Download your Art in Manufacturing Programme to learn more about each residency with a complete guide on artist talks and exhibition information.
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.
Taking inspiration from the exquisite traditional art of Indian and Persian miniature painting, this performance is perfect for the whole family. Performers in sumptuous costumes create vibrant and colourful mini worlds of dance, music and puppetry.
Meet the Art in Manufacturing commissioned artists and hear a short talk, each hosted by National Festival of Making Chair, Jamie Holman and Board Member Claire Mander.
This year the National Festival of Making is partnering with Liverpool Print Fair to bring you our first Print Fair: a curated art market with handmade and original prints by independent artists.
Climb aboard a playground swing, don a VR headset and take flight in one of four Leonardo da Vinci virtual flying machines. Don’t miss out on Studio Go Go’s thrilling VR Swing adventures.
Taking inspiration from the glorious tents of Mughal India, artist Saima Kaur will be inviting you to her hand stitched ‘Fantastical Fairground’ tent. Join her on the festival weekend to view the artwork and add your own creations to the ever growing artwork.
Be sure to visit this living and growing installation from UpPlant – a multi sensory and educational exhibit to showcase vertical farming, hydroponics and aquaponics. Learn about how it works and even how you could do something similar at home.
Inspired by folkloric stories unearthed during his residency with SWS UK – manufacturer of garage doors, roller shutters and retractable gates with a proximity to the River Lune – Art in Manufacturing artist Sapien AKA Steve Anwar has created a new steel sculpture.
Make your own fantastical face and wear it out and about on the streets of Blackburn!
Keith Brymer Jones returns to the National Festival of Making, in conversation with judge of The Great British Sewing Bee, Patrick Grant.
Design your own flag and use heat transfer techniques to create a beautiful and bold fabric flag. Perfect for family groups and young people!
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.
Have something to say? Want your voice to be heard? Join The People Speak at a pop-up talk show like no other.
This handmade device allows you to communicate with another person by trading signals across the internet, all on a handcrafted dial. Assemble the electronic components and decorate a Yo-yo Machine to imagine new interactions.
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 the weekend.
After a critically acclaimed run during Frieze London 2022, YESS LAD tours to the National Festival of Making.
A feast of family fusion, across geography and generations! This 30-minute comedy circus show is a vibrant and immersive treat for all ages.
Prism Contemporary has been transformed into a floor-to-ceiling textile installation during Ibukun Baldwin’s residency with clothing manufacturer Cookson & Clegg.
Join artist Ian Halawi and make your own sketchbook using traditional bookbinding techniques. Book your ticket now.
Presenting a series of new commissions, Art in Manufacturing pairs artists with the North’s leading manufacturers. The incredible outcomes of these residencies are shown in Blackburn each year in the town’s most historic and contemporary venues. Working with an artist influences new ways of doing things – in an already innovative space the opportunity for experiment and inquiry between artist and industry is limitless.
Known as ‘a festival in a can’, head to the airstream stage on Cathedral Square to find a host of DJs sharing good vibes, providing the perfect backdrop to your festival experience.
Try out this natural dyeing technique using a selection of plants to create unique patterns on fabric.
Catch these performances of folk tune arrangements by a community group with an eclectic mixture of instruments.
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.
Don’t miss this all-female Bhangra dancing and drumming team on Sunday, filling the streets with their interactive fusion performances.
This session will crucially explore the potential of events such as National Festival of Making and the role of all stakeholders in an ecology that is needed to sustain effective interventions and influence system design that embeds support for people and communities, creating opportunities to trial new approaches and innovative ideas at the local level.
Time to MAKE MORE MUSIC! More Music’s Walking Down the Street Gamelan is a beautiful-sounding collection of recycled instruments for pre-school children aged 0 – 5 and their families.
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. There is something for all ages so come along and have a go!
During the residency, artist Sam Belinfante has investigated Moire patterns and the optical effects induced through the movement of sheer fabrics, to be experienced large scale within a striking physical environment at The Cotton Exchange.
Have you ever wanted to try your hand at using a potters wheel? Here is the perfect chance to have a go!
Contribute to a growing collection of patches which will be sewn together to create covers and planting pockets for the planters at Blackburn railway station.
STEAM is everywhere – from the food we eat, to how we travel, to how we live. It is key to producing music, architecture, cosmetics, vehicles – in fact anything! Find out more about the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths at the Festival of Making STEAM Zone, with workshops galore delivered by Blackburn College.
Jamie Holman has begun working with curators Caroline Wilkinson and Anthea Purkis to start reimagining the Cotton Town gallery, exploring the potential to introduce wider narratives that have previously lacked visibility.
Join artist Jeremy Hutchison in this workshop reflecting on the garments that British consumers donate to charity. Contribute to an archive of recycled clothes monsters being exhibited at British Textile Biennial 2023.
Support the next generation of makers and creatives at our Future Makers Market, hosted by Blackburn BID.
Diamond Awl Leather Workshop share their expert craftsmanship in the glorious art of leatherworking with these special taster sessions.
Sensory memories of sound, touch and smell have been collected from partners of the factory to delve into the 70-year history of the people that have worked there and will be woven into a playful installation for families to explore together.
Sensory Friendly Session – a playful installation for families to explore together in the stunning surroundings of Blackburn Cathedral Crypt
Join Obscura Darkroom and learn how to make Cyanotypes, one of the oldest photographic printmaking processes dating back to the 1840s! You’ll make your own Blueprints from plants and other materials to take home.
Swap the printing press for a pasta machine in this environmentally conscious workshop for all ages.
Artist and den-building expert Chris will provide you with all the materials needed to create your own sculptural enclosure. Whether yours is practical, pioneering or pleasing to the eye, it’s time to get hands on and think big!
Help Relic Plastic take plastic waste destined for landfill and transform it into new and useful items. Learn about their micro-manufacturing process and make your very own recycled plastic keychain to take home.
Grab some chalk and add to a growing collection of climate-friendly tips and tricks in this special collaboration between the National Festival of Making, Get It Done and Blackburn with Darwen’s People’s Jury on the Climate Crisis.
Join students and course leads and Blackburn College to explore mending clothing with Sashiko embroidery.
The marigold flower is one of the auspicious flowers of India. They are often used during festivals for decorations. Since Marigold flowers are not commonly available in UK, ArteeCraft will teach you how to make them out of paper!
Be guided by fashion design staff in the incredibly creative and fast-paced pattern-cutting method called ‘subtraction pattern cutting’. Suitable for beginners and more advanced fashionistas!
Whilst visiting the festival, head over to the Youth Zone where you’ll find plenty of family friendly STEM activities from local organisations like IMO Charity, The Making Rooms, Manchester Youth Zone and Inspire Youth Zone.
Experiment with basic Arabic Calligraphy letters with Razwan. Practice your own calligraphy letters using handmade bamboo pens and hand mixed pigment inks.
Passionate about the voices in Northern cinema and beyond, Dirty Faces will be host film screenings in Tony’s Empress Ballroom, showcasing a line-up of the independent films from talented emerging and established filmakers.
Photo by Darren Lee Poole.
Experience a moment of wonder and delight in a magical new installation of illuminated chocolate boxes. During their residency with Cardboard Box Company, Illuminos have delved into their own family history, taking inspiration from their Grandfather, Bob Peddie’s confectionery shop window in 1950s Accrington.
Come along and meet the photography team from Blackburn University Centre’s highly acclaimed, Photography and Moving Image, degree course. The team will be demonstrating their skills by offering free, individual portraits to members of the public, with an exciting twist that demonstrates the very latest in modern technology.
Come and experience the Festival Weekend with Northern Dholis – a team of skilled Bhangra Dhol Players who will provide lively and energetic drumming performances.
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.
Be inspired by intricate patterns and learn the skill of papercutting! Using manicure scissors in a creative way, have fun creating and taking home your own art project.
An exhibition of art and design degree work from a selection of Industry Award winning students. The work on show will include fashion and textiles, fine art, photography and design.
Inspired by Uncultured Creatives’ research into Blackburn-based cinematographers Mitchell & Kenyon and the world’s first western, filmed in Blackburn, this workshop will give you the chance to cast your own memorial arrowhead in Pewter. Check back soon for more details on how to book.
Join the Suco Samba drumming group for some funky beats and good vibes at the National Festival of Making!
Blackburn staple Me To a Tee will be hosting a pop-up as part of the Dirty Faces Cinema space. Expect to find the best second hand threads from this truly Northern vintage store.
Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery staff open their doors for extended hours with a host of activities that give you deeper insights into the collections kept behind their doors!
Visit the Bowland Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers in Blackburn Market, where they will be running demos with the opportunity to have a go yourself.
Come along and add to a huge collaborative print! During this workshop, printmaker George will teach you the lino printing skills needed to make our big festival print. Be sure to return at 4.15pm to help ink, press and roll and witness the big reveal!
Test your making, problem solving and communication skills! Using balloons, springs, ping pong balls, hinges, mousetraps and more, can you build a mechanism that keeps the momentum of the chain reaction going?
Perfect for little ones! Join Nudrat and make a hand fan out of paper, wooden sticks, and trimmings – a take on the traditional hand fans (traditionally known as ‘Pankha’ – a hand fan used in summer) used in South Asia.
Experience willow weaving with Cherry. Choose between three designs and follow her lead as she guides you through the techniques – perfect for families!
The Blackburn Festival of Light Band is back! Catch them on King William Street on Saturday.
Choose a laser cut wooden tile designed by Aziza and fill it with colour using a selection of paint pens. Match the cut-out pieces to the empty slots in your tile to complete your masterpiece, and walk away with your very own piece of art!
Use craft and making to imagine what a fantastic Internet of Things could be! By making invisible networks visible we can imagine inventive ways to connect people and things through sensors.
Come and enjoy the delightful performances of Blackburn & Darwen Junior Band as they play popular hits from pop, films, and folk music genres.
Fancy a bite to eat? Sample the best and most delicious food with our selection of delectable and irresistible street food stalls!
Make a traditional Indian diamond kite with ArteeCraft. An expert artist from the team will lead you through the steps to make a kite with bamboo sticks and paper.
Interactive creative fun for Early Years children 0 – 4yrs and their grownups, brought to you by The Bureau Centre for the Arts Shared Sounds Early Years programme.
On Saturday at 2:00 pm, come see the students’ fashion show at Victoria Court in The Mall showcasing and celebrating womenswear, menswear and gender-fluid collections.
Enjoy listening to this group of enthusiastic young singers from across Blackburn and Darwen.
Using hand-made Batik fabric, design and make your own badge with Chip in, Blackburn with Darwen’s volunteer network for 16 – 30 year olds.