Fangfest: what to expect from the craft fair near York

If you have been keeping an eye out for Fangfest, the craft fair that brings more than 30 artists and craftspeople to a venue near York for a weekend of handmade treasures and creative workshops, there is a reason it has not appeared on the 2026 calendar yet. There are simply no confirmed details for a 2026 edition, so before you plan a trip, it is worth knowing what the event actually is and where it has sat in recent years.

Fangfest is a celebration of practical arts, and its format is fairly consistent year to year: more than 30 artists and makers set up stalls, and the weekend is built around handmade work and workshops rather than just browsing. The 2025 edition ran on 10 and 11 May at the York Showground, Booth 1, YO31 7EZ, with tickets at £10 for adults, £5 for children under 16 and £15 for a family ticket covering two adults and two children. The 2024 event, by contrast, was held in the village of Fangfoss, about ten miles east of York, and was free to enter, with parking at £2 a vehicle in aid of Friends of St Martin’s Primary School. That year, most of the stalls were gathered in the orchard of Fangfoss Hall, and the programme ran from 10am to 4pm on both days.

The 2024 line-up gives a good sense of the range of work on offer. Among the exhibitors were Caroline Wagstaff with ceramics and pebble glass, Josh Hemmens of Whimbrel Designs, whose photography is shot through a lensball and sold as giclee prints, cards and framed photographs, and Liz Riley of Everything Felt, whose felting work is characteristic of artisan felted art. Other names included Lorina Lynne on jewellery, Pete Thomson of Spirit of the Wood on woodwork, Woodwyrm on wood carving and trinket boxes, Shan Williams on woven items, Crafty Alfredo on ceramic mosaics, Laura Thompson on illustration, Tanja Entwistle on glass and Rosie Glow on terrazzo homeware, soaps and prints. The workshops that year were a big part of the weekend, with sessions on needle felting, spoon carving, yarn spinning and hand embroidery, and a Barn Owl Sock Puppet workshop specifically for children aged five and up.

Beyond the stalls, the festival tends to layer in a lot of extra activities. The 2024 edition included a flower festival, vintage and veteran cars, archery with Aaron Shooting Archery, music on the green, a teddy bear trail and a performance by Story Craft Theatre for two- to eight-year-olds, with Anglo-Saxon storytelling from Haigha Lore on the Sunday morning. It was an outdoor event with mixed terrain, so the organisers asked people to dress for the weather and noted that while most stallholders took card, there were no cashpoints in the village.

So, if you are hoping to catch it in 2026, the best thing to do is keep an eye on the usual channels. The event has a habit of landing in the spring or early autumn, and the details tend to firm up closer to the date. For now, there is nothing confirmed, but knowing the usual format — 30-plus makers, a mix of stalls and workshops, and a family-friendly atmosphere — should help you decide if it is one to track down when the next date finally lands.