The C&TH Guide To London Craft Week

London is embracing arts and crafts this spring as London Craft Week returns from 11 to 17 May 2026 with a programme of exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops and talks across the capital. With one month to go before the festival commences, here’s our guide to the action.

London Craft Week 2026: Dates, Venues, Tickets & More

Now in its 12th edition, London Craft Week runs at more than 150 venues, from independent studios and workshops to museums, galleries and design showrooms.

The week offers visitors the chance to see the people, materials and techniques behind contemporary craft, with events spanning ceramics, textiles, furniture, jewellery and architecture. Demonstrations and installations take place across the city as galleries, ateliers and workshops open their doors to the public.

Aoife Leach, managing director of London Craft Week, tells C&TH London Craft Week reflects growing public interest in how objects are made. ‘As audiences become increasingly attuned to how, where and by whom the things in our lives are made, London Craft Week has become the cultural moment celebrating the most exceptional professional craft across all scales and sectors, from local studios to the international stage,’ she says.

Founded by Guy Salter in 2014 with the first festival in 2015, London Craft Week was originally created to draw attention to the extraordinary craft talent that often exists quietly behind the scenes in studios and workshops around the world. This is the ‘iceberg of exceptional talent hidden in plain sight, not just in London but around the world,’ Salter tells C&TH. ‘Truly remarkable levels of creativity and painstaking skill are taking place every day but often go largely unacknowledged because they happen in small workshops or remote places. For one week we turn London into the world’s Craft City and put these unsung creative heroes centre stage.’

Rattan weaving at Soane Britain

What To See

The 2026 programme includes exhibitions, demonstrations and collaborations taking place across London. JW Anderson will host an exhibition and live making demonstration at its Pimlico Road store, created with an artisan producing new work specifically for the festival.

The Pimlico Road Series, supported by Grosvenor, returns with events involving more than 20 interior and design brands. Highlights include events at Soane Britain exploring sustainable trade, new collaborations from Corston and a residency by Young Weaver of the Year Leonie Edmead at Rose Uniacke.

At Sotheby’s Bond Street galleries, public programme Crafted will include exhibitions, demonstrations and talks alongside an art fair presenting contemporary craft galleries. The auction house will also host Secret Ceramics, a fundraising initiative presenting 100 ceramic works sold anonymously at the same price. A separate auction will feature works by leading UK ceramic artists including Hitomi Hosono, Fernando Casasempere, Jacob van der Beugel, Felicity Aylieff and Ryan Barrett.

Salter says the third edition of Secret Ceramics will be among this year’s highlights. ‘There are too many don’t miss moments to mention, but we’re particularly excited about the third edition of Secret Ceramics,’ he says. ‘Alongside the fixed-price sale of 100 ceramic works presented anonymously, there will be an auction of ten special pieces donated by artists including Felicity Aylieff, Ryan Barrett, Fernando Casasempere and Hitomi Hosono.’

Alongside the auction, Sotheby’s programme will include exhibitions and demonstrations curated by its specialists exploring craft across a range of materials and disciplines. Intoart will present new craft commissions alongside works from its collection, highlighting the work of learning disabled and autistic artists and designers.

Bespoke framing at Darbyshire. (Carmel King)

Maker Highlights

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet makers and see their work in various venues. Cue bespoke picture framer Darbyshire who’ll present an exhibition featuring artists including Eleanor Lakelin, Derek Wilson, Erin McQuarrie, Kei Tominaga, Kim Francis, Oliver Cook and Tim Fluck. 

Elsewhere, Copper sculptor Sadie Clayton will host workshops and demonstrations at Old Spitalfields Market, while glass blower Theo Brooks will open his Cockpit Deptford studio for tours. Textile artist Jessica Light, known as the ‘Tassel Queen of Bethnal Green’, will present her passementerie work at East London Cloth’s showroom.

Barts North Wing (Matthew Andrews)

Craft Across London

London Craft Week also expands its presence in the City of London in 2026. Here, a number of historic organisations will host demonstrations and talks focused on traditional skills. The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers, for one, will present demonstrations of techniques including marbling, gilding, woodgraining and calligraphy.

Heritage Crafts will present Living Legacies – A Showcase of Endangered Crafts in the UK at Leathersellers’ Hall, highlighting traditional skills that are at risk and the makers working to preserve them.

Walking tours will explore craft within architecture and historic trades across the City, while restoration-focused events will take place at Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster and other historic buildings.

International Craft

London Craft Week also features projects from international makers and organisations. The Embassy of Italy and the Italian Trade Agency will present an exhibition of contemporary Italian craftsmanship at Casa Italia, focusing on materials, innovation and sustainability. Further exhibitions will include projects from the French Craft Collective, Meisterstrasse Handmade from Austria, and craft initiatives from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea, offering insight into a range of global craft traditions.

For Salter, London remains a natural home for the festival among national and international makers, “Despite these challenging times, London remains the ultimate creative and cultural hub city. Makers from across the world want to come here because they know they will find dedicated audiences and collectors who are genuinely interested in craft.’

See Ranti Bam’s work at South London Gallery. (Stuart Whipps)

Museums & Institutions

Several museums and cultural institutions across London will take part with exhibitions and talks. Participating venues include the V&A, The Design Museum, The Royal College of Art, The Fashion and Textile Museum, The Courtauld, Leighton House and the Garden Museum, as well as the English National Opera and the Royal Society of Arts.

Where & When

London Craft Week takes place across London from 11 to 17 May 2026, with events held at more than 150 locations across the city.

How To Attend

Many London Craft Week events are free to attend, while others require advance booking due to limited capacity. See the full programme and ticket information at londoncraftweek.com 

Salter recommends that first-time visitors treat the festival like it’s a chance to explore the city. ‘London Craft Week is designed as a voyage of discovery,’ he says. ‘Start with an area that’s easy to reach and combine a few well-known names with others that are less familiar. Before you know it, what you thought might be a short visit can easily become a full day.’

The Beaumont, Mayfair

Where To Stay Nearby

If you’re planning to spend a few days exploring the festival, central London provides easy access to many of the main venues, particularly around Mayfair, Pimlico Road, Belgravia and the West End. 

Mayfair’s The Beaumont is just a short walk from many London Craft Week venues in the West End. The hotel sits on Brown Hart Gardens and combines a restored 1920s building with contemporary interiors, a spa, gym and the Colony Grill Room restaurant.

Or on Grosvenor Square, The Biltmore Mayfair is situated within easy reach of exhibitions and events taking place across Mayfair and central London during the festival. The hotel offers a large selection of rooms and suites, along with restaurants including Café Biltmore and Corrigan’s Mayfair nearby, placing guests close to many of the festival’s participating galleries and showrooms.

Discover more at londoncraftweek.com