For many years, the AWGB has organised biennial seminars, to promote the craft of woodturning in the UK and help to improve the knowledge, skill and techniques of our members and other wood lathe users. These events have been very successful, with both demonstrators and delegates from right across the globe.
Not content to rest on our laurels, we have chosen for 2026 to make a few changes, in response to feedback from the attendees (and those who decided not to attend last time).
Firstly, this is not a seminar, but a Festival of Woodturning – not an academic event, but a weekend designed to emphasise the sheer joy of making items on the lathe. We have done everything we can to make it accessible to all, financially, physically and geographically.
We have a new more central venue, in Stratford-Upon-Avon in Warwickshire; and we have chosen the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which has extensive conference facilities all on the same floor, with transfer from room to event all a single lift ride away. If you don’t want to stay at the hotel, you don’t have to: we have ticket packages both with and without rooms. If you want to bring your other half, there is no additional charge for the room, only for meals, and of course there is plenty to do in the town and surrounding area. Want to extend your trip? We have negotiated cheap room rates for the Friday and Sunday nights for you to book directly with the hotel.
Our previous venue sometimes struggled to get hot food out for the large number of people attending. We have no such worries at the Plaza – and have gone one step further, arranging a Gala Dinner for the Saturday evening. Dress up if you want, but there won’t be any dress code – but there will be an auction of items donated by our demonstrators and other well-known turners, which has proven popular in the past.
We have booked ten world-renowned demonstrators, mostly from the UK and Europe, to showcase the very best of European woodturning. See the demonstrator page for more details. We will have five demonstration rooms on the go for each of eight rotations over the weekend, so there is plenty of opportunity for you to see your favourites; and there will be four masterclasses as well. You need to sign up for these, and the numbers are limited, so don’t delay!
In addition, we will have trade stands from many of our corporate members in the lobby of the hotel, giving you the chance to buy wood, finishes, tools and other supplies in the intervals between rotations.
We will of course have our famous Instant Gallery on display – this is your chance to shine, as all the exhibits come from the attendees. We will be selecting the best 50 pieces to form our Travelling Gallery for the following two years, that we take to shows and exhibitions.
There’s lots more that we have planned but cannot tell you about as yet – keep coming back for updates!