Festival of Stuff: Stratford Extravaganza 2025

Join us for our large-scale, drop-in and completely free Festival dedicated to all things materials and making at the Institute of Making Stratford! 

From captivating demonstrations and exciting hands-on making activities, to live music and unorthodox culinary stalls, together we’ll explore the sheer joy of stuff.  

In honour of our new breezy space on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, we're investigating wind like never before. Try your hand at a wide range of blustery activities: from panpipes to propellers and Bernoulli balloons to hot air balloons. Fuel a Stirling engine with steam, strut a 'wind-o-graphy' catwalk and marvel at our electric hovercraft track.

The day will take in a flurry of specialist making practices, breathing life into rope-making, basketry, parachute stitching, enzymatic plastic recycling and screenprinting. Cook up a storm with tasty torched treats, then dip into our pizza dough paddling pool and marvel at the Materials Library.

Save the date in your diary, and sign up to our mailing list to receive Festival updates and news.

Excited to to see behind-the-scenes Festival preparations? Keep an eye on our Instagram.

Click here for directions to our Stratford space.

The Institute of Making is an interdisciplinary research organisation, with a Materials Library and multi-material workshop spaces. Our aim is to provide all those interested in the made world with a creative home in which to contemplate all aspects of materials and their relationship to making.

Festival of Stuff events are free and open to all!

Everyone is welcome in our spaces for our Festival of Stuff day event and masterclasses, and we strive to make all of our processes accessible.

Our festival is expected to be loud and busy throughout the day, but it is generally quieter between 1pm - 2pm. If a noisy, crowded atmosphere will make your day difficult or unenjoyable, please get in touch with us in advance so that we can help you have the best experience. We can arrange alternatives for those who are unable to queue for longer periods of time, help you to navigate to quieter spaces and provide you with free earplugs.

Please message us if you have any questions, or requirements, or need assistance using our platforms or events. We'll be happy to help: events@instituteofmaking.org.uk.

We look forward to seeing you soon!