Kendal’s 2026 arts calendar will bring exhibitions, live music, workshops and community activities to venues across the town from April to September, giving families, artists, writers, walkers, residents and visitors a wide range of events to choose from.
Abbot Hall, Cross Lane Projects and Brewery Arts Centre are among the participating venues. Organisers advise checking directly with each venue before travelling, as Visit Kendal’s listings do not contain complete booking or access information for every activity.
Exhibitions at Abbot Hall and Cross Lane Projects
Abbot Hall is scheduled to host Bellwethers: Fragility & Survival from 11 April to 3 October 2026. The exhibition explores stories of fragility and survival, including voices from Barrow and Kendal.
The Paper Quilt Project continues at Abbot Hall until 19 September. It is described as a living exhibition built around a community art piece created during the display.
Also running from 11 April to 3 October is Joshua Donkor & Lela Harris: Familial Traces, bringing together work by two emerging portrait painters. Harris focuses on figures overlooked or marginalised by history, while Donkor collaboratively embeds the stories of his subjects. Abbot Hall is listed as open from 10am to 4pm.
Useful/Beautiful runs at Lakeland Arts’ Abbot Hall 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.
At Cross Lane Projects, British painter Daniel Sturgis’s free exhibition On the Thick and Thin of Painting is scheduled for 26 August, from noon to 5pm. It examines painting’s material qualities and the boundary between its physical and ethereal forms.
Music, workshops and outdoor events
Brewery Arts Centre at 122a Highgate is due to host Summer Sundays ft. Bad Transmission on 23 August from 2pm to 4pm, with live music, food and refreshments in the garden. The Seals are scheduled to perform at a second session on 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.
The Kendal Walking Festival is scheduled for 31 August, with guided walks exploring the area’s landscape, ecology, history and culture, including routes designed around particular activities or groups. The next listed September event is The Snuff Bar Smartypants Quiz on 1 September, from 7pm to 9pm. Entry is listed at £2.50, with general knowledge, entertainment and a round chosen by the previous month’s winning team.