Kendal’s arts and culture scene is set for a busy run of exhibitions, workshops, live music and community activities, with events taking place across the town from April through to September 2026.
The programme, listed by Visit Kendal, includes gallery exhibitions at Abbot Hall, performances and summer concerts at Brewery Arts Centre, an adventure writing group, children’s art sessions, outdoor yoga and the return of the Kendal Walking Festival.
Exhibitions in Kendal
Several exhibitions are running at Abbot Hall. Bellwethers: Fragility & Survival continues from 11 April to 3 October 2026 and explores stories of fragility and survival through a multimedia presentation featuring voices from Barrow and Kendal.
The Paper Quilt Project runs at Abbot Hall until 19 September. Visit Kendal describes it as a living exhibition, with a community art piece created while the project is on display.
Joshua Donkor & Lela Harris: Familial Traces is scheduled from 11 April to 3 October, with the gallery open from 10am to 4pm. The exhibition brings together 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 subjects’ stories.
At Lakeland Arts’ Abbot Hall, Useful/Beautiful runs from 1 May to 29 August. It 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 host 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 boundaries between its physical and ethereal forms.
Music, writing and family 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 promises live music in the venue’s garden, alongside food and refreshments. A second Summer Sundays event, featuring The Seals, is listed for 30 August, also from 2pm to 4pm.
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 join 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 draws inspiration from her work in Familial Traces. Prices are listed at £2 to £10.
Yoga in the Park takes place at Abbot Hall on 26 August from 6pm to 7pm. The session is open to all abilities and forms part of the Cumbria Yoga Foundation’s outdoor programme, which Visit Kendal says began in Kendal on 3 June.
Walking festival and September quiz
The Kendal Walking Festival is scheduled for 31 August. Organisers invite participants to join guided walks exploring the area’s landscape, ecology, history and culture, with some walks designed around particular activities or groups.
The next event listed for September is The Snuff Bar Smartypants Quiz on 1 September from 7pm to 9pm. The monthly quiz includes general knowledge, entertainment and a round chosen by the previous month’s winning team. Entry is listed at £2.50.
Residents and visitors should check with the relevant organiser or venue before travelling. The Visit Kendal listing provides event information and dates but does not set out further booking or access details for every activity.