Geelong Design Week returns in 2026. Photo: Supplied / City of Greater Geelong.
From Berlin and Montréal to Seoul and Singapore, you won’t be surprised to see that some of the world’s best-known creative centres sit on UNESCO’s Design Cities list. But you might not immediately think of Victoria’s second city, Geelong.
The title can sound like a curious piece of civic branding, but Geelong’s designation as one of UNESCO’s Cities of Design in 2017 was not so much about declaring the city as an aspiring design destination as recognising something that was already there.
Alannah Sue (she/her) is a journalist, writer and theatre critic with a passion for arts and culture and all that glitters. She joined the Creative Hubs Group team as Senior Arts & Screen Journalist after relocating to Melbourne in 2025. She previously served as Arts & Culture Editor at Time Out Sydney and contributes to various publications.
She is always keen to take a chance on weird performance art, theatre of all kinds, out-of-the-box exhibitions, queer venues, and cheap Prosecco. Give her half a chance, and she will get on a soapbox when it comes to topics like the magic of musical theatre, the importance of rigorous arts criticism, and the global cultural implications of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise. Got a pitch for Alannah? Send an email to: [email protected]
