National Folk Festival 2018 Merchandise

The National Folk Festival - Every Easter at Exhibition Park in Canberra.

Pre-Book your National Folk Festival Community Arts Workshops 

Community Arts is our drop in happy place where you can create, experience, discover and play! Everyone can be creative - you just need to have a go, and our supportive volunteers and tutors make that easy. Take a break from concerts, dancing and eating to indulge in some relaxing art making.

WORKSHOPS

Be inspired with our great value paid workshops listed below, where you can learn some amazing new techniques and leave with great skills and memories and your own piece of art. Prices range from $5 - $35. 

All online bookings will incur a $0.50 booking fee and 0.85% merchant fees. All bookings are non refundable and participants must have a festival ticket to attend the workshop. 

Please visit the onsite Community Arts Office for further details and all bookings.

Rag Baskets  

Learn traditional basket making skills to make your own colourful coiled, wrapped, or crocheted vessel from recycled fabrics with Joy from Willopress. 

$15 Saturday 1:00pm, Sunday 9:30am

Papercraft

Create beautiful and intriguing three dimensional artworks using cut, layered, stitched and folded paper. Learn how to work with vintage books to create these unique forms with talented tutor Joy from Willopress. 

$15  11:45am, Monday 9:15am

The Art of Henna

Both beginners and those with existing skills are invited to join us to learn the traditional art of henna. Expert tutor Rianna will teach you the necessary knowledge, skills and control to create henna body art for friends and family. 

$15 Friday 10:00am, Saturday 3pm, Monday 11:30am

Beginner Tie-Dye

Discover the simplicity of using sun-activated, non-toxic, water-based dyes to make colourful, wearable art without boiling, salting, rinsing or wasting water. Learn the many variances achievable from the amazing Spiral design.

$15 Friday 9:30am, Saturday 9:30am, Sunday 11:00am

Advanced Tie-Dye

Learn more complicated designs with tutor Sharon from Rainbowtopia. Attendees will be given two items to experiment on and may also choose to bring an extra piece such as a silk scarf or cotton sarong.

$30 Monday 9:30am

Clay Modelling

Join local Potter Richilde from Girl Nomad Ceramics for a fun and relaxed hand building and modelling workshop. At the end you will be able to take your creation home with you.

$15 Saturday 2:30pm, Sunday 1:00pm, Monday 1:30pm

Jewellery Making

Create your own unique pendants using marbling, decoupage and painting techniques. Under the guidance of tutor Gabrielle, participants can try different techniques and take home three fantastic pendants. Suitable for children and adults, a great class to do together! 

$10 Friday 3:30pm, Saturday 1:00pm

Life Drawing

Create charcoal sketches of the figure with a partially clothed live model. Learn drawing and sketching techniques with a series of quick studies before completing a longer pose. All skill levels welcome and catered for under the guidance of artist Janet from janethayesart.com

$15 Friday 11:30am, Saturday 3:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm, Monday 1:30pm

Botanical Printing

This beautiful technique imprints leaves onto paper and fabric through boiling or steaming techniques. Tutor Deborah will teach you how to obtain a variety of colours and you will take home a small artist book and a stunning silk scarf featuring your botanical prints. Please note this class will have a break midway while the prints are setting.

$35 Friday 1:30pm, Saturday 9:30am, Sunday 9:30am, Monday 1:30pm

Wooden Toymaking

Take home your own handcrafted wooden toy, constructed from pre-cut components under the direct guidance of an ACT Woodcraft Guild member. Construction time is approximately 15 minutes, so drop in anytime during the session once you have booked in. 

$10 Friday 2:00pm, Saturday 1:00pm, Sunday 3:00pm, Monday 11:30am

Sculpting with Sinamay

Stand out from the crowd by learning basic millinery techniques and create your own headpiece, brooch or hair flower. Milliner Barb from BMDesigns will teach techniques for hand draping flowers and freeform sculpting of sinamay material to fabulous effect!

$25 Friday 1:00pm, Sunday 2:30pm

Mead Making

Learn the ancient and wonderful art of making wine from honey. Michael from Wins Creek Meadery will teach you the process of brewing mead from simple, pure ingredients. Take away local raw honey and yeast to begin fermenting your own mead at home. 

$15 Saturday 11:15am, Monday 9:30am

Parade Body & Face Painting

Chris from Happy Faces will demonstrate application techniques and how to develop initial outlines to create fantastic designs. Bring your ideas and then participate in the Grand Parade later in the day! 

$15 Sunday 3:00pm

Transfer Printmaking

This workshop uses simple drawing techniques on foam sheets to create blocks which are then printed using brayers and block ink onto coloured card with striking results. No sharp tools or special equipment are required, so this is a skill you will use again and again at home. Suitable for both children and adults - another great class­­ to do together.

$10 Sunday 1:00pm, Monday 11:30am

Parade Lantern Making - Fundamentals for Cool Lanterns

After a brief overview of characteristics of parade lanterns and the four stages of the process, this workshop will focus on framing and papering. Learn six types of structural joins and use them to make a small pyramid lantern and a larger tubular form, which could become a body, arm, leg or tail of a large parade lantern. 

$5 Friday 9:00am, Saturday 11:00am, Sunday 11:00am

Parade Lantern Making - Awesome Structures - Strength and Fine Detail

Thinking about structures - strength for how they will be displayed; and fine details for ultimate designs, rather than just shape. Come with ideas for something ambitious to make, and get started. 

$10 Saturday 9:00am

Parade Lanterns - Problems and Solutions

This free workshop is primarily for people part-way through a project to finish for the Sunday Grand Parade.  Hear about other lantern project challenges and get support and ideas for completing yours. FREE Sunday 9:00am