We’ve said a fond farewell to summer and a big hello to autumn in Darwen Town Centre, and we’re excited for all the fun the season will bring! And speaking of fun… we’re excited to be bringing you a week of free family autumnal adventures in and around Darwen Market. From a diverse variety of arts and crafts to storytelling and much more, there’s an autumn activity for everyone to enjoy this half term.
These activities are organised for Darwen families by Culturapedia and Spot On Lancashire, with funding from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Arts Council England.
Here’s a rundown of what’s in store at Darwen Market…
Sat 21st October, 11:30am and 1:30pm: Watch Live Shows, SeedHeart
Puppet and shadow theatre company, Indigo Moon Theatre, are bringing their show, SeedHeart, to Darwen Market on Saturday 21st October.
Meet Grey. Our journey begins as Grey finds themself trapped inside a jar. They try to remember how they got there and how they could be free…
SeedHeart tells the important tale of human impact on the environment and questions what we can do to restore our once green planet, with interactive chaos in the laboratory on the way!
Watch as the story unfolds from a single suitcase, and follow Grey’s journey to a better future with magical pop-ups, puppetry and interactive scenes.
There will be two performances of SeedHeart at Darwen Market, at 11:30am and 1:30pm, with each show lasting 40 minutes. There’s no need to book, simply come along to to the market and enjoy.
SeedHeart is recommended for ages 5 and above.
Mon 23rd October, 11am till 3pm: Make & Take Home, Screenprint a Market Stall Poster
Join us for this wonderful screenprinting workshop that’ll get your week off to a great start! Come up with your own idea for a market stall at Darwen Market, and then make a unique screenprinted poster for it. You can be as creative as you like, and workshop leader, Molly Bland, will be on hand to help bring your wackiest ideas to life.
Molly is a graphic designer and creative facilitator from Morecambe, and we’re excited to welcome her and her screenprinting skills to Darwen, and to see what attendees create!
This is a free drop in session from 11am till 3pm.
Wed 25th October, 11am till 3pm: Make & Take Home, Little Knitted Nightmares
Make your own spooktacular friend to take home in time for Halloween!
This workshop will teach you how to make a Halloween decoration out of wool and wire, and no knitting skills are required. Knit, crochet and embroidery artist, Helen Davies will show participants how to use a loom instead of needles to create all sorts of spooky accessories, such as bats, cats and witches hats!
Drop by the Market Hub inside Darwen Market between 11am and 3pm to take part.
Fri 27th October, 11am till 3pm: Explore Mini Adventures, Adventure Walk & Clay Time
Join our intrepid explorer, Adam, on a one-of-a-king adventure in and around Darwen Market. Adam will take willing adventurers on an exploration of Darwen Town Centre, and create a completely original story while doing so.
Attendees will be invited to contribute to the tale by taking inspiration from their surroundings, which will encouraged you to see the town centre through new eyes!
The walk will last approximately 40 minutes, then you’ll be invited into the hub inside Darwen Market to create characters from the story out of clay. This will also last approximately 40 minutes.
Walk start times are 11am and 1.30pm.
Sat 28th October, 11am till 3pm: Make & Take Home, Discover the Art of Weaving
Surface pattern and textile designer, Fawziyah Raja, invites Darwen families to take part in her fantastic weaving workshop on Saturday 28th October.
This activity is suitable for all abilities, and will give you a great introduction to the art of weaving and its different techniques. You’ll also get to create a piece of woven art to take home, such as a coaster, wall hanging or tabletop display.
Drop by between 11am and 3pm to join in.
And that concludes our week of autumn family fun at Darwen Market! We hope an activity or two has caught your attention, and we look forward to seeing you later this month. Check out the event calendar for more info.
Please remember that children need to be supervised by a parent or carer during all activities.
Help us spread the word about these fantastic free family activities, and follow Darwen Town Centre and Darwen Market on Facebook to be the first to hear about new events.
