Published Tuesday 16 May 2023 at 12:06
Make space in your diary – the National Festival of Making is back for 2023 and it’s not to be missed!
From making workshops to impressive art installations, theatre and musical performances, makers markets, delicious street food, talks, tours and more, this celebration of all things making will be hosted right on your doorstep – in Blackburn town centre.
The event draws in tens of thousands of people each year, with visitors travelling from far and wide to be part of the action and this year it’ll run over the weekend of July 8th and 9th.
Councillor Phil Riley, Leader of Blackburn Council, said:
Blackburn with Darwen is a real hot bed of culture and creativity.
The National Festival of Making is a big deal and we’re incredibly proud to host it here in our borough and play an integral part as strategic partner too.
The Festival celebrates the unique making heritage of our borough, creating a distinctive sense of place while boosting our town’s tourism profile and supporting local businesses – it’s fantastic!
And, with news its set to share £2m of new Arts Council England funding for the borough over the next three years, it promises to be even bigger and better – if that’s even possible!
It was named an Arts Council National Portfolio Holder alongside Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, Cultrapedia and the British Textile Biennial, which will also return in 2023 – running for a month from September 29th.
Chair of the Festival of Making Board of Directors, Jamie Holman, said:
We’ve collectively witnessed the enormous growth of Blackburn’s local cultural ecology in recent years, and that is now even further enhanced with strategic and significant Arts Council investment.
I’m beyond excited to see how our ambitions can now be realised over the next three years.
Make a weekend of it!
Find out what’s planned at the Festival of Making website by clicking here.