Festival of Making

About Festival of Making CIC

Festival of Making CIC is a not-for-profit arts and culture organisation based in Blackburn, Lancashire.

We connect people, place, art and industry through playful and inquisitive artistic commissions and collaborative projects culminating in a large-scale annual public festival and programme.

Our work creates opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage in making. From pairing artists with manufacturers through our headline commissioning programme and develops projects in education and community settings.

At the heart of our approach is the belief that making is for everyone. Whether through hands‑on workshops, long‑term artist residencies, ambitious public commissions or partnerships with schools and colleges, we champion bold, accessible and caring ways of working that are rooted in collaboration.

Our Vision

To celebrate making in all its forms, from the kitchen table to the factory floor.

Our Mission

Festival of Making CIC works at the intersection of art, industry, people and communities. Through playful and inquisitive commissions, collaborative cultural projects that take place through the year, and a landmark annual festival, we create a shared creative playground and meeting place that drives place development and positions Blackburn on a national stage.

What We Do

Our work is always evolving and often overlapping, but is shaped by three core strands:

Year-Round Programme

We deliver projects throughout the year with artists, education settings and communities. This includes artist commissions and residencies, co‑created community projects, and creative programmes for children and young people, using making as a tool for learning, confidence‑building and connection.

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Art in Manufacturing

Our flagship commissioning programme pairs artists with leading manufacturers and spaces of making across the North. These collaborations explore materials, processes and innovation, producing world‑class artworks while opening up new conversations between industry, artists and the public.

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National Festival of Making

We curate and produce the National Festival of Making, a free and participatory, town‑centre‑wide festival in Blackburn that brings together art, manufacturing, performance and making over one celebratory weekend each year.

The National Festival of Making attracts over 40,000 visitors annually and features more than 150 artists and makers across 25+ venues. The programme includes workshops, public realm installations, exhibitions and performances, as well as a Friday industry conference for professionals in arts, design, architecture, placemaking and manufacturing, shining a light on Lancashire as a centre of UK manufacturing and innovation.

The festival activates Blackburn’s high street and public spaces, creating meaningful collaborations between local industry, communities and the public sector, and positioning the town on a national cultural platform.

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Our Place

Formed in 2016, Festival of Making CIC was established with the ambition to create a nationally relevant cultural organisation rooted in Blackburn. The town has a rich manufacturing heritage, with making embedded in its cultural and social fabric since the Industrial Revolution, and a higher‑than‑average proportion of manufacturing jobs compared to the national picture.

Our work has played a key role in strengthening Blackburn’s cultural ecology. To date, we have delivered more than 40 artist residencies and commissions, worked with thousands of children and young people, and co‑created year‑round creative opportunities for local people – all supported by a small creative team, a wide network of partners and stakeholders, and dedicated volunteers.

In 2022, we became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, enabling us to develop long‑term strategic plans and deepen our role within the cultural landscape of the North. Festival of Making CIC’s work contributes to national conversations around culture and regeneration and is cited in parliamentary and policy contexts.

Find Out More: Vision & Audience Reports

For a detailed outline of our strategic vision, values programme, download our partnership document and audience profile report below.

If you would like to find out more about partnering with us, please send us an email.

Download Audience Report

Download Vision Document

Since 2016 and the founding of the Festival, there has been a step change in the cultural life of the borough and the NFM have been at the heart of this with new collaborations and partnerships both with industry partners through Art in Manufacturing but also across the cultural and community sector.

Martin Eden, Former Director of Place BwD Council

The festival is an important component in the cultural landscape of Blackburn, Lancashire and the North of England and acts as a key advocate for meaningful cultural regeneration.

Mag North