Wakefield to be first city outside London to host UK AIDS Memorial Quilt exhibition
The exhibition is due to visit the city in June
Last updated 13th Apr 2026
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is set to be exhibited in Wakefield, making it the first city outside London to showcase the quilt in its entirety.
In collaboration with the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Partnership, the exhibition will run from June 4 to 7 at Wakefield Exchange (WX).
The quilt comprises 42 individual blocks and 23 panels, commemorating over 384 people affected by HIV and AIDS.
While WX will display the quilt in its entirety, additional venues throughout the district will host individual panels.
Mark Lynam, Corporate Director for Regeneration, Environment and Economic Growth at Wakefield Council said:
“We’re pleased to bring the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt to Wakefield.
"It really is a deeply moving piece, with such important stories to tell.
"We’re proud to host this in Wakefield Exchange and to have parts of the Quilt displayed across the district as well, for more people to see and remember.”
Started in 1985 by activist Cleve Jones in the USA, the AIDS Memorial Quilt is the world's largest community art project.
It symbolises the fight against HIV and AIDS, honouring friends, family, and loved ones lost to the disease.
Panels were stitched into larger quilts and displayed outdoors as a protest to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS.
Addtional venues to display panels of the quilt include The Hepworth Wakefield, Theatre Royal Wakefield, The Art House, and LonGBoat CIC’s Kirkgate Station Community Gallery, among others.
Visitors are encouraged to check venue opening hours before travelling.
During the exhibition, scheduled readings of names commemorated in the quilt will take place on Saturday June 6.
A documentary film about the 1994 Hyde Park quilt display, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, will be screened daily, with a special late-night opening on Friday June 5.
The exhibition also offers free workshops over the weekend, with craft activities for children and talks and quilting workshops for adults.