Bakewell Wool Gathering is a wool festival for yarn lovers and crafters, based at Bakewell Agricultural Centre in the Peak District. Launched in 2013 by Carole Greaves of Skeins, Bakewell Wool Gathering has gone from strength to strength each year since then.
Peak District wool festival
Whether you’re into spinning, felting, weaving, crochet, or just plain old knitting, there’s something for you. All in a stunning location with some of the friendliest, craftiest people around.
We host over 50 exhibitors stalls selling everything you could want – wool, needles, spinning wheels and all things woolly. The Centre will be full of colour, texture and creativity in 2020, as it has been over the previous seven years.
Bakewell is the ideal location for a woolly event, in the centre of England and easily accessed from across the Midlands, North-West, North Wales and Yorkshire. You can find about more about the venue and Bakewell here.
We’re on Twitter, Facebook, Ravelry, Pinterest, and Instagram, so there are plenty of places to discuss Bakewell Wool Gathering, plan your visit and get information. Come join us!
Tickets can be bought either on the day (cash or card) or online via the tickets page.
Parking is mainly Pay and Display and the machines only take cash or card. The price for a full day was over £5 again in 2018 and the machines don’t take notes only coins so please fetch plenty of change. The card payment option is frequently broken, and unfortunately this is beyond our control, but we can usually provide you with change if you need it.
Please note that only Guide/disability assistance dogs are allowed inside the Agricultural Centre. We also ask that you only take photos with stallholders’ permission, and keep food and drink away from stalls. There is an on site cafe where you can eat.
If you are interested in covering Bakewell Wool Gathering on your blog or website, magazine or newspaper, please contact us. If you’ve already covered us, let us know so we can add your story to the News & Press page. We can provide banners and images for you to use. We can also provide flyers for you to distribute – if you’d like some, get in touch!
You are able to advertise in the visitor brochure whether you are an exhibitor or not, at the following costs:
- Quarter page: £25.00
- Half page: £50.00
- Full page: £100.00
If you wish to do so please get in touch through our contact form.
Applying to be an exhibitor
Applications open in November each year and close in January. We advertise here on the website and also announce through Facebook.
If you are unsuccessful you will automatically be added to a waiting list, and if another exhibitor has to pull out we will select someone from the waiting list to replace them. We do not usually provide feedback on applications but can if you ask us. We would recommend that you tell us as much information as possible and emphasize what makes you unique!
If you have missed the deadline for applying then please don’t contact us asking to make an exception, as there are already people waiting for a place. We do not make exceptions. Instead wait until next year, or consider applying for Buxton Wool Gathering instead.
You can find details of exhibitors from previous years: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Fleece Sales
In the past couple of years there’s been a successful fleece stand selling plenty of local fleece. If you wish to sell any fleece then please read the following:
- All fleeces must be delivered prior to opening at 10am on either day.
- Fleeces must be clean and in a suitable bag.
- Each bag must have a notice attached stating – breed, approx weight, name of farm and contact details.
- There is a fixed charge of £1 per bag which has to be paid on delivering the fleeces.
- All unsold fleeces and monies from sales must be collected before 4.30pm on Sunday – any fleeces not collected will be sold to the highest bidder and all proceeds given to the Rare Breed Trust. You will be asked to sign to this effect.
