Inside the final Antwerp edition of Us By Night
Us By Night 2026 brought together international designers, artists and creative professionals in Antwerp, Belgium, from 24 to 26 September. Held at Waagnatie, an industrial venue along the city’s waterfront, the three-night festival combined 45 talks with exhibitions, interactive installations, music and a night market. Founded by digital artist Rizon Parein in 2016, the event has developed an approach to creative conferences in which the programme extends well beyond the stage. This year’s gathering marked the sixth and final Antwerp edition, closing a decade-long chapter for a festival closely associated with the city’s international creative community.
The programme covered a broad range of disciplines, including graphic design, photography, digital art, animation, advertising and spatial design. Among the participating speakers were Sabine Marcelis, Gary Card, Harry Gruyaert, Studio Dumbar, Wieden+Kennedy and creative coding artist Zach Lieberman. The presentations brought established studios and independent practitioners into the same programme, offering different perspectives on contemporary creative work. The diversity of speakers also reflected the increasingly connected nature of visual culture, where practices developed across design, technology and art frequently intersect.
The venue itself was an important part of the experience. Rather than relying on a conventional conference layout, Us By Night occupied a series of purpose-built environments inside the industrial warehouse. The Stadium and Teatro stages were accompanied by exhibition areas, installations and spaces dedicated to creative activities. A large scaffolding balcony surrounded the Teatro hall, providing an elevated viewpoint while accommodating the Antwerp Poster Festival exhibition. Featuring 100 selected posters, the exhibition introduced an international selection of contemporary graphic design into the festival’s architectural setting.
Elsewhere, visitors encountered opportunities to participate in the creative process. A large wheatpasting wall developed into an evolving collage as new prints were added throughout the event. Live printing, digital graffiti, screenings and portrait photography extended the programme beyond the scheduled talks. Photographer Craig Fleming’s portrait studio offered another form of interaction, while experimental digital tools appeared alongside physical printing processes. These activities introduced a practical dimension to the event, making creative production visible within the same environment as the presentations.
The night market provided a different rhythm between sessions. Food stalls, music, games and informal meeting areas occupied the surrounding spaces, allowing visitors to move between talks and social activities throughout the evening. This arrangement encouraged interaction between speakers, designers, students and other creative professionals without separating the educational programme from the festival’s social environment. The combination of different activities gave Us By Night a distinctive spatial character, with the atmosphere changing as audiences circulated through the venue.
The conclusion of Us By Night 2026 also marked a change in the festival’s future. Parein confirmed that the event would leave Antwerp after six editions, while making clear that Us By Night itself would continue. Its final gathering in the city demonstrated how a creative conference can operate simultaneously as a programme of talks, an exhibition platform and a place for professional exchange. After ten years, Us By Night leaves Antwerp with an established identity built around the relationship between creative practice, physical space and the communities that gather around them.
Photography by Juan Torres
