Category: Fairs and Events

This summer is packed with opportunities for craftspeople, artists and craft businesses across the country. From local fairs and specialist workshops to major festivals and exhibitions, the calendar is full of events celebrating creativity, heritage and craftsmanship. 

For many, craft events around the UK will provide an excellent opportunity to sell products, meet customers face-to-face and build valuable business connections. They also offer a unique insight into emerging trends, helping crafters understand what customers are looking for and where new opportunities may lie. 

Yet while business success is undoubtedly important, there is another reason why craft events UK matter so much. These events play a vital role in preserving traditional skills, protecting our cultural heritage and ensuring that valuable knowledge is passed on to future generations. 

More Than Selling Products 

When visitors attend a craft fair or heritage festival, they are often drawn to the beautiful items on display. However, behind every handcrafted product lies a story, a skill and even a tradition that has been handed down over many years. 

The UK has a rich history of craftsmanship. From blacksmithing and basketry to weaving, woodturning and leatherworking, generations of skilled makers have shaped our communities and contributed to the unique character of our towns, villages and historic buildings. 

Many of the techniques used to create and maintain Britain’s most treasured landmarks are still practised today. Without skilled craftspeople, restoring historic buildings and maintaining traditional structures would become increasingly difficult. 

Craft events provide a valuable platform for demonstrating these skills in action. Visitors can watch craftspeople at work, ask questions and gain a deeper appreciation of the expertise involved. In many cases, these demonstrations inspire others to learn a craft themselves, helping to ensure that important skills continue into the future. 

Keeping Heritage Alive 

Beyond their practical value, traditional crafts help connect us to our shared history. They offer a living link to the people, places and communities that have shaped Britain over hundreds of years. 

Many crafts also maintain an important connection with the natural world. Whether working with willow, wood, wool, leather or natural fibres, craftspeople often use materials sourced from the environment around them. Their work reflects an understanding of nature, sustainability and the beauty found in traditional methods of making. 

Unfortunately, many heritage crafts are now under threat. 

In response to this challenge, Heritage Crafts, the UK’s only UNESCO-accredited NGO working primarily in traditional craftsmanship, created the Red List of Endangered Crafts. The initiative was the first of its kind to assess traditional crafts according to their risk of disappearing. 

The list includes a remarkable range of skills, from hat making and harp making to wheelwrighting and specialist glassmaking. Each represents a unique piece of living history and an irreplaceable part of our cultural identity. 

When a craft disappears, we lose more than a practical skill. We lose stories, techniques, traditions and knowledge that may never be recovered. It is impossible to measure the cultural cost of losing skills that have often been passed down through generations. 

Events Supporting Endangered Crafts 

The encouraging news is that throughout 2026 and beyond, a growing number of events are helping to showcase, celebrate and preserve endangered crafts. 

Among the events taking place are: 

Marquee of Endangered Crafts at Craft Festival, Devon 

Running from 12 to 14 June 2026 at Mill Marsh Park in Bovey Tracey, this hands-on festival features live demonstrations of rare trades including Dartmoor shoemaking, flax processing, clay pipe making and traditional wagon painting. 

Willow Foraging Basket Workshop, Cirencester 

Taking place on 27 June 2026 at New Brewery Arts, this workshop teaches participants the traditional art of basket making using foraged willow. 

Endangered Crafts Exhibition, Stourbridge Glass Museum 

Running from 11 July to 7 November 2026, this major exhibition showcases works created using critically endangered and extinct glassmaking skills, including scientific glassblowing, neon making and copper-wheel engraving. 

Mansfield’s Historic Craft Village 

On 4 July 2026, the Four Seasons Shopping Centre in Mansfield will be transformed into an interactive heritage village. Visitors will be able to meet master craftspeople demonstrating traditional woodworking, leatherworking, bow making and historic wallpaper restoration. 

Willow Crab Pot Workshop, Devon 

Also taking place on 4 July 2026, this workshop at MAKE Southwest gives participants the opportunity to learn the traditional coastal craft of creating functional willow crab pots. 

Staying Alive Exhibition, Devon 

Co-curated with Heritage Crafts, the Staying Alive Exhibition at MAKE Southwest shines a spotlight on 14 master makers who are keeping some of the South West’s most endangered crafts alive. 

Running until 4 July 2026, the exhibition features demonstrations and workshops covering basket making, oak bark tanning, bobbin lacemaking, boatbuilding, sailmaking, Cornish hedging, wheelwrighting and flax processing. 

These events demonstrate how craft events UK are helping to raise awareness, attract new learners and support the future of traditional making. 

Opportunities for Craftspeople 

The Harley Open 2026 in Nottinghamshire is currently accepting applications from artists and heritage craft practitioners. 

This year’s exhibition is particularly exciting because it will, for the first time, include 3D, sculptural and free-standing works. Successful entrants will have the opportunity to present their work to new audiences and compete for prizes of up to £3,000. 

For many makers, events such as these provide invaluable exposure, networking opportunities and potential sales. They can often become a stepping stone towards larger commissions, collaborations and long-term business growth. 

Protecting What You Create 

Whether you are attending a local fair, demonstrating a heritage skill or exhibiting work at a major festival, protecting your craft business is essential. 

Every event brings opportunities, but it can also introduce risks. Valuable stock, specialist tools, public liability concerns and unexpected incidents can all affect your business and livelihood. 

At Craft Insurance, we have been providing specialist craft insurance and craft business cover since 1986. We understand the unique challenges faced by makers because supporting crafters is what we do every day. 

Unlike general insurers, we focus specifically on the craft sector. We aim to provide straightforward cover without unnecessary extras, so you know exactly what protection you have in place. Our policies are underwritten by Hiscox, one of the UK’s most respected specialist insurers, and include access to an award-winning claims service should you ever need it. 

Most importantly, when you contact us, you will speak directly with Samantha or Naomi. Both have extensive experience within the craft insurance sector and will take the time to understand your business, answer your questions and help arrange cover that is right for you. 

Get Ready for a Busy Season 

As the popularity of craft events UK continues to grow, there has never been a better time to get involved. Whether you are looking to showcase your work, learn a new skill, connect with fellow makers or help preserve an endangered craft, there are countless opportunities waiting to be discovered. 

These events are about far more than sales and exhibitions. They help keep traditional skills alive, encourage new generations of makers and strengthen the creative communities that make Britain’s craft sector so special. And while you focus on creating, demonstrating and growing your business, make sure your craft business is protected with insurance designed specifically for makers. 

To discuss your requirements or obtain a quotation, contact Craft Insurance today and discover why UK crafters have trusted us to protect their businesses for almost four decades. 

Craft festivals represent one of the best opportunities for crafters to get their work seen and sold to the public. There are many crafters out there who have found an extremely lucrative operation as they have been able to get the format right. Unfortunately, being able to attend all the best ones and finding where to sell and make money from a festival is something of an acquired skill. So, here are a few pointers that might help you: and before you embark, you will need to make sure that your stall and your work are insured in case there are any accidents. This usually involves getting insurance, so it’s a good idea to ask yourself, “How much does craft insurance cost?” Having the peace of mind of knowing that you can trade legally and successfully will make the whole process seem a lot easier.

The first thing to do is to pick and choose the craft events and festivals that you are going to attend. Planning and organising are always important elements of any business, but giving yourself the time and space to be well prepared for an event such as a craft fair is crucial as it may need meticulous planning. Before anything else, you’re going to have to consider exactly what you’re going to sell. Make sure that you have a good seasonal range available to anybody coming to look at your stall. You should, however, always have one eye on the future as well. Don’t be afraid to feature Christmas products, even if you’re at a festival in August or September. It might be that this is the last opportunity that you’ll have to attend a fair before the festive season starts. In that case, how are people going to be able to buy your festive creations before the big day arrives? Many sites that only open during the summer season will happily launch Christmas cards in late August to try and catch that audience before the site closes. If you are the type of producer that uses the winter months to create stock, then you may not have an opportunity to push your Christmas lines during this period. It is certainly what many summer opening operations, like those run by the National Trust, for example, do, knowing full well that the shop will not be available over December and January. The same could also be true when dealing with Easter options. If you don’t think that you’re going to be active during the holiday, then seek out earlier festivals and shows to sell your Easter items. Whatever time of the year you decide to start your festival schedule, make sure that you check out getting adequate cover in case there are issues along the way. The answer to the question, “How much does craft insurance cost? needn’t be an enormous amount.

The next stage of looking at craft festivals is to make sure that you do your research first. It might even be an idea to spend a good few months studying the locations where the craft festivals are going to be. It also might be an idea to not exhibit at some of the ones you are thinking of attending so that you can get an idea of the layout. Customer flow in retail is an extremely important factor when planning a shop, and you should also take this into account with your positioning at the Craft Festival. Being one of the first stalls to be seen does carry something of a burden, as the organisers of the festival will be expecting you to make a statement with your stall. It could be that you are one of the defining features that set the tone for the visitors. That means you’re going to have to pay some attention to how the site actually looks and is presented.

Make sure that your name and company name are prominently displayed and ensure that you have printed cards out so that people can take away details if they need to contact you later for a more bespoke item that you can craft. Even in this age of digital contact, it’s surprising how a business card can make all the difference. Secondly, don’t be tempted to swamp your stall with all of the items that you make. The key to a good display is balance. Make sure that you have some prominent signature pieces on display to attract the eye, but also give thought to having some smaller and more affordable takeaway items that someone can buy on the day. Much of this depends on your actual output, but don’t be afraid to have something that people can handle if that’s the world that you work in in terms of crafting. Tactile touch and inspection of the product that the person is looking to buy are very important. The ability to be able to handle the product and engage with it first and foremost can increase sales. If something gets broken, you can always make a claim on your insurance, so it’s a good idea to ask yourself, “How much does craft insurance cost?”

Finally, don’t be afraid to engage with the people who are looking at your stall. While it might be fun to produce the craft, ultimately you do have to have a desire to sell it. This is where you have to engage your customer service side and also your salesperson side. Another old saying in retail is that people buy from people, and that certainly is true with what you’re looking to sell to the public. Don’t be afraid to talk about your engagement with your work. In fact, it can be quite an exhilarating experience to be able to discuss what you do with interested parties. Some of the magical things that you create through your crafting can only be conferred by you when you actually talk about them, and craft festivals give you the opportunity to do just that.

Introducing our new digital craft market.

This is a virtual space where crafters can sell, exhibit and demonstrate their crafts, from the comfort of their homes.

Come rain or shine, customers can get a shopping fix in the absence of the cancelled summer craft fairs, and you can attend and exhibit for free!

You can represent yourself however you’d like to – if you want to make a video addressing your customers, you can. If you want to link to a live event on your facebook so you can talk with your customers about your craft, you can. This virtual world is your oyster. All I would ask is to keep it clean please!

Please send us a picture to represent your craft stall, and provide a link to your online shop (s) and if you’d like, you can provide a link to a video of you demonstrating your craft.

Then, when I confirm dates of the markets, all you need to do is to share share share, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, send a link to your friends by email, just get the word out.

If you’d like to get involved, you can get in touch by clicking here

And don’t forget, even if you are selling online, you are still liable for the products you’ve sold, in the event that a claim is made against you. Public and products liability will cover you for claims made against you, if someone is injured by the normal use of your product.

Post Author

Naomi Wallace – Director

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