Plan your visit to the Baku Carpet Festival 2026

In just two days, the International Carpet Festival will take over Baku’s UNESCO-listed Old City, presenting a programme of exhibitions, forums and live craft

The International Carpet Festival returns to Baku from 1–3 May 2026, transforming the World Heritage Site of the Old City of Icherisheher into a living showcase of textile heritage, contemporary design and global cultural exchange. Across three days, historic courtyards, caravanserais and public squares become immersive spaces for exhibitions, forums and live craft demonstrations.

International Carpet Forum – 1 May

The festival opens on 1 May with the International Carpet Forum, a professional platform bringing together designers, artisans, manufacturers, researchers and creative industry leaders from across the world.

Throughout the day, discussions and panels explore the evolving role of carpet weaving within the global creative economy, with themes including branding, sustainability, preservation of traditional skills and international market development. The Forum sets the intellectual tone for the festival, positioning carpet weaving as both a cultural heritage practice and a contemporary creative industry.

The forum will convene international experts from Azerbaijan, Belgium, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Japan. Bringing together a wide range of perspectives, the session will explore how differing cultural contexts, institutional frameworks and market conditions influence and shape the contemporary carpet industry.

You can discover more about the selected speakers here.

Exhibitions Across the Old City – 2–3 May

From 2 to 3 May, the festival opens fully to the public as exhibitions take over the Old City. Historic spaces are activated with displays of classical Azerbaijani carpets, rare archival pieces and contemporary works that reinterpret traditional motifs through modern artistic languages.

Alongside these, visitors encounter installations, textile-based artworks and experimental design pieces, creating a dialogue between heritage and innovation within the architectural fabric of Icherisheher.

Live Demonstrations and Workshops – 2–3 May

Over the same weekend, live demonstrations and workshops run throughout both days, offering an insight into the intricate processes of carpet weaving.

Master artisans present traditional techniques in real time, while interactive sessions allow visitors, including younger participants and international guests, to engage directly with the craft and its evolving practice.

Cultural Exchange Programme – 2–3 May

A wider cultural programme also takes place across 2–3 May, featuring international presentations, performances and talks.

Weaving traditions from different countries are showcased alongside Azerbaijani heritage, encouraging exchange, collaboration and dialogue between cultures. These events run continuously throughout the festival, reinforcing its role as a global meeting point for textile heritage and contemporary design thinking.

A Living Heritage in Motion

Across all three days, the Baku Carpet Festival presents a layered programme that moves fluidly between forum discussions, public exhibitions, workshops and live cultural activity.

Rather than presenting carpet weaving as a static tradition, the festival frames it as a living, evolving language — one that connects communities, disciplines and generations, and continues to shape its place within both heritage and contemporary creative practice.

As Baku prepares to open its historic streets once again, the festival invites visitors to experience carpet weaving not as heritage preserved behind glass, but as a living art form unfolding in real time.