Kendal’s 2026 arts and culture programme will bring exhibitions, workshops, live music and community activities to venues across the town between April and September, according to listings published by Visit Kendal. The calendar includes events for families, artists, writers, walkers and people looking for outdoor activities.
Residents and visitors are advised to check with organisers or venues before travelling. The listings do not provide complete booking or access information for every activity.
Exhibitions at Abbot Hall and beyond
Abbot Hall is scheduled to host several of the programme’s main exhibitions. Bellwethers: Fragility & Survival runs from 11 April to 3 October 2026 and explores stories of fragility and survival, featuring voices from Barrow and Kendal.
The Paper Quilt Project continues at Abbot Hall until 19 September. It is described as a living exhibition centred on a community art piece created during the display.
Also scheduled from 11 April to 3 October is Joshua Donkor & Lela Harris: Familial Traces. Abbot Hall is listed as open from 10am to 4pm. The exhibition brings together work by two emerging portrait painters. The listing says Lela Harris focuses on figures overlooked or marginalised by history, while Joshua Donkor’s work collaboratively embeds the stories of his subjects.
At Lakeland Arts’ Abbot Hall, Useful/Beautiful runs from 1 May to 29 August. The exhibition marks 25 years of contemporary craft at Blackwell, the Arts & Crafts house, and celebrates makers, ideas and objects connected with the collection. Admission is included with gallery entry.
Cross Lane Projects will present On the Thick and Thin of Painting on 26 August from noon to 5pm. Conceived by British painter Daniel Sturgis, the free exhibition examines painting’s material qualities and the boundary between its physical and ethereal forms.
Music, workshops and activities
Brewery Arts Centre, at 122a Highgate, is scheduled to host Summer Sundays ft. Bad Transmission on 23 August from 2pm to 4pm. The event will feature live music, food and refreshments in the garden. A second session, featuring The Seals, is listed for 30 August at the same time.
The Lakes Adventure Writing Group meets on 24 August from 6pm to 8pm at No Hands Rest, Unit 26, K Village, Kendal. The monthly session is intended for adventure and nature writers, potential writers and publishers.
Children aged eight to 14 can attend Summer Art Club: Drawing with Lela at Abbot Hall on 26 August from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Led by local artist Lela Harris, the workshop takes inspiration from her work in Familial Traces, with prices listed at £2 to £10.
Yoga in the Park takes place at Abbot Hall on 26 August from 6pm to 7pm and is open to all abilities. The listing says the Cumbria Yoga Foundation’s outdoor programme began in Kendal on 3 June.
Walking festival and September quiz
The Kendal Walking Festival is scheduled for 31 August, with guided walks exploring the area’s landscape, ecology, history and culture. Organisers also list walks designed around particular activities or groups.
The next September event listed is The Snuff Bar Smartypants Quiz, running on 1 September from 7pm to 9pm. The monthly quiz includes general knowledge, entertainment and a round selected by the previous month’s winning team. Entry is listed at £2.50.