National Festival of Making

National Festival of Making Presenting a programme of work that combines Art, Manufacturing, Making and Communities.

The National Festival of Making weekend will return to Blackburn, Lancashire on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th of July 2025!

Festival Spotlight: Block Printing with .taheem⁠⁠Print your own bandana using a mix of traditional hand-carved Indian wo...
23/06/2026

Festival Spotlight: Block Printing with .taheem⁠
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Print your own bandana using a mix of traditional hand-carved Indian woodblocks and contemporary block designs by artist Natasha Taheem.⁠
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Explore the techniques behind textile block printing, learning how to prepare fabric, work with pigment, and build up patterns using border and motif blocks inspired by traditional bandana layouts.⁠
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Learn how to chalk up fabric, apply pigment evenly and achieve a clean, crisp print. Drawing on traditions of Indian block printing, the workshop offers an introduction to the creative possibilities of working with hand-carved blocks and repeating patterns.⁠
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Using fabric pigment on 100% cotton, experiment with pattern, repetition and composition to create a unique bandana design of your own to display or wear.⁠
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Tickets available 🔗⁠ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/block-printing-with-natasha-taheem-tickets-1992046645140?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&_gl=1*y72x4e*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTc1ODY1MzIzLjE3ODE4NjU5MDc.*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODE4NjU5MDYkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODE4NjU5MDYkajYwJGwwJGgw

Festival Spotlight: Indian Dance & Storytelling with ⁠⁠Jump on the Maharajas’ Express Train and journey across the footh...
21/06/2026

Festival Spotlight: Indian Dance & Storytelling with ⁠
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Jump on the Maharajas’ Express Train and journey across the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. ⁠
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Join in the fun of the colourful Bhangra dance across the farmlands of Punjab, visit the street markets of New Delhi, full steam ahead to the Taj Mahal, and party Bollywood style in the streets of Mumbai!⁠
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Expect vibrant music, dynamic moves, and lots of spectacular colour in this interactive storytelling experience. Sing, dance and clap along to the beat!⁠
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Performances last approx 20 mins. No booking required, just turn up at the start times!⁠
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Learn more and explore the programme online now! 🔗 ⁠https://festivalofmaking.co.uk/whats-on/
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Festival Spotlight: Screen Lancashire⁠⁠This year’s National Festival of Making will host a special Screen Lancashire pro...
20/06/2026

Festival Spotlight: Screen Lancashire⁠
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This year’s National Festival of Making will host a special Screen Lancashire programme exploring film, place, storytelling and regional identity through international screenings, talks and participatory activity across the festival weekend.⁠
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Ticketed events include:⁠
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Northern Souls – Elaine Constantine and Dave Haslam discuss Northern Soul, its legacy, and the importance of stories rooted in working-class culture.⁠
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Mera Lyari: Screening + Q&A – Watch Mera Lyari, followed by a Q&A with director Abu Aleeha.⁠
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Contemporary Short Films from Pakistan – A selection of Pakistani short films curated by Foundation Art Divvy and chosen by Blackburn’s One Voice youth group.⁠
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Indie Crib: Building New Pathways for Independent Film – Aeman Ali Afzal and Shabaz Says discuss filmmaking, social media, and audience growth.⁠
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Cotton Kings Feature Film Open Auditions – Open casting call from the Bashford Twins for their upcoming feature film Cotton Kings.⁠
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Dirty Faces: An Opening Ceremony – A collage of Lancashire media, blending archive footage, documentaries, music videos, and experimental film.⁠
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The Bashford Twins: Cotton Kings Concept Trailer & Talk – Preview the Cotton Kings concept trailer and hear from its directors.⁠
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Lost Harmonies meets Suspended Motion – Film screening followed by a conversation with Sima Gonsai and Uthra Rajgopal.⁠
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Rave Culture: A New Era Screening – A feature documentary exploring rave culture’s roots in 1980s Blackburn.⁠
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Learn more and book tickets 🔗⁠ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/13368495969?_gl=1*ejb85*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTIxMzQ5NTkyOS4xNzgxODg2MzE3*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODE4ODYzMTYkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODE4ODcwODMkajYwJGwwJGgw&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
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Presented in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and the University of Lancashire.⁠
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Festival Spotlight: Live Tufting with Alena Ruth of ⁠⁠Ever wanted to give rug tufting a go? Now’s your chance! Join Alen...
17/06/2026

Festival Spotlight: Live Tufting with Alena Ruth of ⁠
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Ever wanted to give rug tufting a go? Now’s your chance! Join Alena Ruth in tufting a couple of lines and make you mark in a collaborative piece of art. You can pick your yarn selection and tuft some straight lines (or curved if you’re feeling brave!) and watch the magic appear right in front of you.⁠
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Learn more and explore the programme online now! 🔗 ⁠https://festivalofmaking.co.uk/whats-on/
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Festival Spotlight: E-waste Scavenging with ⁠⁠Un-Making: like Making, but the other way around… 60 Million Tonnes of e-w...
16/06/2026

Festival Spotlight: E-waste Scavenging with ⁠
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Un-Making: like Making, but the other way around… 60 Million Tonnes of e-waste is discarded every year. Let’s pop the consumer bubble with screwdrivers and pliers!⁠
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Drop in for a quick activity or stay longer to Un-Make some e-waste and then create something new with your scavenged treasure. During this workshop, you can have a go at breaking, fixing, making, tinkering, upcycling.⁠
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Learn more and explore the programme online now! 🔗 ⁠https://festivalofmaking.co.uk/whats-on/
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Festival Spotlight: Table for the Nation by ⁠⁠A 13 meter table made from ancient, fossilised oak is in residency at as ...
15/06/2026

Festival Spotlight: Table for the Nation by ⁠
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A 13 meter table made from ancient, fossilised oak is in residency at as part of their Centenary celebrations.⁠
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The story of the Fenland Black Oak Table begins 5,000 years ago when an incredible high forest of gigantic oak trees once stood, deep within the Fenland Basin of ancient East Anglia. Over time, and with a rise in sea levels, these spectacular trees fell into the silt of the flooded forest floor. There they lay unseen and undisturbed, preserved in the peat for five millennia.⁠
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In Spring 2012, during routine cultivations on a farm in the Wissington Fens of south-west Norfolk, an incredible 13.2 metre section of one of the greatest of these buried giants was unearthed. The planks from the Black Oak have been used to create a unique ‘Table for the Nation’.⁠
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The installation is accompanied by a fascinating exhibition detailing the entire process from trunk to Table.⁠
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Learn more and explore the programme online now! 🔗 ⁠https://festivalofmaking.co.uk/whats-on/
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Festival Spotlight: Riso Collage Portrait Studio with Bolton Contemporary⁠⁠Using a range of simple collage methods, part...
14/06/2026

Festival Spotlight: Riso Collage Portrait Studio with Bolton Contemporary⁠
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Using a range of simple collage methods, participants will cut, layer, arrange and combine shapes, textures, papers and drawn elements to create a bold two-colour portrait. These designs will then be printed live using our Riso machine, giving participants the chance to see their artwork transformed through this distinctive printing process.⁠
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Risography produces vibrant colours, unexpected overlaps, rich textures and slight imperfections, making every print feel unique. The workshop is designed to be accessible, creative and fun, with no previous experience needed. Participants can take home their finished portrait as a special handmade print, or choose to add it to a collaborative portrait wall displayed throughout the festival, creating a growing celebration of the people who take part.⁠
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Learn more and explore the programme online now! 🔗 ⁠https://festivalofmaking.co.uk/whats-on/
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