Greater Boston. A full calendar of events is available online. www.BostonDesignWeek.com

Events take place throughout Boston and its neighborhoods such as Allston, Back Bay, Dorchester, Fort Point Channel/Waterfront, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, North End, South Boston and South End, and Greater Boston in Beverly, Brookline, Cambridge, Concord, Danvers, Hopkinton, Lexington, Lowell, Milford, Natick, Newton, Salem, Somerville, and others. Several events fall into the three special focus tracks for 2016: Designing Boston, Next! an Design and Social Impact, offering those with an interest and easy-to-follow way to enjoy the festival, searchable online.

25 Non-Profit Partner Organizations will offer an array of programs, exhibitions, workshops and open houses. They include: AIGA, American Textile History Museum, Artisan’s Asylum, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Boston Public Library, Boston Society of Architects, Design Museum Boston, Design That Matters, The Eliot Street School, EM NARI, Fort Point Arts Community, French Cultural Center, Fuller Craft Museum, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Museum of Fine Arts, Scandinavian Center, United Way, and more!

5 Kick Off Events ­– Wednesday March 30 kicks off Design Week with five events in five different neighborhoods. In Back Bay, Landry & Arcari Rugs & Carpeting will literally “cut a rug” with “Dance with Designers”. Artisan’s Asylum in Somerville will host an open house to introduce the public to their mission to nurture the art of craft. Cambridge’s BoConcept invites guests to “Discover Copenhagen Design” through Danish style, jazz and appetizers. Venegas and Company, a Silver Sponsor of Design Week, will unveil their new kitchen design studio and showroom with a grand opening in SoWa; and on the Waterfront at the Boston Design Center, Boston Magazine will launch its “The Best Places to Live” issue with a reception and panel discussion.            

“Back Bay Design District” Events – Programs, speakers, and other events will take place throughout the 12-day period at select showrooms in Park Square, and on Newbury Street, including Circle Furniture, International Poster Gallery, Landry & Arcari, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Poggenpohl Boston, Skinner Auctioneers, and The Shade Store. Back Bay Design District, a home design and décor consortium was launched in 2015 and is a Presenting Sponsor of Boston Design Week.

Events at Boston Design Center and the Innovation and Design Building - A dozen different events will take place throughout the 12-day festival including a weekend sample sale, a student design exhibition, a cooking demonstration, showroom openings and product launches and a presentation by notable interior designer Miles Redd, who will share his approach to using colors, textures, and fabrics. The Innovation and Design Building along with the Boston Design Center is a Bronze Sponsor of Boston Design Week.

AD20/21: Art & Design of the 20th & 21st Centuries, and The Boston Print Fair – April 7-10. The 9th annual show & sale features 50 select exhibitors offering modern to contemporary furniture and furnishings, fine art, jewelry, sculpture, photography, fine prints and more. A Gala Preview to celebrate Boston Design Week takes place Thursday evening April 7, and the final design Week programs take place in the Lecture Hall at the show through the weekend.

A sampling of toher events includes:

Thursday March 31 - American Society of Interior Designers, New England Chapter will host their annual awards gala at the new Senator Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

Thursday March 31 - “One at a Time: Slow Fashion in a Fast World”, artists from the Fort Point Arts Community discuss the importance of sustainable, long-lasting fashion in our high-speed world.

Thursday March 31 & Tuesday April 5 - “Form (finally) Meets Function - Rethinking City Hall”, co-presented by the City of Boston and the Boston Preservation Alliance, with design tours of City Hall.

Friday April 1 - “Design Showdown”, a live design competition at Boston Design Center sponsored by Design New England magazine that challenges budding designers to put their best pitch forward.

Saturday April 2 - “LED Applications for Kitchen and Bath”, presented by Wolfers Lighting, a Bronze Sponsor of Boston Design Week.

Monday April 4 - “Challenge the Makers at Open Studios”, an invitation to challenge the makers! Bring your thorniest design problem and a panel of makers will offer ideas, thoughts and solutions. Hosted at the Boston Design Center, a Bronze Sponsor of Boston Design Week.

Tuesday April 5 – “Perfect Pairing: Creating the Ultimate Bathroom”, experts in bath design share tips on how to think outside the box to create your dream bathroom. Presented by CUMAR Marble and Granite, a Bronze Sponsor of Boston Design Week.

Tuesday April 5 & Wednesday April 6 – “HxRefactored”, a revolutionary two-day conference taking place in the heart of Design Week that focuses on improving health experiences through technology and design. HxRefactored applies design, science, evidence, and theory to re-image the entire health journey.

Wednesday April 6 - “American Modern Design from 1920’s to 1940s”, a special Design week tour with Museum of Fine Arts curator Nonie Gadsden, exploring American modern design in the MFA galleries.

Wednesday April 6 - “Commercial Gardening and Design: Jessie Banhazl of Green City Growers”, an exploration of how New England’s design professionals are tackling commercial urban farming to grow fresh produce within the city. Sponsored and hosted by Ver-Tex, which specializes in shade and light solutions.

Thursday April 7 - “An Evening with Elle Décor”, Elle Décor Editor-In-Chief Michael Boodro presents a talk on handmade, artisanal design at Room & Board.

Sunday April 10 - Concluding Design Week Event -- “Junior League of Boston 45th Anniversary Show House”, a preview of the Junior League of Boston 2016 Show House that will be open for the month of May in Newton. The program will take place in the Lecture Hall at the AD20/21 show.

“From the start the mission of Boston Design Week has been to increase public awareness and appreciation of all aspects of design,” comments Co-Producer Tony Fusco. “Once people are aware of the world of design around them, they recognize the vital role that it plays in our lives. The festival also gives focus to the importance and impact that creative industries have on our city and our economy.”

For more information or to receive the Boston Design Week newsletter and calendar of events, visit www.BostonDesignWeek.com or www.Facebook.com/bostondesignweek.

Boston Design Week is tweeting @BosDesignWeek, and using the hashtag #bostondesignweek. For additional information, call 617-363-0405.

ABOUT THE PRODUCERS: Tony Fusco and Robert Four are well-known art and design promoters and producers in Boston. For more than 35 years, their marketing and public relations agency Fusco & Four has specialized in fine art, design, antiques, online arts-related ventures, cultural organizations, performing arts, and authors and publishers. They are the producers of four annual events in Boston: Boston Design Week, AD20/21, The Boston International Fine Art Show, celebrating its 20th anniversary in October 2016, and the 2nd Annual Boston Home Décor Show taking place November, 2016. For more information visit www.BostonArtFairs.com.