MorrisFest 2026
Friday 20 – Sunday 22 November 2026
Birmingham & Midland Institute
Your MorrisFest ticket includes the full festival programme, Friday Evening Welcome Reception and 2026 Kelmscott Lecture.
Join the William Morris Society for MorrisFest 2026, a three-day festival celebrating the life, work, ideas and continuing influence of William Morris.
Bringing together leading speakers, artists, makers and organisations, MorrisFest will explore how Morris’s ideas about art, craft, design, labour, society and the environment continue to resonate today. Across the weekend, enjoy an inspiring programme of talks, panel discussions, workshops and craft demonstrations, alongside the Society’s annual Kelmscott Lecture, Christmas Artisan Market and the exhibition of finalists for the Useful & Beautiful Art Prize.
Designed to be lively, welcoming and thought-provoking, MorrisFest is an opportunity to discover new perspectives, meet fellow Morris enthusiasts and experience his legacy through contemporary art, design, making and discussion.
Confirmed speakers, artists & demonstrators
The programme will feature contributions from:
Sir Tristram Hunt • Michael Robertson • Nicola Jarvis • Neera Sehgal • Orla Kiely • John Blewitt • Jeremy Deller • Lynn Hulse • Annette Carruthers • Alice Dodds • David Mabb • Isabella Javor • The Victorian Society • Fishbone & Sycamore • John Stirling • Thomas Cooper & Imogen Hart • Chloe Chia • Roger Huddle • Sarah Wilson • Duncan McCallum
—with more contributors and programme details to be announced soon!
Friday Evening Welcome Reception
Friday 20 November, 6.00–9.00pm
Birmingham & Midland Institute
Begin the weekend with a special reception celebrating the launch of the first MorrisFest.
The evening will feature Society President Sir Tristram Hunt, who will deliver Imperial Disgrace: William Morris and the Iniquity of Empire, followed by a Q&A.
Society Chair Ian Wall and Director Gabriella Esser will also welcome guests and announce the finalists and judges for the Useful & Beautiful Art Prize
Drinks and canapés will be served.
The Friday evening reception is included in your MorrisFest ticket.
6:00pm – Doors Open
6:30 – 7:30pm – Talk wit Sir Tristram Hunt with Q+A
7:30 – 9:00pm – Canape and drinks reception
The 2026 Kelmscott Lecture
6.00–9.00pm | Birmingham & Midland Institute: The Lyttelton Theatre & Online
The annual Kelmscott Lecture is also included in your MorrisFest ticket.
This year’s lecture, ‘Morris in Our Moment’, will be delivered by Professor Michael Robertson, whose biography of William Morris is forthcoming from Thames & Hudson.
While Morris’s designs have never been more popular, his revolutionary thinking about art, work, society and the environment can sometimes be overlooked. Professor Robertson will consider why Morris’s ideas have renewed urgency today — from the search for meaning and pleasure in work to technological change, inequality and the climate crisis.
6pm – Doors open
6:30-7:30 – Lecture including Q+A
7:30-9pm – Drinks reception
Discounted tickets are available for William Morris Society members and students
