A triumph of creativity: National Festival of Making 2025 wows crowds in Blackburn

Tens of thousands of visitors – from near and far – turned out to Blackburn at the weekend drawn by the promise of the ‘most exciting line-up yet’ for the National Festival of Making.

And the event didn’t just deliver – it exceeded all expectations!

Now in its ninth year, the festival team blew everyone away, bringing together works by globally renowned artists alongside a huge programme of more than 100 workshops, artist talks, performances, markets, music, and more.

Every inch of Blackburn town centre became a riot of colour, activity, and excitement, with people of all ages coming together to experience something new and creative.

Elena Jackson, National Festival of Making co-director, said: "From Friday’s industry talks programme and preview tours, to the last person taking part in a workshop as the festival closed, this weekend has been one of conversation and celebration, joy and hope.

"Tens of thousands of people experienced the best of Blackburn as exhibitions and installations were revealed throughout the town centre and festival audiences participated in everything the programme had to offer.

"National Festival of Making is about collaboration and we want to thank the fantastic volunteers, artists, venues and partners for approaching the weekend with such amazing ambition and energy."

In total, more than 20 venues across the town centre were used, including Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, The Making Rooms, The Bureau Centre for the Arts, The Mall, Tony’s Empress Ballroom, Blackburn Cathedral and Cathedral Square, Blackburn Youth Zone, and the length of King William Street – all bustling with activity across both days.

Jamie Holman, chair of the Festival of Making CIC, said: "This is a festival for everyone – for people from all walks of life to come together to enjoy art, creativity, and new experiences and the festival team is absolutely determined that everything we can make available for free at the festival is.

“We want the festival to genuinely inspire people, and the support of our funders and the passion of the festival team makes that happen – for which I am incredibly proud.”

Visitors to the town centre had already seen a brand-new mural begin to take shape in recent weeks as excitement built for the festival – a firm fixture in the national cultural calendar.

The Art in Manufacturing piece by artist Morag Myerscough – known for her work at Coachella and the Paris Olympics – was inspired by Blackburn’s Corporation Park and was created in collaboration with Darwen-based Crown Paints.

Art in Manufacturing is the festival’s headline commissioning programme, and it was recently shortlisted for the Global Arts Prize by the Global leaders Institute for Arts Innovation.

This year’s incredible line-up also included Matter at hand, the design studio of Lewis Jones, co-founder of the Turner Prize-winning Assemble Collective in collaboration with Darwen Terracotta, and Liaqat Rasul with Herbert Parkinson (a John Lewis partner), with festival-goers marvelling at the stunning pieces on display at Blackburn Cathedral.

You can read more about Art in Manufacturing and this year’s artists by clicking this link.

The Blakey Moor building – opposite King George’s Hall – was also opened to the public for the very first time since its impressive transformation as part of wider regeneration and investment in the area.

One person to visit was special guest, architect and TV presenter, George Clarke, who was given a guided tour before his sell-out talk at Blackburn Cathedral.

There, he told the packed audience how he was ‘taken aback’ by the sheer breadth of talent on display in the town, amazed by the incredible event which attracts people from around the world.

Back to Art in Manufacturing and Blakey Moor hosted ‘Radical Pairings,’ a celebration of previous Art in Manufacturing residencies, all documented in a new essay by art critic and writer, Elizabeth Fullerton.