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Get involved in creative activities
The activities include a range of workshops, demonstrations, and performances. Activities are listed in venue number order.
To view the venue information, click on the venue link. Find the location on the 2026 Art Trail map.
Please note that some participatory activities may include a small charge.
Children must be supervised by an adult at all times during our activities.
Workshops
Make earrings
Venue 2A – Kirkstall Abbey
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 4 pm
- Drop-in
- From £5 plus extras (materials included)
- Ages 12+
Design your own earrings with jeweller Mad Hatterpillar, choosing from simple beads or higher-end materials like pearls and Whitby jet.
Experience printmaking – etching
Venue 8 – St Stephen’s Primary School
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- £5 per letter
- £5 per card
- No age restrictions
Learn how to use a traditional etching press. Create wildlife-themed greeting cards or spell your name with animal-inspired letters alongside artist Alice Croft.
Experience printmaking – lino
Venue 8 – St Stephen’s Primary School
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free – option to purchase a print
- No age restrictions
Experience lino carving with expert guidance from Alice Croft. The finished block will be printed at the end on the trail with the option to purchase a print.
Botanical prints
Venue 8 – St Stephen’s Primary School
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free / donation to artist
- No age restrictions
Join Caroline Pratt to create prints and drawings inspired by local wild plants and urban weeds found around Kirkstall and Burley.
Zine-making
Venue 8 – St Stephen’s Primary School
Sunday 18 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- PAYF (Pay As You Feel)
- No age restrictions
Join a relaxed zine-making session with artist Ishleen Kaur. Be creative or choose from a variety of prompts for inspiration. All materials are provided.
Printing
Venue 9 – St Stephen’s Church Hall
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, at 11.30 am and 1.30 pm
- Drop-in at set times
- Free / donation to artist
- No age restrictions
Create your own prints with artist Stephen Griffiths. Prints can take approximately an hour to dry, you are welcome to return and collect them later the same day.
Drawing with pastels
Venue 10 – Trefoil Centre
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free / donation to the Trefoil Centre
- No age restrictions
Learn techniques for working with soft pastels with artist Luísa Freitas. Take your work with you or add to a gallery throughout the weekend.
Make a celebration card
Venue 22A – Hollybush Barn
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free / donation to artist
- No age restrictions
Join artist Yulia Sharova and discover how to make your own colourful greeting and celebration cards.
Make a butterfly
Venue 22C – Hollybush Classroom
Saturday, 18 at 11 am to 5 pm and Sunday, 19 July at 12 pm to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- No age restrictions
Make your own butterfly with artist HoneyFauna. Look at examples of local butterflies and see if you can spot any in the garden.
Pottery caricatures
Venue 22C – Hollybush Classroom
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- From £25 (including all materials)
- No age restrictions
Design your own mugs with ceramicist Cassius Langhorne. He provides the pottery, you decorate it, and he’ll fire and glaze the finished pieces, so they are food-safe and ready for collection or delivery.
Postcards from alien lands
Venue 22C – Hollybush Classroom
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- No age restrictions
Create a holiday postcard of an alien landscape using collage and markers. With artists Swamp Meat.
Urban sketching
Venue 23 – Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 1 pm
- Book a place
- £5 (includes materials and tuition from the artist)
- Free (just turn up and sketch independently)
- No age restrictions
Join artist Michael Duckett next to Hollybush on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for a relaxed urban sketching workshop.
Demonstrations
Stone carving
Venue 2A – Kirkstall Abbey
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 4 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- Demonstration – no age restrictions
- Activity – ages 18+
The West Riding Stonecarving Association will demonstrate the art of hand carving stone. There is the opportunity to give it a try yourself.
Needle and wet felting
Venue 9 – St Stephen’s Church Hall
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- No age restrictions
Artist Feral Apple creates needle felt and textile puppets. Visitors can watch her process and learn more about her craft as she demonstrates different techniques.
Street art
Venue 16 – Church Lane Allotments
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- No age restrictions
Street artist Apex Studios will revamp a shipping container with a large and colourful mural.
Mural painting
Venue 18 – 23 Church Street
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- No age restrictions
Portrait artist Jemima Spence will bring an ordinary garden wall to life with a surreal mural.
Mural art
Venue 20 – Art Yard
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- No age restrictions
Local mural artist Adina Wykes will transform a small industrial yard with a vibrant mural.
Activities
Illustrators’ meet-up
Venue 2A – Kirkstall Abbey
Saturday 19 July, 11 am to 1 pm
- Book a place
- Free
- No age restrictions
Join a friendly group of local illustrators for a couple of hours of sketching and chatting at Kirkstall Abbey. Book a place so the organisers know you’re coming and can keep you updated.
Colouring-in
Venue 8 – St Stephen’s Primary School
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free / donation to KAT
- No age restrictions
Find out more about Sneaky Rascal games and pick up a free colouring-in activity sheet.
Portrait sessions
Venue 8 – St Stephen’s Primary School
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free / PAYF (recommended £5)
- Portraits take approximately 5 minutes
- No age restrictions
Sit for a quick hand-drawn portrait with artist Ellie Dawes.
Portrait sessions
Venue 8 – St Stephen’s Primary School
Saturday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- £3 for an individual portrait
- £5 for a two person portrait
- Portraits take approximately 5 to 7 minutes
- No age restrictions
Sit for a quick hand-drawn portrait with artist Ishleen Kaur.
Podcast interviews
Venue 22D – Hollybush Shelter
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free / donation to artist
- No age restrictions – all ages actively encouraged
This Side of Town invites visitors to share meaningful places and their stories, to be featured in a podcast.
Performances
Dance intro
Venue 2D – Kirkstall Abbey
Saturday 18 at 2 pm
- Unticketed – just turn up
- Free
- No age restrictions
Dancers Sophia Kato and Annabella Fernandes will be performing original choreography as they open for the fashion show.
Fashion Show
Venue 2D – Kirkstall Abbey
Saturday, 18 July at 2 pm
- Unticketed – just turn up
- Free
- No age restrictions
Watch the 2026 Sustainable Fashion Show, where designers present original creations on the catwalk. Meet the makers and designers after the show.
Film-showing
Venue 7 – 19 Norman Street
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- No age restrictions
Filmartist Fraser Cornall presents Digital Memory Materiality, inviting visitors to watch his two short films ‘Dolphin’ and ‘An Ode to Bricklaying’.
Music
Various venues
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11 am to 5 pm
- Drop-in
- Free
- No age restrictions
Kirkstall Art Trail brings music to your ears. Look out for our buskers performing outside select venues throughout the weekend.
Spoken Word
Venue 26 – Cardigan Arms, Kirkstall Road
Saturday, 18 July from 7 pm
- Unticketed – just turn up
- On the door – Give what you can
- Ages 18+
Join us for an intimate evening of Spoken Word. There will be opportunities for a slot on the open mic.