Kendal’s summer programme is offering residents and visitors a wide choice of things to do, with the town’s official events listing showing exhibitions, live music, creative workshops, family activities, outdoor sessions and community events through August and into September 2026.
The listing says there are 42 events in total, although several long-running exhibitions and recurring activities appear repeatedly across the calendar. The programme includes free events, ticketed performances and activities aimed at children, young people, veterans, businesses and local community groups.
Art, exhibitions and creative activities
Several exhibitions run throughout the summer. Bellwethers: Fragility & Survival is listed from 11 April to 3 October 2026 and explores stories of fragility and survival through the voices of people in Barrow and Kendal. The exhibition is described as a multimedia experience.
The Paper Quilt Project also runs from 11 April to 19 September. It is a living exhibition in which a community art piece is created while it is on display in the gallery.
Joshua Donkor & Lela Harris: Familial Traces continues until 3 October. The exhibition brings together two emerging portrait painters, with Lela Harris’s work described as giving depth and humanity to figures overlooked or marginalised by history.
At Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house, Useful/Beautiful runs until 29 August. The exhibition marks 25 years of contemporary craft at Blackwell and celebrates makers, ideas and objects that have shaped its collection. Admission to the gallery exhibition is included with gallery entry.
Visitors can also see On the Thick and Thin of Painting, which is listed from 29 July to 3 September, generally from noon to 5pm. The exhibition, conceived by British painter Daniel Sturgis, examines the physical and more ethereal boundaries of painting. The listing marks it as free.
Young people have several creative options. Performance Unleashed Summer Camp runs from 3 to 7 August for seven- to 14-year-olds, from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Arts Unleashed Summer Camp follows from 10 to 14 August, also for seven- to 14-year-olds. Weekly Summer Art Club: Drawing with Lela sessions for eight- to 14-year-olds are scheduled on 5, 12, 19 and 26 August, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, with prices listed as £2 to £10.
Music, performances and summer entertainment
Music fans can choose from a range of performances in early August. The Manna House Summer Concert is listed for 1 August from 7pm to 9.30pm, raising money for the charity supporting people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or experiencing significant financial hardship across South Lakeland. Tickets are listed at £15.
On 2 August, the programme includes Summer Sundays featuring The Seals, the Agogo String Quartet and the Wihan String Quartet. The two string-quartet performances are listed at 2pm and 7.30pm, with prices ranging from £15 to £27.
Further Summer Sundays performances feature Meetwood Flac on 9 August, Atomic Brass on 16 August, Bad Transmission on 23 August and The Seals again on 30 August. The events are described as taking place in a garden, with food and refreshments available.
Other August highlights include pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason at 3pm and String Fever at 7.30pm on 8 August. On 9 August, Concerteenies presents The Duck With No Luck at 11am and 1pm, while Summer Sundays featuring Meetwood Flac is scheduled for 2pm.
September brings the two-day Kendal Music Festival on 4 and 5 September. Created by Kendal BID, it promises bands, buskers and performances across genres as Kendal celebrates its musical spirit. Tom Hingley, formerly of Inspiral Carpets, is listed to perform on 5 September from 8pm to 10.30pm, with tickets at £26.
Family, community and outdoor events
BounceFest is scheduled for 12 and 13 August, with inflatable attractions for children aged zero to 12, including bouncy castles, slides, obstacle courses, interactive games and a dedicated toddler area.
Cumbria Yoga Foundation’s Yoga in the Park sessions are listed on 29 July, 5, 19 and 26 August from 6pm to 7pm. The listing says the outdoor sessions are open to all abilities.
Other activities include a free Veterans Dry Stone Walling Taster Day on 7 August, a Kendal Ghost Walk on 11 August, and a free open meeting hosted by the Buddhist Group of Kendal on 16 August. The Lakes Adventure Writing Group meets on 27 July and 24 August from 6pm to 8pm, while Future Fixers offers free business advice drop-ins on 20 August from 9am to noon.
The calendar also lists the Kendal Walking Festival on 31 August, with guided walks exploring the area’s landscape, ecology, history and culture. The Snuff Bar Smartypants Quiz returns on 4 August and 1 September, and a further social programme includes speed dating for straight singles aged 21 and over on 5 September.
Residents should check the Visit Kendal What’s On calendar before travelling, as the listing contains ticket prices, times and event-specific information that may change.