Voguing with Family Vogue Ball
Regular Deer Shedders will have seen our friends at Family Vogue Ball strutting their stuff over the years but this time they’re showing us how it’s done too!
Bursting out of the ‘60s Harlem Ballroom scene, thanks in no small part to our lord and saviour Madonna, Vogue is the ultra cool dance style that defined a generation.
Bring plenty of glitz and glamour as you join the Family Ball team in this ab fab workshop where you’ll celebrate self expression and learn how to vogue to an iconic ‘80s and ‘90s soundtrack. Strike a pose!
The Print Workz
One day, my prints will come… Well, this could be that day! You’ll find printing of all types, shapes and sizes at The Print Workz.
Join No Brand as they show you how to go about printing your very own Deer Shed t-shirts and tote bags or bask in the technicolour beauty of our exclusive, limited-edition Deer Shed screen prints, courtesy of the lovely folks at Toucan Tango.
Circus Masterclasses
If you’re anything like us, you watched that clown ride across a tightrope on a unicycle whilst juggling flaming torches in one hand and taming a lion in the other and thought, ‘I can do that…’
Whilst we might not have a tightrope, flaming torches or a lion on hand this year, we’re still incredibly excited to invite Guided Sparks Circus to teach you lucky deer shedders how to juggle, throw custard pies, spin multiple plates on multiple sticks and just generally act like a complete clown in their Circus Drop In Masterclass!
Granny Ma's Print Masterclass
It just wouldn’t be Deer Shed without Granny Ma, would it?
She’s been helping shedders design and prepare their very own Deer Shed-themed Lino prints for as long as we can remember so of course she’s back this year!
Whether you’re re-imagining the Deer Shed 13 poster as a Lino print or see yourself as more of a conceptual artiste, good old Granny will be on hand to help you perfect your printing prowess.
Beatbox with Testament
It’s not every day we get to host a record-breaker in Baldersby Park so, when they’re here doing a workshop, you really can’t afford to miss it…Yep, none other than formidable Hip-Hop MC and world-record breaking beatboxer Testament is sharing some of his human drum machine secrets with us!
From breathing techniques to juggling breakbeats and bass lines between your teeth, Testament is here to help us conquer our tongue-tied terror and become to our own beatbox boss.
Swish Upcycling
Fed up with fast fashion? Wish you could make your own clothes, but don’t know where to start? Well, Swish are here to teach us the art of sustainable sewing!
Swish rescue preloved clothes destined for landfill and will help you transform them into gorgeous garments with a menu of clever, ‘no-sew’ fashion hacks and super chic ‘trashy’ tailoring Take your pick from our menu of easy upcycles, ranging from cunning ‘no-sew’ hacks to simple sews and super ‘trashy’ tailoring and transform old clothes into stunning new looks to rock at Deer Shed and beyond!
The Art of Comedy Family Workshop with Shelf
Fancy yourself a funny person? See yourself trying stand up? Well, we’ve got a special workshop just for families!
Shelf, aka our favourite musical comedy best friend tongue-in-cheek double act, have put together an incredible family crash course for all the budding comics coming to Deer Shed this year.
From key observations on observational comedy to some all important tips on timing your one liners, The Art of Comedy with Shelf is guaranteed to be as funny as it is informative!
Beccy Owen's Pop Up Choir
Beccy Owen’s Pop-Up Choir is exactly what it sounds like!
A one-off, a capella musical happening that brings people of all ages, backgrounds and musical tastes together. There are no auditions necessary here, all you need is your voice, your ears and plenty of positive vibes.
Choir leader Beccy has gathered uplifting songs from around the world and always prefers performance over perfection so prepare to sing loud and proud at this fun-filled, family-friendly workshop.
Other Worldly Web
The eagle eyed amongst you will spot this is not dissimilar to the popular string jungle installation of 2022
For installation 2023 channel your inner arachnid and join us for a little silk (well string and wool, silk's a tad over budget even for special festival spiders) spinning. As the weekend evolves, so will our web with the forbidding arrival of bogus bees, spurious spiders, glow worms and phantasmic flowers...
Zorgami
People around the world have been practising origami for hundreds of years. The art of folding paper into all sorts of shapes and sizes, origami can look intimidating at first but it’s super satisfying and even relaxing when you get the hang of it.
Lucky for us, Zorgami have sent their finest origami oracles to show us how to fold all sorts of animal shapes all the way from butterflies for us beginners right up to dragons for the fiercest folders amongst you!
Bradford School of Art
Providing incredible creative educations across a wide variety of degrees and qualifications, Bradford School of Art currently support over 500 students on their Arts and Creative Industries programme.
We’ve invited some of these whizz-kids over to Deer Shed for the weekend where they’ll showcase the incredible things they’re working on and even lead some workshops so we can have a go ourselves.Every day’s a school day, even in the middle of the summer holiday!
Tree Spirit Weaving
You can't fail to notice the delightfulness of the surroundings here at Deer Shed, it provides us with constant inspiration and a much needed sense of serenity amongst all the festival furore.
Take a moment to indulge in a gentle activity, within a peaceful-ish atmosphere (well, as zen as it's ever going to be at a family festival). We have a long stretch of fabric mesh waiting to be transformed into wondrous woven works of art using anything from remnants and ribbons to the grasses and foliage of Baldersby Park.
Subglaso
Time to glamp it up!
Subglaso comes from the universal second language of Esperanto which, you may well have sussed out, means beer mat/beverage coaster. We're guessing these were not on your packing list for Deer Shed Festival but you can put that right by making your own beautifully collaged CD mat...
You can even make a proper posh set, if proper posh beer is your thing!
Spaghetti Sculpture
Exactly when did pasta become a menace and quinoa a saint?
We're going to put that right immediately 'cause there's no way you're ever to build a tower that defies the laws of physics or a rocket to rival Apollo 11 with quinoa!
We reckon you're in with a chance using spaghetti, masking tape and the blue tacky stuff though. We would've given you marshmallows too, but we know they'd all get eaten!
Legend Masks
Become a champion, become a hero, become a legend!
Every super hero needs their true identity protecting and the ability to strike fear into all who oppose good in the world, which of course means masking up.
If you feel like saving the world, or at least saving Baldersby Park, you'll need to look awesome doing it and this the one-stop workshop to get you looking legendary.
Express Yourself
Meaningless and random, brilliant and inspirational, profound and revolutionary, witty and peculiar... Whatever's on your mind, this is an opportunity for you to protest, agitate or simply just let your feelings be known.
We'll be making signs, placards and banners to be proudly displayed lakeside so your ideas can be seen by everyone (and heard if you fancy shouting a bit too).
Barmy Blobs
Take one balloon, squeeze in some play dough, draw on a funny face... It's barmy!
Yes, for all intents and purposes this is a stress ball, but it'll most definitely come in handy when a weekend of tent life starts taking its toll.
For example, your stress ball can tone your hand and arm muscles - in readiness for arms aloft mosh pitting, It can massage your feet to hit those acupressure points for calming benefits and boosting creative thinking.
Most importantly though, you can squish them flat and use them to plant your coffee cup or pint pot securely on the ground.
Cardboard Megalopolis
In festivals gone by this has made its seasonal appearance under the name 'cardboard city' but this year we want to go even bigger...
Last year's city build was pretty good; sprawling out and taking over multiple tents to form a mega development that was so much more than box houses.
This year though, Sun God's being on our side, we hope to complete a dizzying Cardboard Megalopolis under the open skies, so we'll need all your cardboard carpentry and flatpack fabrication skills please!
Glam Rocks
Take a nice smooth pebble, some acrylic paint and a paint brush and you're ready to rock!
Because we're nice we've thrown in some metallic paint and LOADS of glitter (environmentally friendly of course) so you can give your stones the glam makeover they deserve.
For those about to rock, we salute you!
Friendship Bracelets
In a perfect world money grows on trees, glitter isn't messy, hamsters self clean, gin comes out of the mixer tap, and chocolate makes you thin...
Bring the whole family over for an important moment of creativity and contemplation; why not discuss the further joys of a perfect world as you braid away with your besties?
Grass Mud Sock Horse
In this age of constant recycling, upcycling and downcycling, spare a thought for those poor odd socks that lie unloved and unneeded at the back of our drawers, whatever shall we do with them?
Well, turn them into alpacas of course.
Bear with us, in Chinese 'alpaca' loosely translates into 'grass mud horse' which, along with socks, are some of our favourite things!
We've got plenty of clean, fresh socks (no need to bring your own!) for you to transform into your very own alpaca; ours is called Sue and she's gorgeous.
High as a Cloud
You are cordially invited to join the UCO (United Clouds Organisation), whose job it is to bring the beauty of the sky indoors.
We're going to transform one of our boring tents into a beautiful sky-scape, we know all of you makers out there will be on cloud nine with this one.
There is cotton wool to be stuck and string to be strung so that all our fluffy clouds can be hung... The sky is the limit!
Mobile Phone Speakers
Now this is our kind of upcycling, we're turning cardboard tubes and plastic cups into stereo soundsystems!
Amazingly, when you are done you will have your very own working set of speakers that truly amplify your fave tunes from your phone.
Get your best-ever festival playlists at the ready!
Become Ninja
The time has come for you to follow in the footsteps of grandmasters 'Lee' and 'Chan' by studying the martial arts principals and constructing of your own tools of combat.
Don't worry though, our Nunchaku are not, as tradition dictates, made of wood; they're just toilet roll inner tubes!
However, dedication and skill are required if you are to win the honour of becoming a 'Nunchakuka'.
Nature Stick
Only the finest of sticks have been hand-harvested from our lovely woodland belt here at the festival site, along with other delicate floral delights found in these wonderfully wild Yorkshire fields...
Combine these with a twist of twine and coloured wool and you're bound to land on something beautiful. So, sit down with us, engage your amazing artistry and create a tactile memento of your weekend here at Deer Shed.
Froogle VR Box Headset
Already had a go on the VR experience in the science tent? Ready for something a bit different (and much less expensive)?
We're building our own VR kit from a box and some bits... No, it doesn't actually work but it does let our imaginations wander into the weird world of gadgets and gizmos. Will you be the next tech giant to rival likes of that one that rhymes with Froogle?
You best get building in that case!
Gone With The Wind Socks
We're not suggesting you use the socks on your feet, no... Thankfully, this workshop is inspired by the tubular cloth cones used to determine wind direction and speed, commonly seen airside of any airport.
If you forgot fairy lights and flags for your tent this is the workshop to remedy that! We've got a huge range of vibrant and patterned paper for you, a jumble of ribbons and remnants and a ton of tissue all ready to be creatively turned into the wind capturing conical sock that you've always wanted.
Ritzy Robe
This is definitely not the fuzzy, fluffy robe you throw on to mooch about in after a bath... We're talking super hero styling and all things extravagant, eccentric and enigmatic!
We're gonna let you in on a secret, we've heard that the Ritzy Robe is set to buck the festival trends and be the buzz about campsites across the country this year.
So, make sure you stand out from the crowd; make a robe fit for a race against time to save the planet, then afternoon tea at The Ritz.
Boom Bop Box
What has 6 sides and takes a beating?
The answer is the 'Cajon', one of the most popular percussion instruments on the street. Translated, 'Cajon' can mean box, drawer and even coffin!
We're keeping things upbeat at Deer Shed though, so we'll be sitting on our boxes, then slapping and tapping the different faces of cajon with our hands and fingers.
Any rhythmically inclined individuals in attendance must come and join us!
Blasting Bugles
Seriously, you could lead the biggest party band of the whole weekend once you've made one of these.
All it takes is a length of garden hose, a 'parping' piece, some good old gaffer tape and Deer Shed's inaugural bugle band is ready to hit the road.
The more bugles the merrier in our humble opinion, so any and all in-tent virtuoso ensembles are welcome!
Bonza Bandanas
What can't you do with a bandana? You can wrap them around the forehead, tie back your hair, warm your neck, decorate the top pocket and, erm, wipe your nose...
There is an infinite number of ways this simple square of fabric can be put to use. We have an almost infinite supply of fabric and decorations for you to design your own cool accessory and use it however you like!