Area
Culture Town Centre
The Kendal Whisky Festival will take place at Brewery Arts on Highgate on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December 2026, with three sessions, around 40 exhibitors and more than 200 whiskies. Tickets are listed at £45 per session, although the festival’s About page still shows an older £40 price.
Crime & Public Safety Town Centre
Violence and sexual offences recorded within a mile of central Kendal fell from 140 in July 2026 to 66 in August, with the latest figure below the same month in the previous two years. The data suggests July was a one-month spike, although shoplifting increased and police.uk figures cannot explain why July was unusually high.
Culture Town Centre
Kendal’s 2026 Halloween programme includes pumpkin picking near Sedgwick, candle-lit ghost tours at Levens Hall, Halloween activities at Holker and horror screenings at Brewery Arts. There is currently no Halloween trail, parade or trick-or-treat event listed for Kendal town centre.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Outline permission has been approved in principle for up to 160 homes at Kendal Parks, but only two councillors voted in favour and key issues including access, affordable housing and the final layout remain unresolved.
Crime & Public Safety Town Centre
Properties in Kendal were searched during early-morning raids across Cumbria targeting serious and organised crime, while police seized cocaine, cash and two e-bikes in Penrith and made four arrests overall.
Sport Town Centre
The festive season around Kendal begins with Holker Winter Market on 6 November and includes events at Blackwell, Ulverston and Kirkby Lonsdale, while two Kendal Christmas dates still need checking.
Culture Town Centre
Kendal’s autumn events calendar runs from the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival in early October to Remembrance Sunday and November’s Kendal Mountain Festival, with Brewery Arts, Levens Hall and the Market Place hosting major attractions.
Business & Openings Town Centre
Another Weigh has extended its lease at Wainwright’s Yard, securing the future of the Kendal zero-waste shop until July 2032.
Culture Town Centre
Kendal Leisure Centre will host a free South Lakes Age Friendly Festival on Sunday 4 October, with eligible visitors able to access winter vaccinations, advice on adapting their homes, local activities, live entertainment and support services without booking.
Crime & Public Safety Town Centre
Police.uk data shows 140 violence and sexual offences within a mile of central Kendal in July 2026, the highest monthly figure in three years of available street-level records. The data does not show how many separate incidents were involved, and most cases remain open.
Community Town Centre
Natural Kendal’s Nature Recovery Festival, titled Back to the Garden, is taking place across Kendal College’s Westmorland campus, the Market Place and the Unitarian Chapel on Saturday September 26, with talks, music, gardening advice and a photography exhibition.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Work to widen parking bays at the Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal will begin on Monday 28 September, with completion expected by late October.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Relining work at Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal will begin on Monday 28 September, with parking bays widened to make them more suitable for modern vehicles. The project is expected to finish by late October, although the total number of spaces will fall.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Relining work at the Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal starts on Monday 28 September, with standard bays widening from 2.4 metres to 2.6 metres. The car park will remain open, but one floor at a time will close and the total number of spaces will fall.
Community Town Centre
A long-running proposal for up to 160 homes east of Hayclose Road in Kendal is heading to the Strategic Planning Committee on 17 September, with officers recommending approval despite objections from Kendal Town Council, neighbours and Sport England.
Community Town Centre
Outline plans for up to 160 homes between Kendal Parks and the railway tracks near Oxenholme Railway Station are recommended for approval, subject to 35 per cent of the properties being affordable. The proposal has attracted objections from Kendal Town Council, Sport England and local residents over traffic, infrastructure, green space and the loss of a sporting facility.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
A temporary 20mph speed limit will begin on Aynam Road in Kendal on Monday 21 September while the Environment Agency carries out the final town-centre section of the Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Relining work at Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal will widen parking bays from 2.4 metres to 2.6 metres, while reducing the overall number of spaces. The work is due to begin on Monday, September 28, and will be carried out floor by floor so the car park can remain open.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Relining work at Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal will begin on 28 September 2026, widening bays for modern vehicles while reducing the overall number of spaces.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Councillors are due to decide on plans to convert part of the former Arnold Clark garage on Mintsfeet Road, Kendal, into self-storage and light industrial space after the council’s highways and flood authorities objected.
Culture Town Centre
Kendal Torchlight has been postponed for 2026 because of rising operational costs and reduced confirmed funding, with organisers aiming to bring the town’s major carnival back in 2027. Conflicting event listings still advertise the September procession, while Visit Kendal says it is not going ahead this year.
Culture Town Centre
Kendal Mountain Festival will return from 19 to 22 November 2026, with day passes from £25 and a weekend pass priced at £205. The event will use 10 venues around Kendal, while its film programme is not due until mid-October.
Culture Town Centre
Visit Kendal’s arts and culture calendar lists 12 events and exhibitions across Kendal, including projects at Abbot Hall, live music at Brewery Arts Centre, creative workshops, outdoor yoga, an adventure writing group, the Kendal Walking Festival and a September quiz.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Westmorland and Furness Council has completed a refurbishment of the Fell Street public toilets in Barrow, with upgraded facilities now open to residents and visitors.
Community Town Centre
Westmorland and Furness Council will widen parking bays at Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal from 2.4 metres to 2.6 metres, with some spaces exceeding 3 metres. The work will reduce overall capacity and take place floor by floor, while a wider town parking study is planned through March 2027.
