Our Christmas Makers Fairs are nearly here! We’ve got three fairs over five dates this year, starting at The British Engineerium in Hove, heading back to Shoreham where Paper Daisy began ten years ago, and finishing up at Wagner Hall in Brighton.
I love that each of these fairs feels a little different. You could spend the day exploring the Engineerium, bring the kids along for some Christmas crafting in Shoreham, or pop into Wagner Hall for a spot of shopping and a mulled wine in the garden. I thought I’d put all the dates and details in one place so you can see what’s on at each one (and send it to whoever you fancy bringing along!).
Grand Winter Makers Fair at The British Engineerium, Hove
Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd November · 10.30am-5pm · Free entry
We’re kicking things off with our biggest fair of the season. There’ll be over 120 makers, artists & small-batch producers across the historic halls, the Makers Marquee and the grounds, so I’d give yourself a bit of time to have a proper look around!
You can do some Christmas shopping, grab something from one of the street food stalls and stop for a drink at the festive bar. We’ll have live entertainment over the weekend, and if you’ve ever wanted to see the Engineerium in steam, you can book a guided museum tour as part of your visit.
Entry to the fair is free, with optional queue-jump tickets available if you’d like one.
Christmas Makers Fair at The Shoreham Centre
Saturday 5th December · 10am-3.30pm · Free entry
Shoreham is where I held my very first Paper Daisy Christmas Fair back in 2016. This year, we’ll be taking over the whole ground floor of The Shoreham Centre making it our biggest Christmas fair there to date! I’m so grateful to everyone who’s made coming to the fair part of their Christmas over the years, and I’ve got a few anniversary surprises planned, including some free goodie tote bags to give away filled with goodies from our makers and local businesses.
As well as two halls full of makers, artists & independent businesses, there’ll be glass fusion workshops, Christmas cupcake decorating, face painting and a children’s craft zone. We’ll have live performances, a pop-up café for when you need a sit-down, and a visit from everyone’s favourite snowman.
Brighton Festive Makers Fair at Wagner Hall
Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th December · 10:30am-4:30pm · Free entry
Wagner Hall is such a lovely place to finish the year. It’s tucked away just by Churchill Square, and if you’ve only ever walked past, you might not realise there’s a sheltered courtyard out the back called the Fig Tree Garden.
We’ll be filling the hall and garden with 80 makers, artists & small businesses across the weekend. It’s a good one for picking up those last few presents, especially if you’ve still got someone on your list you’re stuck on. You can stop for something from the pop-up café or have a mulled wine in the garden before heading back into town.
Whether you’re coming to one fair or making a little tradition of all three, I’d love to see you there. And if you need a little bit of gifting inspo, I’m putting together a little Engineerium gift guide with some of my favourite picks. I’ll share that here soon!
Bryony x