An estimated 54,000 filled Walsall town centre on Saturday for the return of Walsall Maker Fest, a free one-day festival dedicated to celebrating making, creativity and local talent. Visitors and residents alike enjoyed a packed programme spanning live music, dance, hands-on workshops, storytelling and poetry workshops with former Walsall Poet laureate Ian Henery as well as local food and a makers’ market.
At the heart of the festival was the bustling Makers’ Market along Park Street, where over 50 local artists, crafters, designers and food artisans showcased and sold their creations, plus audiences had the chance to engage with a Magical Mythical Garden, as well as hear and create stories at the Story Village.
"I was chuffed to bits to be invited to be part of Walsall Maker Fest 2025" said Ian Henery, former Walsall Poet Laureate "and collaborate in the Story Village because Walsall is my home town. You know what they say - East or West - home is best! I am really pleased to see Walsall Maker Fest going from strength to strength."
Last year Ian`s play, Georgina and the Dragon. was performed at the Story Village fresh from its premiere at ther Birmingham Fringe Festival. This year Ian was running story telling and poetry workshops. His previous collaborations with RicNic have included running the New Year Literature Festival at St Paul`s The Crossing in Darwall Street, walsall (funded by Walsall Council and West Midlands Combined Authority) and Travelling Tales - an exhibition of stories about travel at New street Station in Birmingham complete with a Travelling Tales Digital Library for all posterity.
Since 2004, RicNic has empowered young people to take ownership of their creative journeys. If you’re aged between 3 and 25, you’re invited to get involved in theatre productions, music festivals, workshops, after-school clubs, digital projects, and much more; all driven by your ideas and leadership.
At RicNic, you take the lead while we offer support every step of the way. Every opportunity is completely free, designed to help you develop skills, build confidence, and explore creative career pathways—regardless of your prior experience.
Each year, RicNic work with over 2,000 participants across Staffordshire, Cheshire, the West Midlands, and beyond—especially in areas with limited access to the arts.
"Whether you’re stepping onto the stage for the first time or preparing for a career in the creative industries, RicNic gives you the platform to grow and shine" said Ian Henery.
Elsewhere, Walsall Town Hall was filled with hand-on workshops where attendees built robots, created wearable art and explored special effects makeup; Walsall Society of Artists took over the Crossing at St Paul’s; the rarely open Memorial Gardens hosted a Mad Hatter’s Tea-Party; Walsall Leather Museum offered leathercraft activities and fashion showcases and Gallery Square came alive with live music from home-grown talent.
“ Walsall MakerFest has once again shown the incredible creativity, talent and community spirit we have here in Walsall. The festival drew huge numbers into the town centre. Events like this not only bring pride and enjoyment to our residents, but also highlight Walsall as a place of opportunity and innovation. MakerFest has helped us build momentum towards the opening of The Guildhall, our new Creative Industries Enterprise Centre next summer. “
Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader at Walsall Council.
RicNic was born in 2004 when a teenage group of musical theatre fans took over a local theatre for the summer holidays. Together they staged a theatre production, taking on every role in the production team, cast, crew, and band. The project was repeated in subsequent years and RicNic grew into a flourishing theatre company, supporting young people to produce multiple events each year in schools, online and in professional venues around the country.
In 2024, after 20 years of our Summer Musicals programme being the main focus of our work, RicNic went back to the drawing board and reimagined their work to meet the new needs of their participants and the communities in which they were working. This led to the relaunch of their activity strands with a year-round programme of activity delivered across Staffordshire, Cheshire, the West Midlands, and further afield. They`re now busier than ever creating theatre productions and music festivals, running workshops, holding open mic nights, providing training opportunities, mentoring participants, and more; all with the same ethos that they began with 20 years ago.
"RicNic has had young people at its core from the very start, and that remains essential to our development to this day" said Ian Henery.
"Everything we do is conducted with this same, youth-led approach in mind – a unique approach that we are yet to see matched in the UK, in terms of the level of autonomy that we give to our participants.
We are an arts charity for all young people to enjoy, whether they are searching for a new hobby or wish to find more support in developing a creative career." said Ian Henery.
"We believe that there should be no barrier to enjoying and engaging with the arts, and so we strive to make all our projects free for young people to attend and fully inclusive regardless of additional need, ability or experience."
