A cura di Mara Budgen, Patrizia Scarzella, Benedetta Bacialli, Chiara Riccio, Ottavia Zanetta

Just seven days to explore the Brera, Tortona, Ventura-Lambrate, Isola, Centro, Parco Sempione and Bovisa districts amid the exhibitions and events of Design Week 2017, running from 4 to 9 April in Milan. It's an opportunity to discover many new corners of the city and encounter cutting-edge design projects, all naturally accompanied by food, drink and music, sharing the liveliest and most intense week in the Lombard capital with thousands of visitors.

• Design Week 2017, tutto il meglio dell'incontro tra design e sostenibilità
• Design Week 2017, dal 4 al 9 aprile Milano in festa per il Salone del Mobile e il Fuorisalone
• Salone Satellite 2017, i progetti e le scuole di design più innovativi
• Tortona Design Week 2017, i progetti e le installazioni da non perdere
• Brera Design Week 2017. Le mostre, i giardini e i progetti eco imperdibili
• Porta Venezia in Design, i materiali e le installazioni più sostenibili
• Zona Santambrogio Design District, tra sostenibilità e innovazione
• Isola Design District, il nuovo distretto green del Fuorisalone
• Ventura Lambrate Design District, dove il design sociale incontra la sostenibilità
• Design Week 2017, le migliori installazioni del Fuorisalone a Milano
• Triennale Design Week, le esposizioni eco da non perdere

Below is a guide to the best free and free-entry parties, organised by district.

Brera

Express Urbanlife

Monday 3 April – Sunday 9 April
Urbanlife, corso Garibaldi 49

The association Le Belle Arti, Progetto Artepassante brings art to Urbanlife, Carrefour's concept store. Tuesday 4 April from 18:00 to 22:00: live music, jazz band and live street art performance; Thursday 6 to Saturday 8 April: beer tastings; Sunday 9 April from 18:00 to 22:00: theatrical performance.

Appartamento Eley Kishimoto per Kirkby Design

Tuesday 4 April – Thursday 6 April, 17:00 – 18:00
Appartamento da Sophie, via Palermo 1

Afternoon tea. The collaboration between London fashion studio Eley Kishimoto and British brand Kirkby Design, who transform an apartment in Brera to launch their textile collection.

Mare modular

Tuesday 4 April – Friday 7 April
Accademia delle belle arti di Brera, via Brera 28

Modular lighting instruments is an architectural lighting manufacturer from Belgium. From Tuesday 4 to Friday 7 April, 16:00 to 20:00 — except Wednesday 6 April, 16:00 to 18:00 — aperitif with DJ in the exhibition space.

Bollicine in cucina

Tuesday 4 April – Friday 7 April
Spazio Cernaia, via Cernaia 1

Tuesday 4 and Thursday 6 April from 18:00 to 20:30: showcooking and culinary tasting; Wednesday 5 and Friday 7 April from 18:00 to 20:30: aperitif with Venetian wine tasting.

Nartist

Wednesday 5 April, 19:00 – 24:00
Galleria Seno, via Ciovasso 19

Inauguration cocktail for a project supporting emerging artists, to give them visibility, create market opportunities and foster synergies between the art world and the industrial world.

Lanieri rooftop party

Thursday 6 April, 18:00 – 21:00
Lanieri Atelier, via Palermo 8

Rooftop cocktail hosted by Lanieri, Italy's first online store dedicated to men's elegance and bespoke tailored creations.

Taste of Bellini

Friday 7 April, 18:00 – 22:00
Dr Vranjes Florence, via Fiori Chiari 24

Send an email to this address with your first and last name to register for the presentation of the Bellini fragrance, inspired by the famous cocktail of the same name.

Condemned to Happiness n°1

Friday 7 April, 18:30 – 22:00
Pau Design Container, via Rosales 5

The organic fusion between body and instrument will take centre stage in the musical performance by composer Dario Buccino.

Zampaextra 17

Friday 7 April, 19:00 – 22:00
Zampediverse, piazza San Marco 1

Live performance by the musical-visual project Corteccia. Zampextra2017 is a futuristic audiovisual/pictorial-literary art and design installation.

Rainforest by Night

Friday 7 April, 20:00 – 22:00
Slow wood LabStore, foro Buonaparte 44/a

An exploration of a tropical forest at night. During the evening, the best interior designer award from the 35w2 competition by Slow wood — a network of craftspeople and small and medium-sized enterprises specialising in woodworking — will be presented.

#10 Pianos Street

Sunday 9 April, 11:00 – 21:00
Outside Eataly Smeraldo, piazza XXV Aprile

A suite for ten pianos composed by Yae. All the pianos, reworked by street artists including Acme 107, Fungo and Zoow24, are for sale to the highest bidder and the proceeds will be donated to a charitable organisation. Performances are entrusted to the piano ensemble of the Scuola di musica Antonia Pozzi and are scheduled for 13:00, 17:00 and 19:00.

Ventura-Lambrate

Osteria Mobile

Tuesday 4 – Sunday 9 April
Osteria del Castello, via Sbodio 30/S

A recreated medieval courtyard showcasing culinary and design traditions. Food and music — see this link for the music programme.

Garage Market

Thursday 6 April, 17:30 – 01:00
La Balera dell'ortica, via Amedeo 78

The Fuorisalone edition of the colourful vintage, second-hand and handmade market, accompanied by music. Dinner at the trattoria is available on reservation (by calling 342 3187586).

Chaos in Ventura-Lambrate

Saturday 8 April, 22:00 – 04:00
Secret location

The DJ set by Fountain of Chaos, also known as Tyler: the underground Nul night from Plastic moves to Ventura-Lambrate for futuristic music, African ritual dances, Balkan rhythms, deep house and techno. Register here to receive information about the event's location.

Tortona

Milano sotterranea

Thursday 6 April – Saturday 8 April, 18:00 – 03:00
Spazio Tempo, via Forcella, 13

Fifty years of Italian design history: objects from the archives of companies such as Serralunga, Misuraemme, Driade, Fontana Arte, Vortice, Candy, and Bio-Blaze are on display. Plus plenty of music.

Read also: Tortona Design Week 2017, i progetti e le installazioni da non perdere

Triennale, Parco Sempione

Red Bull studio mobile

Tuesday 4 April – Friday 7 April
Inhabits design village, piazza del Cannone

Evening DJ sets and the opportunity to take part in sound design workshops during which the Fuorisalone soundtrack will be created.

Closing event Triennale

Sunday 9 April, 17:00 – 23:00
Triennale di Milano, viale Alemagna 6

Closing party for the Design Week curated by Le Cannibale, with Francisco, Brioski and Uabos on the decks.

Bovisa

A letto con il design

Tuesday 4 April – Friday 7 April
Milan Design Hostel, via Cosenz 44/4

International young designers take centre stage: a former factory that today houses MakersHub is transformed into a colourful temporary hostel to exhibit work and bring "makers" together in a hybrid space between home, factory and gallery. From 10:30 to 00:30.

Every day: Aperitivo con il design at 19:00 and Design Night from 20:00 to 24:00, a daily appointment in collaboration with brewery La Ribalta, followed by a midnight spaghetti supper.

Also worth noting: a Pillow fight on Wednesday 5 April at 22:00, an electronic music DJ set on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 April at 22:00, and a VJ contest on Sunday 9 April at 22:00.

Isola

Isola design district opening and closing party

Tuesday 4 April and Saturday 8 April, 20:00 – 24:00
Milano design market, via Pastrengo 14

The opening of Isola design district on Tuesday 4 April runs all day; at 20:00 there is a jazz concert by Lo Sgangherato Trio and a DJ set by Lipstick. Saturday 8 April is the closing party. Register here.

Centro

Design Pride 2017

Wednesday 5 April, from 18:00
Meet at piazza Castello (via Minghetti) at 17:00

A parade of floats and music with a super finale party in piazza Affari. Register here.