Sydney Craft Week Returns This October With Over 100 Events

This October, Sydney Craft Week is returning with nearly 100 events celebrating the makers, studios, and creative communities shaping Sydney’s craft scene. 

From 9-18 October, Sydneysiders will have the opportunity to attend ceramic open studios, journaling workshops, crochet clubs, and art exhibitions across the city.

This Year’s Theme Is ‘Community’

To be produced by UNSW School of Art & Design following the closure of the Australian Design Centre, this year’s festival marks the tenth Sydney Craft Festival, and will celebrate the theme “community”.

According to the organisers, the theme of ‘community’ is all about the connections between makers and the people who support, share, and experience their work. Fittingly, Sydney Craft Week is inviting audiences to join that community, learn new skills, meet local artists, browse handmade wares, and take part in creative activities for all ages and abilities.

“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,” said Professor Alison Gwilt, Head of School at UNSW School of Art & Design.

“It’s a celebration of the diverse makers and communities that are at the heart of Sydney’s cultural landscape and reflect the values at the core of our School and Faculty.”

Some Sydney Craft Week Festival Highlights

Beers & Balls Crochet Club

Join textile artist Kirsten Fredericks on Sunday 18th of October at Chippendale’s very own The Lord Gladstone Hotel for a risqué night of crochet, beer, and live music. Slated to run from 5pm to 9pm, at this club all skill levels are welcome, all materials are provided, and all-out fun will be had.

Made by Hand – Open Studio

Discover jewellery, ceramics, and botanical installations in a leafy Darlinghurst laneway studio. This week-long open studio event will exhibit linear mixed-metal jewellery by Amy Tamblyn, stoneware pots and vessels by ceramicist Kate Ratner, and ethereal botanical installations by Yoshi (Botanical Flirt). Visitors are especially encouraged to attend from 5pm to 9pm on Thursday 15 October to enjoy studio drinks and chats with the creators.

Whimsical & Waste-Free: A Mindful Journaling Workshop

Join Sydney artist Fiona Wan (Swallow Wind Art) on Saturday 17 October for a cozy, hands-on journaling session. Participants will learn how to overcome ‘blank page anxiety’ by transforming everyday paper offcuts, recycled materials, and eco-friendly ephemera into beautiful, whimsical journal layouts. All materials are provided, and no previous art experience is required.

 Makers Frontyard Trail

On Saturday 17 October, the Inner West is set to transform into one massive yet intimate open-air market! As collaboration between Inner West Council and Sydney Craft Week invites the public to explore the front yards, driveways, and carports of local hobbyists and professional artists as they are transformed into vibrant pop-up stalls and galleries.