100 professional makers from across the UK have been selected to exhibit at Craft Festival Wales
Information coming soon for 2026
The Capital of Craft LIVE
Over the 3 days of the Craft Festival Wales, The Capital of Craft LIVE will take place in the Tower Room of Cardigan Castle. Capital of Craft Live features talks, masterclasses and panel discussions with accomplished makers, authors and broadcasters exploring the importance of making and the depth of craft practice in Wales. Make sure you’ve book your seat for Capital of Craft LIVE to avoid disappointment.
Book a workshop and try your hand at craft
Enjoying 2 hours of relaxation, making and learning a new skill is an important part of the Craft Festival experience. The workshops give insight into the skill, patience and tenacity needed to be a professional maker, it helps explain the value of the work and it's completely absorbing!
Visitors can pre-book a craft workshop from an exciting programme lead by ‘Make it in Wales’ including printing, textile creative piecing with Melin Tregwynt off-cuts, marbling, and macrame.
Music & Feasting
Other features of the Craft Festival Wales event include a sculpture trail through the Castle gardens and delicious local food and drink and an eclectic Welsh and English live music programme throughout the three-day event featuring - Dewi Bowen Duo - Lowri Evans - Cynefin - Lo-Fi Jones - Llandjango - Mari Mathias - Dewin - Tomos Newman - Daniel Davies Duo - the Aberystwyth Silver Band & Chwaer
Live theatre and street performance and storytelling in both Welsh and English is part of Craft Festival across the weekend, including a performance on Sunday by Hijinx, pioneers in promoting opportunities for actors with learning disabilities and autism.
Families
Over the weekend at the castle, there will be a Children’s Craft Lab offering children the opportunity to get creative while having lots of fun. Children enter Craft Festival for free and can take part in the free drop-in craft activities on Saturday and Sunday.
The Children's Workshops in the Craft Lab are being provided by Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre, National Woollen Museum, Carmarthen School of Art, Cered Menter Iaith and Walden Arts.
Craft Festival Town Trail
From early September, The Town Craft Trail will see 7 venues across Cardigan hosting 7 award winning makers from Wales. Collect the Trail stamps and you will be entered into a prize draw. Trail venues are Mwldan, The Albion by Fforest, Jakes, Cardigan Bay Brownies, Crwst, Awen Teifi and Studio 3.
The commissioned work encompasses a diverse array of artistic mediums, including ceramics, textiles, brush making and willow weaving, to reinterpret eminent artworks from the National Collections. With support from Welsh Government funding, the aim is to make these valued collections more accessible and engaging for all.
I spent a wonderful day at the Craft Festival today. I was blown away by the beautiful work. Cardigan is such a perfect place to hold it. I shall be back again next year having made some special purchases that I will treasure.
More than a weekend
As well as the activity over the weekend, Craft Festival Wales presents satellite events throughout the town, running through August & September.
Opening on 1 August at Canfas, Aur celebrates past Gold Medal winners from Y Lle Celf, bringing together some of the most acclaimed makers and artists working in Wales today.
Curated by artist Suzi Park and Craft Festival Director Sarah James MBE, Aur showcases exceptional Welsh artists and makers, highlighting the extraordinary legacy of Y Lle Celf and the importance of Welsh art and craft.
The exhibition also forms part of celebrations marking the 850th anniversary of the first recorded Eisteddfod, held at Cardigan Castle in 1176 by Lord Rhys — a significant cultural moment for the town and for Wales.
