Woolly Wonderland comes to Portland: Colourful yarn bomb festival set to engage thousands

- From pom-poms to park benches – a woolly takeover is coming to Portland -

A new large-scale public art project is set to brighten Easton Gardens in Portland this summer, as the town prepares to host its first-ever Yarn Bomb Festival - a vibrant celebration of traditional crafts, creativity, and community.

Running from 1 April to 14 September 2025, the festival will culminate in a joyful open-air exhibition featuring imaginative yarn installations on trees, benches, and railings throughout the park. The final display, which will be open and free to the public 24/7, will showcase contributions from over 1,000 people of all ages and abilities across Portland, Weymouth and beyond.

The project, led by Portland Youth Council in partnership with Island Community Action, is one of several initiatives supported by the Reveal Launchpad grants scheme as part of Portland and Weymouth Towns of Culture 2025, with funding from Arts Council England.

Throughout spring and early summer, hundreds of children and young people will take part in free workshops in schools and community settings, learning traditional crafts such as knitting, crochet, felting, French knitting and weaving. All materials and starter kits will be provided, ensuring everyone can participate at no cost. Special attention is being paid to accessibility, with inclusive sessions for SEND groups and hands-on exhibits suitable for those with visual impairments.

“We’re so excited to see people of all ages picking up needles, getting creative and coming together to transform Easton Gardens into a woolly wonderland,” said Katy Pascoe, from Island Community Action which is coordinating the project. “This is about celebrating local culture, heritage and community - and making sure everyone feels proud to take part.”

This creative celebration will not only delight visitors but also serve a deeper purpose: building skills, boosting wellbeing, and reconnecting people to their local environment through the joy of making.

REVEAL – A Year of Culture, Connection and Celebration

From traditional crafts to contemporary performance, REVEAL is unearthing the talent and stories that make Portland and Weymouth special. Reveal – Portland and Weymouth Towns of Culture 2025 is a partnership between 12 cultural organisations from Portland and Weymouth and is funded by Dorset Council, Portland Town Council, Weymouth Town Council, and Arts Council England. It aims to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in cultural life.

To see more information on Towns of Culture 2025, please see:  https://www.portlandweymouthculture.com/ 

ENDS

Issued by In The Bag PR on behalf of Portland and Weymouth Towns of Culture 2025 

For more information please contact Pippa Gibb, Director In The Bag PR

EMAIL: pippa@inthebagpr.co.uk or TEL: 07970441046

About Arts Council England 

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. Our vision, set out in our strategy Let’s Create, is that by 2030, we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where every one of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. Between 2023 and 2026 we will have invested over £467 million of public money from Government, alongside an estimated £250 million each year from The National Lottery, to help ensure that people in every part of the country have access to culture and creativity in the places where they live. Until Autumn 2025, the National Lottery is celebrating its 30th anniversary of supporting good causes in the United Kingdom: since the first draw was held in 1994, it has raised £49 billion and awarded more than 690,000 individual grants. Visit our website to learn more about our work.