Date: 18 September 2026
Reading time: 5 minutes
Macclesfield Textile Week begins on 19 September 2026, bringing around 50 events to 15 venues across the town until 27 September.
The inaugural festival is a community-led collaboration between Macclesfield Community ArtSpace and The Silk Museum. It is supported by Macclesfield Town Council and Cheshire East Council, with independent artists, local businesses, charities, schools and community groups taking part.
The programme includes exhibitions, talks, workshops, family activities and community events. Here are 10 things to know before planning a visit.
1. The festival connects Macclesfield’s past and present
Macclesfield’s textile story began as a cottage industry. Women and children wrapped thread around wooden moulds to make silk buttons. This work helped lead to industrialisation, a global silk market and 70 mills at the town’s peak.
Textile Week links that history with the town’s current community of makers. The programme includes traditional techniques, contemporary art, local archives, sustainable fashion and activities for new learners.
The festival is therefore both a heritage event and a current community programme. It shows how textile skills continue to support local creativity and shared identity.
2. The main exhibition is Macclesfield and The Bayeux
The headline exhibition runs at The Silk Museum from 19 September to 19 December 2026.
It centres on The Macclesfield History Tapestry, a community artwork stitched by 100 participants. The work tells stories about the people, buildings and landscape of Macclesfield across almost 900 years of history.
The exhibition also features The Story of the Bayeux, supplied by the British Museum. Audio-visual and interactive elements explore the original tapestry, while The Silk Museum’s piece of the Leek Bayeux replica gives the venue a role in the national Bayeux Around Britain celebration.
Entry is free on a drop-in basis from 10am. Related talks, stitching workshops and children’s activities are also scheduled.
3. The Silk Museum is the central heritage venue
The Silk Museum provides the main base for Textile Week and is also home to Paradise Mill.
For anyone searching for a macclesfield heritage centre, the museum is the central venue for the festival’s textile history programme. It also gives visitors access to exhibitions, collection displays and activities connected with Macclesfield’s silk industry.
Other museum exhibitions during the week include:
- Weavers in the Mill at Paradise Mill, featuring contemporary woven pieces and artworks by Eleanor Godfrey and Claire Malley. Admission charges apply.
- Tytherington High School: Sketched and Stitched, showcasing GCSE and A Level Art and Textile work.
- Unveiling the Cartwright & Sheldon Archive, featuring objects from a conservation project and items from Macclesfield’s last handloom weavers.
- Treasures from the Collection: A Century of Fashion, presented by The Silk Museum’s collection volunteers.
4. More exhibitions are taking place around town
Textile Week extends beyond The Silk Museum.
At Christ Church, Blanket Statements celebrates blankets through needlework, crochet and knitting. J R Oatts: Journey to Here features abstract paintings on silk and collaborative silk paintings created with Macclesfield residents.
Both exhibitions run from 19 to 27 September and are free drop-in events from 11am.
At Macclesfield Library, Tales of a Textile Town runs until 25 September. Curated by The History Hunters, it explores the people, products and technologies that shaped the town’s textile history.
These exhibitions make the festival suitable for visitors looking for Macclesfield attractions with a strong local connection.
5. The talks cover silk, history and modern making
The programme includes talks for different interests and levels of knowledge.
On 19 September, The Macclesfield History Tapestry talk at The Silk Museum explores the artists’ creative journey, the town’s history and the community stories behind the project. It is free, but booking is required.
The Weaving in Paradise study day on 22 September examines the past, present and future of silk weaving in Paradise Mill. It costs £70 in person or £18 for online access.
On 23 September, Patrick Grant speaks at The King’s School, Macclesfield. The event is hosted by The Silk Museum and costs £18.50, with a £16.50 rate also available.
The programme also includes Medieval Clothing and Survival on 24 September. The free session at The Silk Museum considers the clothing used by Maxonians during the year of the Norman Conquest. Booking is required.
6. Visitors can learn practical textile skills
Workshops form a major part of the programme. Options include:
- Weave a Wall Hanging at Scout HQ on 19 September, costing £36.
- Art Workshop: Silk Journeys at The Silk Museum on 19 September, costing £35.
- Sew a Pocket Skirt at Macclesfield Community ArtSpace on 20 September, costing £75.
- Textile Zine Workshop at The Silk Museum on 21 September, free with booking.
- Belt Making Workshop at Picturedrome Courtyard on 22 September, costing £50.
- Sew a Book Cover at Macclesfield Community ArtSpace from 22 to 24 September, costing £15.
- Inspired by Boro at The Silk Museum on 23 September, costing £15.
- Fabulous Flax to Lustrous Linen at Scout HQ on 24 September, costing £36.50.
- Knit a Hat! at Macclesfield Community ArtSpace on 25 September, costing £20.
- Autumn Botanicals Community Print Workshop at The Silk Museum on 27 September, free drop-in.
The selection covers weaving, sewing, printing, dyeing, knitting, collage and textile repair.
7. Many events are free
Textile Week includes a substantial number of free drop-in activities.
Free events include Macclesfield and The Bayeux, Blanket Statements, J R Oatts: Journey to Here, Tales of a Textile Town and Tytherington High School: Sketched and Stitched.
Other free options include the Sustainable Living Fair, Silktown Stitchers: Stitching Social, Stitching on the Border, the Tailoring Academy Open Studio and the Autumn Botanicals Community Print Workshop.
Some free events still require advance booking. This applies to selected talks, workshops and inclusive crafting sessions. Ticketed events have separate prices, so checking the official programme is important before travelling.
8. Families have several options
Family activities include a free Family Workshop: Rag Rugs at The Silk Museum on 19 September.
On 24 September, Textile Tots! offers a sensory session focused on fabrics. The cost is £6 per child.
The programme also includes Wonderful Weaving at The Silk Museum, free children’s textile crafts at Macclesfield Market Hall and Toy Making: Make a Panda! at Macclesfield Community ArtSpace. The panda-making session is free but requires booking.
These activities add family-friendly options to the wider list of Macclesfield things to do during the week.
9. Community events focus on inclusion and sustainability
Textile Week includes activities that connect textile skills with practical community issues.
The Sustainable Living Fair at the United Reformed Church offers ways to refresh wardrobes, save money and reduce waste. The same venue hosts Silktown Stitchers: Stitching Social.
The Windyway Trust’s Fashion Reworked show at Button Warehouse presents recycled textiles transformed into clothing inspired by the natural landscape. Tickets cost £10.
There are also free Learn to Knit and Learn to Crochet sessions, including dedicated sessions for visually impaired participants at The Hope Centre. The Tailoring Academy Open Studio offers an opportunity to explore its UK-accredited Level 5 Diploma in Bespoke Tailoring.
Events such as these give residents and visitors reasons to explore the Macclesfield town centre, local venues and Macclesfield shops while supporting the town’s creative network.
10. Plan the route and check booking details
The festival takes place across venues including The Silk Museum, Paradise Mill, Christ Church, Macclesfield Library, Macclesfield Community ArtSpace, the Market Hall, Button Warehouse, Scout HQ, The Hope Centre and The Tailoring Academy.
A single visit can combine exhibitions, workshops, food and other Macclesfield attractions. Crafty Corner Woodland Autumn Window Display runs from 19 to 27 September as a free drop-in feature, adding another textile-related stop to a town-centre route.
Use the organiser’s venue map to plan the day. Check the ticket information for prices and booking requirements before attending.
The Visit Macclesfield events and festivals listings provide another place to check local event information.
What happens next: Macclesfield Textile Week runs from 19 to 27 September 2026, while Macclesfield and The Bayeux continues at The Silk Museum until 19 December, with a 60-minute British Museum live broadcast scheduled for 14 October.
Sources: Event details, dates, times and prices were taken from the organiser’s published programme and related listings and were correct at the time of writing on 18 September 2026. Please confirm details with the organiser before travelling.
- Macclesfield Textile Week programme and event listings, The Silk Museum — thesilkmuseum.co.uk/textileweek-programme
- About Macclesfield Textile Week, The Silk Museum — thesilkmuseum.co.uk/textileweek
- Macclesfield and The Bayeux exhibition listing, The Silk Museum — thesilkmuseum.co.uk/calendar/the-macclesfield-history-tapestry
- Macclesfield Textile Week, Visit Cheshire — visitcheshire.com/events/macclesfield-textile-week
- Visit Macclesfield events and festivals listings — visitmacclesfield.co.uk/listing-category/events-and-festivals-2026