From a display of work by the county's own knitting superstar to the chance to help create a 'really woolly mammoth', there's lots for crafters to see and do when Norfolk Makers Festival returns to Norwich.

From March 9 to 20, The Forum will be transformed into a giant artistic playground for 12 days of inspiring exhibitions, creative activities, workshops, demonstrations, talks and crafty conversation.

There’s something for everyone, from the curious beginner to the expert enthusiast.

Enjoy trying your hand at traditional crafts and skills such as weaving, spinning, knitting, sewing, embroidery, lacemaking, painting and sketching.

Also in the programme are lino cut printing, games art and animation, character design, quilling, upcycling and craftivism.

The Norfolk Makers Festival is free to enter and all the exhibitions, both at The Forum and at St Peter Mancroft church opposite, are also free.

Jayne Evans, Norfolk Makers Festival producer, says: “This year’s programme brings together the traditional and the contemporary, everything from beginners’ crochet to community craftivism, from hand sewing to animation software!

“A lot of collaborative work on show has been inspired by the pandemic experience, the challenges facing the NHS, the actions of governments and the climate emergency.

“Alongside this, visitors can enjoy displays of wonderful knitting, embroidery and art, plus get hands-on with a wide range of crafts, guided by enthusiasts and experts.

“This festival is funded and organised by our team at The Forum Trust, the educational charity that runs The Forum, and the whole idea is to celebrate local creativity, and inspire people to discover their creative selves!”

Young Norfolk Arts Collective has joined up with Norfolk Makers Festival and is holding a craft market at Norwich Arts Centre on Saturday March 12.

And on the final weekend of the festival there's the chance to join NUA students and tutors to learn more about digital animation and gaming art.

Find out how to design and create characters, props and environments, get hands-on in the process under the guidance of the NUA students, chat about your own creations and discuss your ambitions with those in the know.

NUA will be at the festival all weekend exploring digital creativity and the links between traditional creative practice and the dynamic world of digital art.

And if parents of young children are looking for something to do with their little ones on Sunday, March 20, there is a free arts and crafts table especially for children from 10am to 4pm.

There is also a programme of ticketed workshops and talks during the festival - these must be booked in advance via the festival website.

To find out more visit norfolkmakersfestival.co.uk and follow on Instagram and Facebook @norfolkmakersfestival

Meet the makers

Margaret Seaman
The Norfolk Makers Festival would not be complete without the county’s Queen of Knitting – 93-year-old Margaret Seaman from Caister, who has made headlines around the world with her knitted installations.

Margaret’s Knitted Sandringham is on show again. back by popular demand, in St Peter Mancroft Church, opposite The Forum.

The church is an additional festival venue for textile displays this year and the woolly royal estate can be found in the Jesus chapel.

The extraordinary installation has featured on news reports around the globe, it became a visitor attraction in the ballroom at the real Sandringham last summer and has so far raised over £25,000 for appeals at Norfolk’s three main hospitals.

Margaret 's knitting needles are never still. She has been busy on a new artwork which is going on show for the first time during the Norfolk Makers’ Festival.

This will also be in St Peter Mancroft where you can view Margaret’s extreme knitting, and chat to her about her adventures, between 10.30am and 2.20pm throughout the festival (except Sundays).

Fiona Marchant


Fiona is a yarn bomber extraordinaire and this year she has taken on a ‘mammoth’ task.

Fiona, and fellow members of the county-wide community, Norfolk Knitters and Stitchers, are inviting visitors to the festival to help create the ‘Really Woolly Mammoth’.

The enormous model, which will take centre stage in The Forum’s Atrium, will become part of this summer's Go Go Discover trail, organised by the charity Break.

Fiona and a team of knitters and stitchers will be in The Forum from 10am to 4pm every day of the 12-day festival with simple patterns, yarn and fabric so you can add your contribution to the finished ‘mammoth’ artwork.

You can also download the patterns for the project on the Norfolk Makers Festival website if you would like to make your contribution at home and bring it in.

Martin Symons

Martin is one of the models in two life drawing workshops at Norfolk Makers Festival. Called Celebrating Curves, one is online and one is in person in The Forum.

Martin, and the other models who are taking part, live with scoliosis, a condition that causes distortion of the spine.

Martin, who has a complex range of physical conditions, is not a man to shy away from physical challenges, such as visiting mountain villages in the Himalayas and crossing the UK from coast to coast.

He is also a disability rights campaigner, a speaker and charity fundraiser.

The Celebrating Curves workshops are open to all, whether or not you are a confident sketcher or drawer, and they are free to enter. A donation of at least £5 to the Scoliosis Society is encouraged.

Full details are on the Norfolk Makers Festival website

Rebecca Hiscocks


Textile designer Rebecca is one of several new faces to the Norfolk Makers Festival this year, bringing with her a modern and innovative approach to the age-old craft of weaving.

Rebecca says one of the reasons she loves weaving is that it is a connecting thread to Norwich's heritage: the city was once one of the most important centres of textile production in the world, a fact that is celebrated in the festival programme in many different ways.

Rebecca was inspired to study for a degree in textile design at Norwich University of the Arts, following a visit to the Norfolk Makers Festival several years ago.

She is now in business focusing on furnishings and will be at the festival with different looms, ready to show people how they work and how they can get started on their own weaving journey.