Area-tip: Kanaalzone

Can you really say you’ve been to Dutch Design Week, without visiting Kanaalzone? We don’t think so! Kanaalzone, home to the former Campina site and old gas factories of the NRE grounds, is where your design-loving heart will beat faster.

Where?

Just outside the city center, you will find the NRE grounds (Gasfabriek and Gashouder). Follow Kanaalduik-Zuid, and you’ll end up at Onomatopee and Melkfabriek.

Need a ticket?

Many things are free to visit. But if you want to see everything, you'll need a ticket. Grab one here.

How to get there?

From DOMUSDELA, you can bike to the NRE grounds in just five minutes. Another five minutes of pedaling and you’ll reach Melkfabriek. Along the way, you’ll find plenty of spots to make a pit stop. Rather want to move on four wheels? With a DDW ticket, you can use the Design Rides for free.

Why do you want to go here?

Want to explore Dutch Design Week at a more relaxed pace? Kanaalzone is the perfect starting point. While the buzz builds at Strijp-S (which is also a blast), here you can wander without the enormous crowds. Bonus: immerse yourself in a slice of Eindhoven’s history while witnessing the transformation of these industrial sites up close. And, let’s be honest—on your way back to the city center, you’ll catch some of the best views Eindhoven has to offer.

Highlight locations

• NRE site: At the NRE site, you’ll find fifteen DDW projects, plus a handful of top spots for food and drinks, like Fifth and Cyklist.
• Kiki and Joost: After graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven, Kiki van Eijk didn’t just walk away with a diploma—she also met her partner Joost van Bleiswijk. Together, they’ve become an inseparable part of the design scene.
• NULZES: One of the cool spots at the NRE site is NULZES, a creative hub and breeding ground for designers, architects, and researchers. Across the street, you'll find Stadslab Eindhoven, where it's all about the future of the city.
• Onomatopee: Onomatopee is a public gallery and publisher where designers, marketers, and artists work together. During Dutch Design Week, you can visit the exhibition By a Woman, all about feminist worldbuilding.

Our recommendations

• Stad op het Spel: Take an interactive trip through time to 2050, in just fifteen minutes. Suddenly you're face to face with future city residents, and you see how the choices we make today shape life in the long run.
• Phygital Seasoning: Can you make soda taste like pineapple without changing a thing about it? Designer Laila Snevele thinks so. Taste isn't just on your tongue, it's also in your head. Try it for yourself!
• The stories we are still living: A war or disaster doesn't end when the news stops talking about it. Using clay, textiles, handwriting and sensor data, five artists from South Korea, Mexico and Palestine show how violence lives on in everyday life.
• HUB Bouw aan Morgen, van materiaal tot sociaal: The Dutch landscape is changing fast—thanks to climate, water, population growth, and limited space. At the Melkfabriek, this project shows how livable spaces can thrive when people, nature, and industry work in harmony. See the future through the eyes of those who’ll live it.

More DDW nearby

Need some fresh air? We recommend checking out Salon Veneman on Tongelresestraat. Inside, you’ll find rising local talent on display every month—but you can also just peek through the windows. After all, it’s a walk-by gallery.

Other fun things to do nearby

Basically, all options are back on the table at this point. Yep, you’re back in the heart of Eindhoven, and there’s plenty to check out. Depending on the time, we wouldn’t say no to a beer at Stadsbrouwerij Eindhoven or lunch at Down Town Gourmet Market. Cheers!