The Venice Glass Week 2026: 10th anniversary brings 236 events to Venice, Murano and Mestre
Venice will once again become the international capital of glassmaking this September. From 12 to 20 September 2026, The Venice Glass Week celebrates its 10th edition with 236 events at 140 venues across Venice, Murano and Mestre. The anniversary programme combines traditional Murano craftsmanship, contemporary art, international design and live demonstrations. This makes the festival one of the most exciting cultural events in Venice this September.
The festival started in 2017 with a clear goal: to promote Venetian glass and support the people who keep this centuries-old tradition alive.
Over the past ten years, The Venice Glass Week has grown into a major international event. Artists, designers, glassmakers, museums, galleries and workshops now take part from around the world.
For visitors, the festival offers the perfect opportunity to discover what lies behind the famous name Murano glass.
When is The Venice Glass Week 2026?
The 10th edition of The Venice Glass Week runs from:
Saturday, 12 September to Sunday, 20 September 2026
Visitors will find events across Venice, Murano and Mestre.
The anniversary edition features an impressive programme:
- 236 events
- 140 venues
- 311 participants
- applications from 57 countries
- 111 exhibitions and installations
- 45 openings and exhibition receptions
- 27 conferences, talks and award ceremonies
- 19 workshops
- 16 live demonstrations
- 13 guided tours
- 4 screenings and performances
Visitors can easily create a half-day tour, spend an entire day exploring glass art or build several days of their Venice trip around the festival.
Murano becomes the heart of the glass world
Murano naturally plays a central role during the festival.
The island has shaped the history of Venetian glass for centuries. Its furnaces, workshops and master glassmakers still preserve techniques that generations of craftspeople have passed down.
During The Venice Glass Week, visitors can discover much more than finished glasses, vases and chandeliers.
Workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions show how artists and glassmakers actually create their work.
Traditional craftsmanship meets contemporary design. International artists collaborate with experienced Murano masters. Historic techniques inspire completely new objects and installations.
This combination makes the festival particularly interesting.
It shows that Murano glass does not only belong to Venice’s past. It remains part of the city’s creative present.
Murano Illumina il Mondo returns to St Mark’s Square
One of the main highlights returns in 2026: Murano Illumina il Mondo.
The fourth edition starts on 13 September 2026 and continues until 1 November 2026.
The project transforms one of the most famous places in Venice.
Visitors will find twelve new light installations beneath the arches of the Procuratie Vecchie on St Mark’s Square.
International artists and designers created the works together with leading Murano glassmakers and manufacturers.
This collaboration brings contemporary design directly into dialogue with one of Venice’s oldest traditions.
Twelve new interpretations of Murano glass
Murano Illumina il Mondo does not simply reproduce traditional Venetian chandeliers.
Instead, the artists explore new ways to combine glass and light.
The 2026 edition includes internationally renowned names such as Norman Foster, Cerith Wyn Evans, Bethan Laura Wood and Pierre Charpin.
The collaboration with Murano’s craftspeople plays a crucial role.
The designers bring their ideas to Venice. Murano’s glassmakers contribute generations of technical knowledge and experience.
Together, they turn these ideas into objects that would often be impossible to create without specialist glassmaking skills.
This relationship between artist and craftsman lies at the heart of The Venice Glass Week.
See St Mark’s Square in a different light
Murano Illumina il Mondo also offers an attractive experience for visitors who do not usually visit art exhibitions.
You do not need to enter a museum.
The installations become part of Piazza San Marco itself.
Glass, light and the historic architecture of the Procuratie create a particularly atmospheric setting in the evening.
Anyone visiting Venice during the festival should consider returning to St Mark’s Square after sunset.
There is also good news for travellers who arrive later.
Murano Illumina il Mondo continues until 1 November 2026, several weeks after The Venice Glass Week ends.
Young glass artists take centre stage
The festival also gives young artists an important platform.
The Venice Glass Week HUB Under35 returns for the 2026 edition.
It brings together 39 international artists and a total of 52 works at the Galleria di Piazza San Marco.
The exhibition opens on 12 September. Visitors can then explore it throughout the festival.
Admission is free.
The HUB Under35 offers a fascinating contrast to traditional ideas about Venetian glass.
Young artists use glass for sculptures, conceptual works and experimental installations. Some push the material far beyond the familiar world of decorative objects and chandeliers.
It is an excellent place to discover what the next generation wants to do with glass.
Artists from 57 countries show the international reach of the festival
The Venice Glass Week has become increasingly international.
Organisers received applications from 57 countries for the 2026 edition.
They include artists and organisations from Europe as well as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and many other countries.
These numbers demonstrate how far the festival has developed since its launch.
Murano remains its spiritual home, but The Venice Glass Week now connects Venetian craftsmanship with artists and designers from across the globe.
Glass Bridge connects Murano with Tanzania
One project demonstrates this international approach particularly well.
“Glass Bridge. From Murano to the World: Glass as an Act of Cooperation” connects craftspeople in Murano with the Shanga workshop in Arusha, Tanzania.
The project focuses on knowledge, craftsmanship and cooperation.
An initial workshop developed into a longer-term relationship between the two locations.
Visitors can discover the project at the Scuola del Vetro Abate Zanetti on Murano during The Venice Glass Week.
Admission is free, although visitors need to reserve a place in advance.
The project shows that preserving tradition does not mean freezing it in time.
Knowledge survives when people share it, teach it and develop it further.
Many Venice Glass Week events are free
Visitors do not need a large cultural budget to enjoy the festival.
Many events offer free admission.
Other activities require a ticket, advance reservation or invitation.
With 236 events to choose from, good planning helps.
The official programme allows visitors to filter events by date, location, event type and admission conditions.
That makes it easy to search specifically for free exhibitions, guided tours, workshops or events on Murano.
Watch Murano glassmakers at work
For many visitors, the live demonstrations provide some of the most memorable moments of the festival.
Watching a skilled glassmaker work with molten glass gives a completely different impression of the craft.
Glassmakers must work quickly and precisely.
They shape glass at extremely high temperatures while controlling colour, thickness and form.
Years of training and experience allow them to transform a glowing mass into an intricate object.
A live demonstration often explains more about the value of genuine Murano glass than a visit to a souvenir shop ever could.
Explore glass art throughout Venice
The Venice Glass Week does not concentrate everything inside one exhibition centre.
That is one of its biggest advantages.
Museums, foundations, galleries, private workshops, historic palaces, educational institutions and glass manufacturers all take part.
As a result, visitors encounter glass art throughout the city.
You could start your morning with an exhibition near San Marco, take a vaporetto to Murano for a demonstration in the afternoon and return to St Mark’s Square for the illuminated installations in the evening.
The festival fits naturally into a normal Venice itinerary.
The perfect time to visit Murano
If you visit Venice between 12 and 20 September, consider spending at least half a day on Murano.
Many tourists know the island mainly for its glass shops.
The Venice Glass Week offers a much deeper experience.
It introduces visitors to the people, techniques and creativity behind genuine Murano glass.
Take some time to explore beyond the busiest streets near the main vaporetto stops.
Smaller workshops, galleries and exhibition venues often reveal a very different side of the island.
During Glass Week, the official programme can help you plan a route around the most interesting events.
Why glass matters so much to Venice
Few materials have shaped Venice as strongly as glass.
Murano’s glassmakers built an international reputation over centuries. Their work contributed to Venice’s importance as a centre of luxury production, trade and artistic innovation.
Today, however, preserving Murano glass involves much more than protecting historic objects in museums.
The city also needs active furnaces.
It needs skilled glassmakers.
Most importantly, it needs younger generations who want to learn the craft and develop it further.
The Venice Glass Week helps bring attention to all of these elements.
Tradition meets innovation
The festival succeeds because it does not treat Venetian glass as a relic.
Instead, it combines tradition with experimentation.
Master glassmakers continue to use techniques with centuries of history. At the same time, contemporary designers introduce new shapes, concepts and artistic ideas.
These two approaches complement each other.
International artists gain access to specialist skills that modern industrial production cannot easily reproduce.
Murano’s workshops, meanwhile, discover new ways to use their traditional knowledge.
The result often looks unmistakably modern while still carrying the DNA of Murano.
Ten years of The Venice Glass Week
The festival began in 2017.
Its founders wanted to bring renewed attention to Venetian glass from several perspectives: art, culture, craftsmanship and industry.
Ten editions later, the festival has reached a completely different scale.
Hundreds of participants now contribute to the programme, while artists and organisations from dozens of countries seek to take part.
The festival has also helped connect different parts of Venice’s glass community.
Museums, public institutions, private businesses, artists and craftspeople work together around a tradition that remains vital to Murano’s identity.
The Venice Glass Week 2026 at a glance
Dates: 12–20 September 2026
Locations: Venice, Murano and Mestre
Events: 236
Venues: 140
Participants: 311
Countries represented through applications: 57
Major highlight: Murano Illumina il Mondo
Murano Illumina il Mondo: 13 September–1 November 2026
Admission: Many events are free, while some require tickets or advance booking
Is The Venice Glass Week worth visiting?
Absolutely.
You do not need to collect glass or understand glassmaking techniques to enjoy the festival.
The combination of historic craftsmanship, contemporary art, live demonstrations and unique Venetian locations appeals to a much wider audience.
The event also provides an excellent reason to explore Murano beyond the usual tourist route.
First-time visitors can add another dimension to their Venice experience. Returning visitors can discover workshops, exhibitions and locations they may never have seen before.
September also offers a particularly good opportunity to combine the festival with a wider cultural trip to Venice.
A living Venetian tradition
The greatest strength of The Venice Glass Week lies in its approach to Murano glass.
The festival does not present it simply as a product from Venice’s past.
The furnaces still burn. Master glassmakers still practise their craft. Young artists continue to experiment with the material. International designers bring new ideas to the island.
For nine days in September, visitors can experience this entire creative world across Venice, Murano and Mestre.
The 10th edition of The Venice Glass Week, from 12 to 20 September 2026, offers one of the best opportunities of the year to discover the past, present and future of Venetian glass.