Connecting Creatives: Free Creative Networking Event

'Connecting Creatives’ is a free monthly networking event for all creatives in Folkestone, and beyond. Guest speakers showcase their work, discuss their practice or share their skills, and time is provided after for informal discussions and networking. Free drinks will be provided.

At this event, the theme we’re highlighting is Creative Practice’s found within the Creative Quarter.

Doors are open from 5.15pm. We welcome all creatives to this event, whether a Creative Quarter tenant, a Folkestone resident, or a creative from near or far.

Check this website’s ‘What’s On’ listings for details of other upcoming events, and search ‘Connecting Creatives’.

If you would like to speak at one of these events, or if you have a suggestion for a theme, please email CQadmin@creativefolkestone.org.uk.

Guest Speakers
Folkestone Fringe and Open Art Folke will be presenting details about the upcoming open art festival.

Fabia Goff is an artist and designer specialising in floral, botanical and coastal art, textiles, homeware and patterns, bringing your home into bloom. Based in Folkestone’s Creative Quarter, Fabia finds inspiration in Kent's sea and countryside to create unique and limited-edition designs. Fabia was named the Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 by The Kent Foundation.

Oliver Okolo, born in Suleja, Nigeria, in 1992, is a dedicated full-time artist whose work spans multiple mediums, with a primary focus on oil paints and charcoal. Having studied under the atelier of the renowned artist Clement Nwafor, Oliver honed his skills in figurative painting, developing a distinctive style that reflects his deep fascination with the human form. Through his work, he explores the complexities of human expression, using the figure as a means to communicate his ideas and emotions.

Florian Bailly is a maker of violin, viola and cello bows. Originally from France, he first came to the UK to study at Newark School of Violin Making. He was then taught to make bows in the French tradition by Master Bow Maker Noel Burke in Ireland. Currently providing bow care and repairs in London for a few days a week, Florian also concentrates on making new bows in Folkestone.

Erin Aniker is an illustrator based between London, Folkestone and Istanbul whose bold and colourful people-driven illustrations draw inspiration from her upbringing and love of her home city, dual Turkish and British heritage, and the inclusive community she has grown up with in East London. Erin draws inspiration from the colour palettes and patterns found in psychedelic and pop-art of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the patterns in Islamic art and works of artists such as Bridget Riley and Fahrelnissa Zeid and women and human rights groups such as See Red Women's Workshop.