open call for festival workshops

The National Festival of Making is a unique celebration of making, from the kitchen table to the factory floor. Presenting a programme of work that combines Art, Manufacturing, Making and Communities, we commission local and national artists to create world-class works, a year-round programme and a participatory FREE FAMILY festival for all to enjoy.

The National Festival of Making weekend will return to Lancashire on 4th & 5th July 2026, filling the streets of Blackburn with free participatory making opportunities, workshops, performances, talks, exhibitions, markets and more. The festival is recognised as a place where makers deliver an extraordinary range of workshops for all ages. Workshops make up the largest part of our programme, offering our audience the opportunity to take part in high-quality making experiences and explore new skills and materials.

The Workshop Brief

We work closely with some of the most skilled, exciting and contemporary artists and makers locally and nationally through our festival workshop programme. Often, artists adapt their practice to suit the drop-in family-festival, or we offer opportunities for participants to take part in longer, slower workshop experiences. Every step of the way, we consider how both the artist and participant can have the best experience.

We would like to hear from artists/makers/creatives of all kinds with an outline of what they would like to deliver as part of the 2026 festival workshop programme. We are looking for imaginative and distinctive ideas that inspire and engage our multi-generational audiences, from early years through to adults.