Our legendary gathering of people using clay and crafts in political, educational and social ways. Come to learn, make, exchange ideas.

Social Clay 2026

Lordy, is this our 5th birthday ?! All the more reason you should come.

Social Clay celebrates sociable making, from housebuilders to mug throwers to ashtray makers - all in our workshops and fields at our historic inn, The Farmer’s Arms. Join us for a three-day collaborative gathering of people using ideas, clay and crafts in a political, educational and social way, brought to you once more by Grizedale Arts and Tees Valley Arts. You can camp with us, or stay in our great value accommodation if you prefer a roof.

Since Grizedale Arts established The Farmer’s Arms, we’ve been working to foster collaborations, ideas and discussions to help people from all walks of life develop networks and provide a space for making. Social Clay is an informal celebration of what has been established here to date and a chance for you to meet other people doing interesting things, to learn, exchange, collaborate and get involved!

The Farmer’s Arms isn’t just a pub - it’s a social space. We have workshops, gardens, housebuilding, craft and art projects, fermentation, cooking and product development—a place where people meet and plots and soups are thickened. There is an emphasis in all these areas on social functionality and how these ideas and skills feed into everyday life and creativity, so, if you’re working somewhere in between any or all these things, but you’re thinking beyond the product, then this festival is for y’all!

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME OUTLINE

It’s as ever a packed programme over the three days including workshops suitable for all ages, at least three generations or more, fun filled, food filled and educational, programmed by us, our friends and collaborators and partners. What more could you possibly want? (Sorry, campsite has no hot showers :-/)

All the programming is being updated as we speak, so check back often for new additions.

Friday Sept 18 2026

From midday

Arrival and welcome at the Farmer’s Arms (stupendous parking, accommodation and camping on site)

5pm - 6.15pm

Pub tour, looking at period features, our art & craft collection and new things we have done too.

6.30pm

Pot luck supper. Appropriate or bring a pot & we will provide the appropriate food (included in both tickets)

From 7.30pm

Social & music in the Stable Bar until 11pm.

For early arrivals and/or late leavers: the bar will be open as normal 5pm to 11pm

Saturday Sept 19 2026

10.00am to 4.00pm

CafeTeen, our youth arts / cafe is open and serving all day.

Hands-on workshops throughout the pub, incl. with new potter-in-residence and old potter-in-residence Francis Lloyd Jones, Taylor Shaw and more. Materials included but there may be modest charges for firing etc)

Kids Clay Workshops all-day (NB accompanied children only)

Outside - raku all day - blanks provided

Zoom talks programme incl. Kanazawa-based artist Akane Nakamori & Keynote lecture, Yuko Kikuchi, Mingei Transnationalism: Strategic Appropriation or Shared Heritage? - the complicated issue of appropriation; Beatrice Prosser-Snelling (Benton End Project Director) on Benton End and Cedric Morris - The Polite Avant Garde of the English Countryside

Live talks include Harvey Wilkinson (National Trust Cultural Heritage Curator for the Lake District), on The National (mis)Trust - Tea and scones and what they mean and GA director Adam Sutherland on The Aesthetics & Meaning of the Tea Break, including examples from the fascinating mug collections that's part of Grizedale Arts' Lawson Park Collection.

7pm

Supper (incl. in tickets*) followed by film programme

Stable Bar open 12noon to 11pm

Sunday Sept 20 2026

9.30am - 11.00am

Off-site Foraging Walk with Adam Sutherland - we will mostly be finding hedgehog, chanterelle and porcini mushrooms. Meet at Tarn Hows car park, nr. Coniston.

11.30am: Workshop on preparing and cooking mushrooms, at our Fermentation barn back at the pub. How not to poison yourself in one simple lesson.

Or

10am

Gardener's Tour of The Farmer's Arms, featuring meadows, Diana's Orchard, ornamentals & edibles. Gathering materials for....

11am - midday Flower Arranging Workshop

How to make pots and vases work with flowers, grasses, foliage & twigs, looking at numerous bespoke floristry vessels we have made over the years as well as historic oddities

12.45pm

3 course Sunday Lunch (£18 per head on the day with a Social Clay ticket) a communal sit down - vegan & omnivore options. Invitation to suggest themes / events for 2027 festival!

TICKET OPTIONS

Our CONTINENTAL ticket (£60 pp) buys you exclusive first come first served access to 3 of the workshops happening over the weekend plus supper on Friday and Saturday, and access to any music events and talks. If you'd like to stay in our rooms, check out our rooms and self catering options here.

THE FULL ENGLISH ticket (£85 pp) will get you all the aforementioned PLUS camping in our beautiful

Description supplied by the event organiser.