Want to be in it? Sydney Craft Week applications close soon

Above: Among the Trees workshop, Sydney Craft Week 2024. Photo: Amy Piddington

The 10th annual Sydney Craft Week Festival will be presented by UNSW Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture, School of Art & Design from 9-18 October 2026.

An initiative of Australian Design Centre (ADC), the first Sydney Craft Week Festival was produced by ADC in 2017 with the Sydney craft community.

Since that time the annual Festival has grown with 600 plus participating makers and artists, presenting 245 events over 37 suburbs and is enjoyed by an estimated 86,000 people.

Australian Design Centre CEO and Artistic Director, Lisa Cahill said:

“This Festival was a kernel of an idea ten years ago when we launched the first program. Since then, it has grown into a much-loved celebration of making. It showcases the immense talent we have in Sydney across the spectrum of craft practice.

With Australian Design Centre winding up operations after 62 years due to cuts in government funding, the future of the Festival was in doubt.

I am delighted that UNSW, which has always been a supporter of Sydney Craft Week, will step in to produce the 10th Festival in 2026.

The Festival theme in 2026 will be ‘Community’. This is a theme that features strongly in studios, workshops, local craft initiatives, and projects designed to benefit and advocate for communities. I know this will be embraced by participants and I look forward to enjoying the Festival in October.”

Professor Alison Gwilt, Head of School, UNSW Art & Design, said:

“UNSW Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture and the School of Art & Design are pleased to be making the 10th Sydney Craft Week possible in 2026.

Sydney Craft Week is a much-loved event which champions sustainable making, supports creative industries that drive cultural and economic activity, and promotes wellbeing through creativity and skill building. Sydney Craft Week is a celebration of the diverse makers and community participation that are at the heart of Sydney’s cultural landscape, and reflect the values at the core of our School and Faculty.”

Applications to take part in the Festival close in mid-June 2026. For details see https://sydneycraftweek.com/