Ballarat Heritage Festival – Craft Lab + Design Expo

A Celebration Of The Art Of Making

A free event where you can meet the maker, watch an artisan at work and learn about the craft of making. A selection of 18 of the finest makers from Ballarat and surrounding region are gathered in one location. Heritage trades, lost skills and contemporary practice combine.

Part of the Ballarat 2021 Heritage Festival, the Craft Lab + Design Expo brings together practices passed down generations. From the fine practice of loom weaving, complex embroidery, natural dyeing, shoe making, and leatherwork to furniture making and musical instrument crafting.

Learn some of the First Nations crafts which are specific to our region. Watch the intricate task of weaving eel traps and join in a rare chance to help craft a ceremonial possum skin cloak for our community.

Ballarat is a rich heritage city where we capture the stories of our people through the crafts we practice.