Founded by renowned designer, Wayne Hemingway MBE and supported by creative industry heavyweights, designers Patrick Grant, Henry Holland and film director, Michael Winterbottom, the UK’s first ever National Festival of Making takes place over Sat 6 and Sun 7 May 2017 in the ‘home of British manufacturing’ – Blackburn, Lancashire. A FREE family festival happening at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse, just an hour away from Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, Hemingway and festival organisers promise a vibrant celebration of British making, where people of all ages will see, hear, taste and take part in things they’ll encounter nowhere else.
A nation entranced by television programmes like ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’ (of which Grant is, famously, a judge), the festival is the first such event to celebrate Britain’s growing fascination and sustained brilliance in making, giving makers of all shapes and sizes a platform to share their innovative products and ideas. Anyone willing to have a go themselves could find themselves involved in everything from making take-home clothes with professional designers to making ‘the ultimate paper plane’ with aerospace engineers.
This first national celebration takes place in Blackburn, a location steeped in centuries of making tradition where 25% of the local population, twice the national average, is still employed in making industries. Bringing manufacturing, creativity and fun together, the festival also features a series of unusual art commissions, including a trail of striking artworks made using the machines in Lancashire’s factories and architects aiming to bring the great, British shed kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
To find out more about the events and activities at the Festival of Making visit their website
