Creative Peninsula to showcase Ards and North Down's finest artists and makers

This week, Ards and North Down Borough Council will welcome the official launch of Creative Peninsula, the region’s largest festival dedicated to art and craft.

Now in its 22nd year, this thriving annual event brings together local artists and makers to demonstrate their skills and showcase their exceptional work.

Ards and North Down is renowned for its vibrant artistic community and Creative Peninsula gives visitors a unique opportunity to view, purchase or even commission pieces of art or participate in workshops during the festival.

Running throughout the month of August, the festival offers a diverse range of free and bookable activities suitable for all ages and experience levels.

Attendees can explore and engage with various art and craft forms through open studios, exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and more, truly immersing themselves in the local creative scene.

On Friday August 4, Creative Peninsula Twilight Market and Arts Night will take place at Conway Square in Newtownards.

For one night only, the space will be transformed into a vibrant arts and crafts village with artists and makers displaying and selling their work.

Free demonstrations including throwing on a potter’s wheel, painting, printing and wool spinning will run throughout the evening along with live music from Los Dramaticos.

A new addition to the 2023 programme is a linen-inspired event at Echlinville Distillery on Saturday August 12.

The afternoon programme includes a talk from Irish linen expert Fiona McKelvie, some spinning demonstrations from Rosemary McCartney from Simply Spun and a hands-on screen print activity with local print maker Lucy Turner.

The Bangor Art Tour and Tipple on Wednesday August 2 is a walking tour of Bangor where participants visit three creative spaces to try printmaking, enjoying a tipple along the way.

Mayor of Ards and North Down, councillor Jennifer Gilmour said: “Creative Peninsula has evolved into an incredibly inspirational arts festival that attracts people from near and far. It is wonderful to have such a high concentration of creatives living and working in our borough and Creative Peninsula is a fantastic way to showcase these artists and craftspeople.

"We are delighted to be able to bring this event to you again and we invite everyone to come along and get involved.”

Arts and Heritage Manager for Ards and North Down Borough Council, Emily Crawford also commented: “We are delighted to offer a vibrant programme of art and craft activity this August as part of August Craft month.

"We have a creative walking tour of Bangor, a Twilight Market in Conway Square, exhibitions showcasing our local artists and makers and a variety of creative workshops and Open Studios to inspire you. With lots of opportunities to get creative, I would encourage everyone to explore what’s on offer in the Creative Peninsula programme.”

Visit creativepeninsula.andculture.org.uk.