Published Wednesday 20 May 2026 at 16:02
Lancashire’s biggest making festival will take over Blackburn town centre on 4th & 5th July for a family-friendly weekend packed with exhibitions, live performances, hands-on making activities, film screenings, makers markets, street food and lots more.
The National Festival of Making is free to attend and open to all, bringing together artists, industry, makers and communities across Blackburn town centre.
From talks by TV star and ceramicist Johnny Vegas and BAFTA-winning film director Michael Winterbottom, to den building with 200 pallets, virtual reality adventures and groundbreaking art exhibitions, Blackburn town centre will be transformed once again.
This year, the festival brings over 300 artists and makers across over 100 workshops, exhibitions, performances and markets to Blackburn.
Here’s our hand-picked highlights of things to see and do over the festival weekend – and with more being added daily, head over to the National Festival of Making’s website and social media to see the full what’s on and plan your weekend.
Explore Art in Manufacturing: the festival’s unique art commissioning programme, now in its eighth season. From artisan makers to some of the UK’s leading manufacturers, artists create new artworks with skilled workforces and making communities, which are exhibited across Blackburn during the festival.
Continuing a two year residency will be Matter at hand, the design practice of Lewis Jones, who will be showing new installation work created with Darwen Terracotta, plus participatory experiences exploring place, community, land and architecture as part of new project partnership between National Festival of Making and The Super Slow Way.
Joining the lineup will be multidisciplinary artist, painter, and baker Abigail Hampsey who has been working with several artisan food producers, visual artist and filmmaker Alina Akbar who will show work created with car manufacturing industries , and installation artist Penelope Payne, who has been exploring hidden histories with artisan makers and Haworth Art Gallery in Accrington.
You can find out more about Art in Manufacturing here.
This year, the festival presents an exciting film programme taking place at Reel Cinema, featuring a special talk by TV star and ceramicist Johnny Vegas on his creative work and career.
The line-up also includes screenings and panel discussions with Blackburn-born, BAFTA-winning film director Michael Winterbottom and BAFTA-nominated photographer and director Elaine Constantine.
Audiences can also enjoy feature-length screenings on both days of the festival, including Rave Culture: an electrifying journey into the heart of the rave revolution, with roots in 80’s Blackburn, alongside a new Pakistani feature Mera Lyari, which tells the inspiring story of two girls striving to become professional footballers.
The screening will be introduced by director Abu Aleeha, who is travelling from Islamabad to attend the festival.
With a wide range of hands-on filmmaking activities taking place throughout the programme, this year’s festival offers audiences exciting opportunities for making and watching films, animations, workshops and live performances.
Hetain Patel returns to the Festival with an ambitious new commission spanning moving image, painting and performance, exploring British Asian futurism, family, and myth-making, alongside performances of his acclaimed work Mathroo Basha.
Other must-do things include:
Climb aboard a playground swing, don a VR headset, and take flight in one of four virtual flying machines with VOLO: Dreams of Flight. Soar over cliffs as an Ornithopter bird-person; shoot into satellite orbit from a renaissance cannon; or bank and weave in a glider across extraterrestrial landscapes.
Following its phenomenal popularity last year, Tinkertown is back. Wood-working meets den-building in this immersive workshop for children. Grab the tools provided by the team and set to work tinkering, building and creating.
Play, invent and assemble, using materials sourced from factories locally with Studio TIP’s Circular Free Play workshop. Discover the hidden life of materials in manufacturing, how they feel, connect and become something new.
Learn to make Corn Dollies with artist Vic Jay, who specialises in folklore and straw craft. Corn dollies are an ancient, rural straw craft, traditionally made from the last sheaf of wheat at harvest time.
Make and take away your very own sustainable festival merch with Gay Bennett of Lived in Repairs. Swap out mass-made festival merch for something handmade and learn Sashiko, a traditional Japanese hand-stitching technique, creating your own keepsake to take home.
A packed programme of music and performance will fill the town centre streets, with the likes of Punjabi Roots, Millicent Chapanda, Rang Qawwal Group and Blackburn People’s Choir.
And, look out for the Great British Sewing Bee judge, Patrick Grant too. He’s set to host meet and greets at his Community Clothing pop-up shop.
This is just a sample of the jam-packed weekend, with many more workshops, artist talks, films, live theatre, music performances, markets, street food and more taking place across the town centre, taking in the likes of Blackburn Cathedral, Cathedral Square, King William Street, Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery, The Mall and The Bureau Centre for the Arts, plus other pop-up venues. There’s over 50 listings already available to explore on the festival’s website, with more being constantly added.
You can see a full rundown of what’s on using this link.
Lauren Zawadzki, Co-Director, National Festival of Making says:
The National Festival of Making is proud to be a landmark cultural event for Lancashire and the UK, taking place at venues and across the public realm in Blackburn town centre.
Visitors can expect to get hands-on with workshops aimed at all ages from early years to adults, visit groundbreaking exhibitions, watch live music and theatre performances, and, new for 2026, a much expanded film programme featuring screenings and talks by award-winning artists and filmmakers from around the world.
Free to attend and open to all, the festival is delivered through the support of our funders, sponsors and partners, whose collaboration helps make this ambitious programme possible.
Councillor Phil Riley, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, added:
We are immensely proud to host the National Festival of Making right here in Blackburn and to be dedicated sponsors too – helping the festival become the huge success it is today while remaining free and accessible to all.
Every year, the festival organisers absolutely blow us away with the incredible programme they bring together – filling the town centre with exhibitions, live performances, hands-on making activities, markets, street food and so much more in a wonderful celebration of creativity.
This is an event of truly national significance and of the highest standard. It also plays a huge role in putting our borough on the UK’s cultural map, which is fantastic because we have so much to celebrate here – from our much-loved museum and The Making Rooms to the Cotton Exchange, our libraries, and the major investment currently transforming King George’s Hall and soon Darwen Library Theatre too.
Tens of thousands of people attend every year and it is always an absolute triumph – it’s not to be missed. I’d encourage everyone to take a look at the new National Festival of Making website and to start planning their weekend to make the most of everything there is to see and do – also tell your family and friends too.
The National Festival of Making is supported by Arts Council England, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Brian Mercer Trust, Blackburn BID, the Granada Foundation and Blackburn College.