News, Tips and Advice
The Top Craft & Design Trade Shows to Exhibit at in 2026
In the UK, there are hundreds of craft fairs, trade shows, Conferences and Exhibitions held every year. They allow creative communities to come together and showcase their work, support small businesses and find exciting new brands.
Maybe you’re a regular at these events, or perhaps you’ve visited before but are looking to take the next step by exhibiting your work?
To help make the search for events less overwhelming, we’ve compiled a list of the top craft and design trade shows to exhibit at in 2026!
Table of contents
Top Craft and Design Trade Shows for 2026
Tips for Exhibiting at Craft and Design Shows
Top Craft and Design Trade Shows for 2026
Top Drawer
About the event: Top Drawer is a curated trade event for design-led products. The event aims to connect creative brands with top retailers across various industries. Top Drawer sees over 750 exhibitors every year over the three day event.
When: 11th-13th January 2026
Where: Olympia, London
Image credit: Top Drawer
Creative Craft Show
The Creative Craft Show is a series of events that take place across the country throughout the year. Find out more about the individual events below and learn how to exhibit at any of their shows here.
Image credit: Creative Craft Show
1. Crafting Live and Stitching Live
About the event: This event hosts over 60 exhibitors, presenting an amazing range of stamps, dies, decoupage, fabric, beads and more so visitors can stock up on crafting essentials. There’s also live demonstrations, new products and plenty of refreshments to enjoy.
When: 27th-28th February 2026
Where: Sandown Surrey
2. Creative Craft Show and Scottish Quilting Show
About the event: Enjoy two events over three days with the Creative Craft Show and Scottish Quilting Show. The Creative Craft event hosts a diverse range of crafts and stalls, while The Scottish Quilting Show is a celebration and showcase of the best patchwork and quilting, highlighting the talent of Scottish quilters.
When: 5th-7th March 2026
Where: SEC Glasgow
3. Creative Craft Show, Sewing for Pleasure, and Fashion and Embroidery
About the event: All the great stalls and workshops you expect from The Creative Craft Show, alongside the excellent Sewing for Pleasure event. This is perfect for dressmaking, patchwork, quilting and embroidery enthusiasts and has a wide range of fabrics, threads and patterns to explore.
When: 12th-15th March 2026
Where: NEC Birmingham
4. Crafting Live and Stitching Live
About the event: A fantastic event with over 80 exhibitors, live demonstrations and workshops. Explore new products and stock up on crafting essentials!
When: 11th-12th July 2026
Where: Doncaster
Craft 4 Crafters – The Stitching4All & Craft4Crafters Show
About the event: These shows play host to a huge range of fabric traders, sewing and needlecraft suppliers, and hobby and paper craft exhibitors. There is a great range of workshops for all skill levels, as well as live demonstrations and displays.
When: 26th-28th March 2026
Where: Westpoint, Exeter
Image credit: Craft4Crafters
Craft in Focus: Craft and Design Fair
About the event: Visitors to this event can enjoy the scenic surroundings of RHS Garden Wisley while browsing handmade art and crafts stalls. Exhibitors include ceramicists, painters, jewellers, textile designers and much more.
When: 30th April-4th May 2026
Where: RHS Garden Wisley
Find out more about exhibiting here.
Image credit: The Creative Craft Show
Makers Central
About the event: This unique family event features stalls from independent makers, workshops for all skills and ages, demonstrations, talks and more. As well as traditional crafts and hobbies, there are inventions and robotics to explore and appearances from influencers and youtube stars.
When: 16th-17th May 2026
Where: Birmingham NEC
Image credit: Makers Central
Handmade in Britain
The Handmade in Britain event takes place in different locations throughout the year.
Handmade Oxford
When: 12th-14th June 2026
Where: Waterperry Gardens
Handmade Chelsea
About the event: The Handmade Chelsea event is now in its 19th year, making it one of the UK’s longest running craft shows. Handmade Oxford is heading into its sixth year and is proving just as popular with its summer date. The Handmade in Britain organisation hosts a wide variety of craft shows and fairs, aiming to lead the way in contemporary craft and help keep it alive and thriving in the UK.
When: 12th-14th November 2026
Where: Chelsea Old Town Hall
Image credit: Handmade in Britain
New Designers
About the event: This innovative event gives graduates from design focused courses the opportunity to present their ideas and work to the public and industry professionals. All design disciplines are welcome, from fashion and textiles to product design and illustration. It’s a great opportunity to kickstart your career after education. There are also industry stands available to connect businesses looking for new design talent.
When: 1st-4th July 2026
Where: Business Design Centre, London
Learn more about exhibiting here.
Image credit: New Designers
Knit and Stitch
About the events: These events are some of the most popular on the calendar for craft enthusiasts. Meet up with like-minded crafters, learn new skills in workshops and shop for craft supplies like wool, beads and fabric from leading brands and independent suppliers.
London
When: 8th-11th October 2026
Where: Alexandra Palace, London
Northern Ireland
When: 12th-15th November 2026
Where: The Eikon Exhibition Centre
Harrogate
When: 19th-22nd November 2026
Where: Harrogate Convention Centre
Image credit: Knit and Stitch Show
Tips for exhibiting at craft and design shows
Let people know you’ll be there
This may seem obvious, but it’s an easily forgotten step! Make sure people know what events you will be attending. You can announce them on your social media pages, or create an events page on your website so people can keep track of where you’ll be popping up.
Nail your Signage
Attract visitors to your booth or stall with eye-catching Signage. Your booth should clearly show who you are and what you sell so it can easily be read by potential customers. At Printed.com, we have an extensive collection of Signage to help your booth or stall stand out from the crowd. Explore everything from Display Boards and Posters to Roller Banners and Light Boxes.
Keep the layout open and welcoming
Avoid over-crowding your stall with too many items. Ensure customers can clearly see your products, as well as any pricing or information. A tidy stall is more attractive to visitors and makes it easier for them to browse your products.
Get involved in workshops
Some larger shows have live demonstrations and workshops. Getting involved with these is a great way to get your name out there and get your brand seen by a larger customer base. If a live demo feels a little too daunting, you could try having an interactive element at your stall. This might be a product demonstration, or showing part of the process to customers to help them feel more engaged.
Offer out Business Cards or Flyers
Not every event is going to be lucrative in terms of sales, but it’s important to make the most of the chance to get your name out there and market your business to customers. It’s a good idea to offer out Business Cards, Leaflets and Flyers.
Include your website or any social media handles so customers can find you. You could even include a discount code for them to use on an online store to give them an incentive to browse.
You can find plenty of handy tips for creating the perfect Business Card in our guide:
Get ready to exhibit with Printed.com
Whether you’re a frequent exhibitor at craft shows or you’re planning on attending for the first time, Printed.com has everything you need to set your stall up for success!
Explore Business Cards to hand out to customers, Signage to make your stall stand out, and Roller Banners to ensure your exhibit is unmissable.
Need more inspiration?
If you have any questions about our products, don’t hesitate to get in touch with theteam@printed.com, we’re happy to help!
Ready to make it real?
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About the author
When Ellie's not busy crafting content, you will find her at a gig, knitting or crocheting!
