Events 2025
- All
- Art
- Art in Manufacturing
- Bookable
- Come As You Really Are
- Community
- Digital
- Early Years
- Experience
- Family Friendly
- Fashion
- Film
- Food and Drink
- Heritage skills
- Know Before You Go
- Markets
- Music and Performance
- Skills Advisory
- STEAM
- Talks
- Workshops
- Saturday
- Sunday
Download Festival Programme
Download your Festival Programme! This is your essential guide to everything happening over the weekend, complete with a handy map to help you navigate to each venue.
Download Art in Manufacturing Programme
Download your Art in Manufacturing Programme to learn more about each residency with a complete guide on artist talks and exhibition information.
Art in Manufacturing: Morag Myerscough + Crown Paints
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
As a natural meeting point between Morag Myerscough + Crown Paints, colour is celebrated in Floral Timekeepers. A new permanent mural and large scale pollinator-friendly planters.
- Art
- Art in Manufacturing
- Barton Street Car Park
- Prism Contemporary
Come As You Really Are
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
National Festival of Making with Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery and Artangel presents Come As You Really Are by Hetain Patel. The exhibition brings together thousands of objects created, modified or collected by hobbyists across the UK, shown alongside a new artist film and a series of programmed workshops and performances.
- Art
- Come As You Really Are
- Community
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Sign writing byUMBERTO
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
byUMBERTO will talk you through the stages of how to paint lettering with a brush. Step-by-step instructions on brush control will help you to ‘have a go’ at the easel or contribute to a small mural board that will be painted collectively across the weekend.
- Art
- Community
- Workshops
- The Make Space - 59 King William Street
Stud Wall Drop-in with Girls with Drills
- Saturday: 1:30pm to 5:00pm
- Sunday: 1:30pm to 5:00pm
Do you want to learn how to use a drill or feel more confident doing DIY at home? Learn the basics of using a drill and putting things up on your standard stud wall. Drop by from 1.30pm.
- Skills Advisory
- STEAM
- Workshops
- Shop Three by Victoria Court - The Mall
Art in Manufacturing: Matter at hand + Darwen Terracotta & Faience
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday
A laboratory inside a cathedral, Poured Earth reveals the research and experiments of Matter at hand, the design practice of Lewis Jones.
- Art
- Art in Manufacturing
- Blackburn Cathedral - North Trancept
Art in Manufacturing: Liaqat Rasul + Herbert Parkinson
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Umeed (Oh-meed) 
– Gobaith – Hope is crafted from material found on the factory floor and from within Liaqat Rasul’s collection saved over the years.
- Art
- Art in Manufacturing
- The Crypt - Blackburn Cathedral
Light Organ
- Saturday: 12:00pm to 1:45pm
- Sunday: 11:00am to 5:00pm
Created by Akeelah Bertram, Simon Fletcher and Adam Glatherine, Light Organ transforms your voice into a symphony of light! You are invited to sing, speak, clap, or create any sound to activate dynamic patterns of light within the sculptural array.
- Art
- Experience
- Music and Performance
- The Crypt - Blackburn Cathedral
Transform a Ford Escort Car with Hetain Patel
- Saturday: 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Join award-winning artist and Spider-Man enthusiast, Hetain Patel, for a hands-on workshop creating your own miniature personalised Ford Escort car.
- Come As You Really Are
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
HELLO PETAL!
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Turn yourself into a blooming flower in Let’s Make Art’s creative flower mask workshop. Let’s re-wild the town, using a colour palette inspired by Morag Myerscough and her collaboration with Crown Paints.
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Prism Contemporary
Art in Manufacturing Talks
- Saturday
- Sunday
Meet the Art in Manufacturing commissioned artists to hear a short talk about their residencies and learn more about the artworks.
- Art in Manufacturing
- Talks
- Various Venues
Split Pin Puppets with Ren Wolfe
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Artist Ren Wolfe will take you through the steps of making a magical mixed-media puppet. Create your whimsical creature out of cardboard and bring them to life through movement using split pins,
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square Workshop Marquee
Come As You Really Are to Tony’s Empress Ballroom
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Head to this iconic venue to catch a selection of dance and music classes all connected to the Come As You Really Are exhibition and people’s hobbies! Find dance classes by Anthony & Steph, Clog Dancing with Clever Clogs, workshops from Northern Soul Dance and percussion with Global Grooves.
- Come As You Really Are
- Music and Performance
- Workshops
- Tony's Ballroom
Miniature Techniques: Decorate a tiny house with Rose Whittaker
- Sunday
Turn tiny houses into magical homes with kitbashing tricks, everyday junk, and crafty mini-makeovers!
- Bookable
- Come As You Really Are
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
The Nasheed Choir by Hussnain Hanif
- Saturday: 12:10pm to 12:30pm
- Sunday: 11:30am to 11:50am
- Sunday
Embark on a soulful musical journey led by Hussnain Hanif, as he brings the timeless beauty of Nasheeds to life with pupils from Roe Lee Park Primary School and St Mary’s & St Joseph’s R.C. Primary School.
- Community
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- Melodrome Stage
- The Crypt - Blackburn Cathedral
Radical Pairings
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
To coincide with the launch of a new publication, Radical Pairings, this exhibition brings together the work of five women artists: Jacqueline Donachie, Nicola Ellis, Raisa Kabir, Hannah Leighton-Boyce and Liz Wilson, captured in an essay by art critic Elizabeth Fullerton, Artists and Factories Make Radical Pairings.
- Art
- Art in Manufacturing
- Talks
- Blakey Moor Terrace
Makers Market by Hopeful & Glorious
- Saturday: All Day
The UK’s most exciting independent makers gather at Blackburn Cathedral for the National Festival of Making’s Maker’s Market, handpicked by expert design and craft curators Hopeful & Glorious.
- Art
- Markets
- Blackburn Cathedral
CONVERSATIONS IN CREATIVITY: George Clarke
- Sunday: 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Join us for a special event with George Clarke — architect, television presenter, lecturer, and writer, best known for his work on Channel 4’s The Home Show, George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, and more. Tickets will be announced soon — stay tuned! This talk is a Conversations in Creativity event delivered in partnership with Creative Lancashire.
- Bookable
- Talks
- Blackburn Cathedral
This Must be the Place
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Explore the places that really mean something to you in this abstract poster-making workshop. You’ll be challenged through the medians of collage, drawing, painting or poetry to create your work, inspired by Mikesian Studio’s iconic bold, graphic style.
- Cathedral Square Gardens
Craft for the People
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Join the Crafts Council for an ever-changing display inspired by its handling collection. Visitors are invited to participate in creative workshops and hands-on activities, engaging with objects curated by the Creatives of Blackburn (CoB).
- Art
- Workshops
- Temple Gallery at Blackburn Cathedral
Let’s Play DnD! New players welcome
- Sunday
Join Niels for A Fiendish Plot, a fantasy Dungeons & Dragons adventure brimming with magic, mystery, and mischievous spirits.
- Bookable
- Come As You Really Are
- Experience
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Hikaru Dorodango (Shiny mud dumpling)
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday
Head to Poured Earth, the Art in Manufacturing exhibition of Matter at hand + Darwen Terracotta, to find a workshop led by Annabel Cameron-Duff. Explore the Japanese art form Hikaru Dorodango – the process of transforming a simple clay ball into a beautiful, polished sphere.
- Art in Manufacturing
- Workshops
- Blackburn Cathedral - North Trancept
Caravanalogue
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
A quirky retro mobile touring workshop with analogue and hand powered facilities! Join Kerris and Leonie in their classic safari caravan, which has been lovingly restored to host workshops. Enter the caravan and you’ll be led through the process of making a book to take away.
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- By the STEAM Zone
READY STEADY GO!
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Colour your own cardboard car and set off on a live adventure trail! You will accelerate through a bubbly car wash, navigate road works and go on a journey discovering the secrets of the Festival and local area. Then drive your unique car home!
- Experience
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Corner Unit - The Mall by the glass tower (opposite Natwest)
HOME: Zero
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
HOME: Zero is an interactive performance that invites you into a fantastical world where time is running out. In this playful installation inspired by National Gallery paintings, families spark their imaginations to create extraordinary changes and envision a more sustainable future.
- Bookable
- Experience
- Family Friendly
- Sports Hall at the Blackburn Youth Zone
The Red List with Heritage Crafts
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Did you know there are some crafts at risk of being extinct in the UK? Heritage Crafts will be taking over a space in Blackburn to highlight their ‘Red List of Endangered Crafts’, featuring expert Makers all focussed on keeping these skills alive.
- Heritage skills
- Workshops
- Blackburn Cathedral Annex
Those In Glass Houses…
- Saturday: 12:30pm to 1:15pm
- Sunday: 12:30pm to 1:15pm
A performance like no other, ‘Those in Glass Houses…’ is a celebration of glass and all its fragilities. Perfect for families, brace yourself for swinging bricks, comedic catapults, and the orchestrated chaos of glass-shattering domino runs in this adventure of controlled destruction.
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- Cathedral Square
Crochet 101 with Crochet Crazy Creations
- Saturday
- Sunday
Come along and kickstart your crochet journey with Rachael!
- Bookable
- Come As You Really Are
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Kitchen Tables
- Saturday
- Sunday
Enter Kitchen Tables, a space to spotlight the making that happens at home. Our kitchen tables are not just dining spaces – they’re places we make, we work, we gather and more. Here you’ll find a selection of workshops all connected to the many uses of our dining spaces, and what they mean to us.
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Migration Memories
- Saturday
- Sunday
Join artist Simge Vurtak for a ceramic workshop exploring belonging and migration. During the workshop, you’ll explore one powerful question: What does it mean to leave one place and begin again in another?
- Bookable
- Workshops
- The Make Space - 59 King William Street
Zine Making with Fiona Quadri
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Celebrate food, memory and everyday creativity with Artist Fiona Quadri through zine-making at Kitchen Tables. Reflect on the kitchen table as a space of gathering and storytelling – use collage, drawing, and writing to create your own mini zines inspired by personal moments, traditions, and shared meals.
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Memory-Making Mealtimes with Kim Chin
- Sunday: All Day
Mealtimes often act as a love language that transcend cultures and generations. Join artist Kim Chin in Kitchen Tables and create a symbolic fabric “placemat” using printmaking, sewing, and collage-based techniques.
- Know Before You Go
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Tussie-Mussie Making: A Victorian Floral Workshop
- Saturday: All Day
Learn how to make a traditional Tussie Mussie Bouquet whilst understanding more about the Victorian Language of Flowers. Sarah of Olive Owl Flowers will guide you through the steps to make a mini bouquet, incorporating the meanings of particular flowers in relation to history and folklore.
- Know Before You Go
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Still Life Drawing with Java Bere
- Sunday: All Day
Join Java Bere in Kitchen Tables for a playful drawing and mark-making workshop inspired by the everyday creativity of the kitchen. Using ingredients and objects found on our tables as tools and inspiration, you’ll explore still life through texture, line, and free creative play — celebrating the beauty in the everyday and the joy of making.
- Know Before You Go
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Simple Sauerkraut with Anjee
- Saturday: All Day
Join Anjee to make a personalised jar of sauerkraut and discover the benefits of fermented foods in this Kitchen Tables workshop.
- Know Before You Go
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Introduction to Chip Carving
- Saturday: All Day
As part of Kitchen Tables, join woodworker Graeme Brown and learn a simple chip carving technique to create beautiful patterns on wooden objects.
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Abstract Arabic Calligraphy with Hafifa Ahmed
- Saturday: All Day
Hafifa Ahmed will lead you through a calming, creative workshop exploring the shapes and rhythm of Arabic letters in Kitchen Tables. Using brushes, inks, and traditional reed pens, you’ll experiment with mark-making and movement to turn script into expressive, abstract art.
- Know Before You Go
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Plasticine Companions with Sam Selley
- Sunday: All Day
Sculpt your own tiny, movable companion with Sam Selley by creating an armature using a cork, wire and aluminium foil in Kitchen Tables. Once the armature is complete, use vegetable based plasticine to bring your armature to life – whether it’s an imaginative creature, your favourite animal, or a miniature version of yourself.
- Know Before You Go
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Henna Coasters
- Sunday: All Day
Learn about the origins and uses of henna, as well as the techniques to apply it with a cone. Decorate a wooden coaster to take home.
- Know Before You Go
- Workshops
- The Bell Tent - Cathedral Gardens
Playful Portraits: Wooden Spoon Painting Workshop with Fernandes Makes
- Saturday
- Sunday
Transform wooden spoons into tiny portraits, guided fun with examples, prompts, and famous faces!
- Come As You Really Are
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Stitch-School
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Sit down and slow down: join Stitch-School at the large communal ‘stitch table’ and contribute to this ever-growing embroidery piece co-created by communities in Blackburn.
- Community
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- The Make Space - 59 King William Street
Paint a Space Marine at The Batcave
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Explore the world of Warhammer 40K and paint your own Space Marine in the Batcave!
- Come As You Really Are
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- The Batcave
The Obscura Photowall
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Visit The Obscura Photowall, where you’re invited to create your own self portrait using an old analogue plate camera! Develop your image on site and add it to the growing exhibition, which will be part of an online archive.
- Art
- Community
- Family Friendly
- Heritage skills
- Outside The Make Space - 59 King William Street
Ellie Barrett x Good Things Collective: The Sculpture Kit
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Perfect for Early Years: Designed by artist Ellie Barrett and her daughter, Nora, The Sculpture Kit invites you to transform six everyday materials you may already have at home into imaginative works of art!
- Early Years
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square Workshop Marquee
Melodrome Stage
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Don’t miss the Melodrome Stage at Cathedral Square with live music and performances from local and national musicians throughout the day.
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- Cathedral Square
Scrapbook of Summer with Beaulongings
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Cut, stick, sketch, stamp and collage the first page of your very own A5 scrapbook!
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square Workshop Marquee
The City as a Festival
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Explore an exhibition showcasing the imaginative designs of 1st Year Leeds School of Architecture students from their project, The City as a Festival. Through hypothetical proposals, they envisioned a temporary event space for the beloved Tony’s Ballroom.
- Art
- STEAM
- The Make Space - 59 King William Street
Stool Making with Girls With Drills
- Saturday
- Sunday
Do you want to learn how to use a drill or feel more confident doing DIY at home? Girls with Drills are here to help! Get stuck in and learn how to use manual and electrical tools to build a wooden stool to take home.
- Bookable
- Skills Advisory
- STEAM
- Workshops
- Shop Three - The Mall
Pin Your Hopes
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
This workshop invites you to explore the power of the pin badge, small in size, bold in meaning. Inspired by the idea of wearable protest and hopeful statements, you’ll craft your own badge that speaks to who you are or what matters to you.
- Come As You Really Are
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Community Clothing
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Visit the Community Clothing pop-up shop where you can browse the collection of high quality, everyday clothing made in Blackburn and the UK. Don’t be surprised if you bump into founder of Community Clothing and judge of the Great British Sewing Bee, Patrick Grant – he’ll be doing meet-and-greets at the shop for much of Saturday. Please note this venue has a 4cm lip at the entrance.
- Fashion
- Markets
- 66 King William Street
Architecture for Insects with HemingwayDesign
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Artist Charlotte Barry and Wood Designer Charlie Boyden will guide you to design and create a home for insects, repurposing wood offcuts from art and design studios.
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square
Darwen Moor Cyanotypes
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Using organic materials native to the blanket bogs of Darwen Moor, create a cyanotype – one of the oldest methods of photographic printing. Led by Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Lancashire Peat Partnership, with support from Blackburn BID, chat to the team to understand the urgent need to protect and restore our peatlands.
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square
Soul Stitched – Keep On Keeping On
- Saturday
- Sunday
The team behind Keep On Keeping On are bringing a Northern Soul patch design workshop to the Festival. Inspired their new production showing in Blackburn this May, you can design and embroider a fabric badge, exploring identity, community and the legacy of Northern Soul.
- Bookable
- Workshops
- Upstairs at Ribblesdale Tap
Make, mix, and create with Jesmonite!
- Saturday
- Sunday
Make, mix, and create with Jesmonite! Get hands on in this colourful, family friendly workshop where you’ll learn how to work with Jesmonite, a versatile, eco friendly casting material. Choose between marbling or terrazzo techniques to design your very own decorative tray.
- Bookable
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- The Make Space - 59 King William Street
Blackburn Festival of Film
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
This summer, Blackburn welcomes the launch of the Blackburn Festival of Film! A vibrant celebration of Northern talent and international cinema.
- Art
- Digital
- Film
- REEL Cinema
Pom Pom Making with Millie
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Get crafty and cosy with our hands-on Pom Pom Making Workshop. Led by Millie, this session invites you to explore the art of pom pom making using a beautiful selection of wools.
- Come As You Really Are
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
SCRUMPTIOUS!
- Sunday
In this magically sweet show about friendship and ice cream, join Sylvie, a sweetshop owner and her friends from Storybook World as they try to make the world’s finest ice cream.
- Bookable
- Community
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- Hornby Lecture Theatre - Blackburn Library
Wakes Week: British Textile Biennial
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Head over to the Wakes Week tent and dive into the fascinating connection between mill towns and the seaside! Dress up in period clothing and pose for a fun keepsake photo, browse postcards from Robert Leech’s 50-year collection, and get creative designing your very own postcard with artist Izzy Sempill.
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square
STEAM Zone with Blackburn College
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Find out more about the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths at the Festival of Making STEAM Zone, with workshops galore delivered in partnership with Blackburn College.
- Digital
- Family Friendly
- Skills Advisory
- STEAM
- Workshops
- STEAM Zone King William Street
Warhammer 40K: Watch, Learn, Conquer!
- Saturday: All Day
Join Warhammer enthusiasts Ben and Conor for a live 40K Battle! Watch the dice roll and the shots fire as the two go head-to-head in a live Warhammer 40K showdown! Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned player, come along to see the action unfold and pick up tips on how to dominate the tabletop battlefield.
- Come As You Really Are
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
- Victoria Gallery
Wakes Week Postcard Collage with Izzy Sempill
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Join artist Izzy Sempill and collage a postcard using a range of decorated papers and second-hand magazines. Located next to the pop-up Wakes Week exhibition from the British Textile Biennial, the workshop is inspired by the collection of postcards on display.
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square
Not Only a Street Party
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Not Only A promotes and encourages creative entrepreneurship by hosting mini block parties in often overlooked areas of town. Head down to Church Street to find a host of emerging creatives, support a circular economy, be immersed in a pop-up marketplace and experience live music from local artists co-curated with Blackburn Gigs.
- Markets
- Music and Performance
- Workshops
- Church Street
Thingamabobas
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Makers of Imaginary Worlds bring you Thingamabobas! Don’t miss this animatronic and robotic circus of bizarrely wonderful machines created to inspire, delight and intrigue.
- Experience
- Family Friendly
- Know Before You Go
- 9 Town Hall Street
Slow Stitching with Revamp Racoon & Good Things Collective
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Using playful experimentation, design and make whatever takes your fancy using fabric and embroidery techniques, led by artist Wendy O’Hara of Revamp Racoon.
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square Workshop Marquee
Henna Demonstrations with Samina
- Saturday: All Day
Guinness World Record holder Samina will be showcasing her incredible henna skills live on two models, demonstrating the beauty and intricacy of this ancient art form. Between demonstrations, you’ll have the chance to get your very own henna tattoo from Samina herself.
- Come As You Really Are
- Experience
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Museum of Memorable Trees
- Saturday
- Sunday
Take a visit to The Museum of Memorable Trees and let the curator guide you around this miniature exhibition on wheels. Discover amazing stories of great trees that have woven themselves into people’s lives and memories. Listen to tales and calming soundscapes as you explore behind every door. There’s plenty of space left. Have you got a fantastic tree you can add to the museum?
- Experience
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- Cathedral Square
Blackburn Festival of Light Band
- Saturday
The Blackburn Festival of Light Band returns! Don’t miss out on the vibrant performances by this community band throughout the festival weekend.
- Community
- Music and Performance
- King William Street
Craftsmanship Skills with QEST
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Find expert makers of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship and take part in a workshop perfect for the whole family. Long term Festival partners, QEST is a charity that supports the careers of talented and aspiring makers.
- Family Friendly
- Heritage skills
- Workshops
- Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
DRIFT
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Join Super Slow Way and singer-songwriter Matt Hill for a chat all about music in DRIFT – a newly designed pop-up audio studio.
- Community
- Digital
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- Victoria Court - The Mall
Tinkertown
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Help build Tinkertown! Wood-working meets den-building in this drop-in workshop for children. Don a pair of gloves and grab your tools provided by the team and set to work tinkering, building and creating!
- Family Friendly
- STEAM
- Workshops
- Front of Cathedral Darwen Street
Loud & Proud: Punjabi Roots
- Saturday: 11:45am to 12:15pm
- Sunday: 11:45am to 12:15pm
Experience the electrifying energy of Bhangra dancing and Dhol drumming in an unforgettable celebration of South Asian culture and community spirit!
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- King William Street
Taste Lancashire Market
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
The Taste Lancashire Market is brought to you by Marketing Lancashire, part of their national and international Taste Lancashire activity to champion Lancashire’s superb food and drink.
- Food and Drink
- Markets
- King William Street
Sing with Blackburn People’s Choir
- Saturday: 2:30pm to 3:30pm
- Sunday: 2:30pm to 3:30pm
A workshop for all, whether you have singing experience or think you would love to sing but don’t believe you can! Bring friends and family for a happy hour of singing with Blackburn People’s Choir.
- Community
- Music and Performance
- Workshops
- The Crypt - Blackburn Cathedral
The Making Rooms: Fab Lab
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
The Making Rooms Fab Lab joins the festival programme once again. Opening their doors to the public for the weekend, expect to find creative workshops set in this technology haven on Exchange Street! Watch the CNC machine create paintings, make seed bombs from shredded cardboard, create a keyring from recycled plastic, and much more!
- Digital
- Family Friendly
- Skills Advisory
- STEAM
- Workshops
- The Making Rooms
A Line Art: Fold Your Town
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Returning to the festival! Craft your favourite Blackburn landmark by folding and making, contributing to large paper art installation that will evolve throughout the festival weekend!
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Blackburn Library
Shared Sounds
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Calling all little explorers! The Bureau’s popular Shared Sounds programme for young children is back at the National Festival of Making with exciting new activities. Expect a fun mix of music, art, and creative play designed to spark imaginations and support early development.
- Early Years
- Music and Performance
- Workshops
- The Bureau Centre for the Arts
Polonez Manchester
- Sunday: 3:00pm to 3:30pm
Polish folk ensemble Polonez Manchester will perform traditional Polish folk dances in stunning handmade and embroidered costumes from the Lowicz region.
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- King William Street
Pipes and Poo with One Tenth Human
- Saturday: 12:15pm to 12:45pm
- Sunday: 1:30pm to 2:00pm
Join One Tenth Human for a delightfully disgusting adventure into the extraordinary world of water, pipes, and yes, poo! Award-winning children’s theatre company One Tenth Human presents an interactive installation plus a twice-daily live game show. Can you help Bubbles win the golden crown? And what will we discover along the way?
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- STEAM
- King William Street
Dorothy Whipple: Beyond The Pages
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday
Discover the life and legacy of Blackburn-born author Dorothy Whipple in this 15-minute film, shown on repeat throughout the weekend. The film celebrates Dorothy’s literary heritage and explores how her life in the North shaped her writing. Alongside the screening, you’ll also find a small selection of items from her personal archive on display, a rare glimpse into the world of one of Blackburn’s most celebrated writers.
- Digital
- Family Friendly
- Blackburn Library
Afro-Brazilian Percussion Workshop
- Saturday
Delivered by Global Grooves and supported by Actual Music, try out a hands-on percussion workshop. Explore rhythms heard across Brazil in modern day whilst delving into the rich, Afro-rooted history of these Carnival traditions.
- Music and Performance
- Workshops
- Tony's Ballroom
Street Food
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Fancy a bite to eat? Sample the most delicious food with our selection of delectable and irresistible street food stalls!
- Food and Drink
- Markets
- Cathedral Square
- King William Street
CurioCraft: Where Ideas Come to Life
- Saturday: All Day
On Saturday, join Blackburn Youth Zone for a collection of hands-on creative workshops for the family, from keyring making to pillow making and everything in between!
- Family Friendly
- STEAM
- Workshops
- Blackburn Youth Zone
Creative Skills Workshops with Blackburn College
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Did you know that some of our own team members and many of the artists and volunteers we work with studied creative subjects at Blackburn University College? Find some of the departments here at the Festival and have a go at activities across different creative disciplines. You never know, it might just lead you to something wonderful!
- Family Friendly
- Skills Advisory
- Workshops
- Creative Skills Hub - Museum Street
Community Bands
- Saturday: 11:00am to 11:30am
Pop-up performances from some fantastic local and community-led bands help us soundtrack the Festival! Featuring long-term Festival highlights with some new additions, they’re always sure to gather a crowd.
- Community
- Family Friendly
- Music and Performance
- King William Street
Mandala Mats with Sheema Patel
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
Use a stencil to draw your mandala then use pattern, collage and embellishments to make it your own.
- Family Friendly
- Workshops
- Cathedral Square Workshop Marquee
Meet Your Community Networks
- Saturday: All Day
- Sunday: All Day
The voluntary sector provides a vital role in connecting communities and supporting the growth of social action. Taking over downstairs at The Exchange, find out which clubs and societies exist in your local area and what amazing things are happening. Please note that this venue is accessed via downward steps.
- Community
- Downstairs at the Cotton Exchange - side entrance
Dhol Workshop – South Asian Percussion
- Saturday
- Sunday
Join Tej from Global Grooves Join Tej from Global Grooves for an energetic and inclusive Open-Level Dhol Drumming Workshop where participants of all levels of experience can explore the powerful rhythms of Dhol drumming. Delivered by Global Grooves and supported by Actual Music.
- Music and Performance
- Workshops
- Tony's Ballroom
