About this Event
Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (GNCCF) is the largest and most prestigious craft fair in the North and one of the best in the UK. Join us for its 17th annual edition over the weekend of 17-20 October in the stunning historic Victoria Baths in Manchester.
!!! Win £50 to spend at GNCCF - buy your tickets before 31st August to be automatically entered into the prize draw!!!
GNCCF brings together 200 of the most talented makers from across the UK, from established artists to new graduate talent, all selected for their excellence by a panel of craft experts. It's an unrivalled opportunity to browse and buy a wide array of high quality, one-off handmade pieces including ceramics, jewellery and silver, interior and fashion textiles, glass, basketmaking, prints, wood, furniture & more.
Victoria Baths' stunning Edwardian tiled swimming pools, balconies, changing cubicles and Turkish baths are used to great effect as the backdrop for the exhibitors' stands. Visitors will love exploring the venue as much as discovering the wonderful craft on show.
New for 2024 is Great Northern Graduates, a curated selling exhibition of outstanding graduate work plus GREENGRADS in the North returns showcasing innovative eco-design ideas.
Make a day of it! As well as browsing the craft on sale and meeting the makers, there are maker demos and free drop-in workshops. And when you need a break from shopping, enjoy a delicious snack from our pop-up café.
For further details, a list of exhibitors and information on how to get to the GNCCF: www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk
Opening times
Preview Evening:
Thursday 17 October: 18.00-21.00 ( note GNCCF is NOT open during the day)
Public Openings:
Friday 18 October: 10.00-17.00
Saturday 19 October: 10.00-17.00
Sunday 20 October: 10.00-16.00
Please note, Eventbrite prints the tickets detailing the show opening from Thursday through 'til Sunday - further down it states the day your ticket is valid.
Ticket prices
Advance tickets: £8/£7 concession (plus booking fee)
On the door: £9.50/£8.50 concession
Preview tickets: £15 advance, £17 on the door
See 'Tickets' section for all pricing options
Support us.
Great Northern Events NW Ltd, which organises the GNCCF, is a not-for-profit company and does not take any commissions on exhibitor sales.
We are part-funded by Arts Council England through a National Lottery Project Grant. We have to raise the rest of the costs of staging the GNCCF and funding our charitable initiatives through exhibitor fees, door receipts and donations.
Please ensure the future of the GNCCF and help us support makers and our outreach through a donation.
Behind the scenes, we do community outreach in partnership with the charity, The Oasis Centre, a drop-in centre in Gorton, a deprived area of Manchester. We provide craft workshops, led by GNCCF exhibitors, for their service users. Some of the work created in our workshops will be on display at the Oasis stand, where you will also be able to enter our very popular craft raffle, raising money for future projects. We are grateful to our exhibitors for their donations to the raffle.
We also fund maker support initiatives, provide subsidised stands for new makers and free stands for selected new graduates and community arts organisations.
Accessibility at the venue
The GNCCF is accessible on the ground floor only, with hand-cranked lifts into the exhibitor stand areas within the pools. Only wheelchairs and small mobility scooters are accessible using these lifts - unfortunately they will not accommodate large motorised scooters.
There is ramped access to the front and rear of the building with parking for Blue Badge holders at the front entrance on Hathersage Road. There are accessible toilets.
Unfortunately, a small number of exhibitors and some exhibitions and workshops will be situated upstairs and we regret that there is no disabled access. We will state on the website who is exhibiting upstairs and, if you wish to see their work, we will endeavour to assign you a fair steward who will video their stand(s) and bring any work you wish to look at to you, with no obligation to buy. If this personal service is of interest please email us so we can arrange this for you in advance at [email protected].
If you just turn up on the day, please request this service at the front desk and we will do our best to arrange it during your visit.
Further details on accessibility and the venue are here
Getting to the GNCCF & Parking
The GNCCF takes place at Victoria Baths, Hathersage Road, Manchester M13 0FE. This is about a 10 min drive out of the city centre, near the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.
The event is AA signposted but you can also follow the brown tourist signs for Victoria Baths.
For directions and public transport to the venue please click here.
There is limited car parking to the rear of the building - take the side road at the left side of the building (Pax Road) to take you to the rear car park via the side gates.
Blue Badge holders may park directly in front of the building.
Otherwise, there is parking on Hathersage Road and elsewhere subject to normal on-street parking regulations. There is also a large multi-storey at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital on Hathersage Road, a five min walk away (Height restriction 2.1m; fees - up to 3 hrs £2.50, 3-6 hrs £5, 6-24hrs £15, weekly permit £20).
Be careful not to park outside of the enclosed rear car park on Pax Road as this is private land and you may be issued with a parking ticket.
Is the event family-friendly?
We welcome families with children but children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under 16 get in free if accompanied by an adult. Children coming alone- or in a larger school/college group - will need to buy a concessionary ticket. Please note that the event has many expensive and breakable objects, so children must be kept under a watchful eye as all breakages will need to be paid for.
The GNCCF is a shopping event but there will be a drop-in craft workshop running at certain times during the day which is suitable for children, but they MUST be accompanied by an adult.
Some exhibitors will also be demonstrating their craft.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Victoria Baths, Hathersage Road, Manchester, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00 to GBP 23.76
