Kendal’s summer events calendar is offering residents and visitors a packed programme of exhibitions, concerts, family activities, creative workshops, outdoor sessions and community events, with activities listed through August and into September 2026.
The official What’s On listing features 42 events in total. Several exhibitions and recurring activities appear more than once across the calendar, and the programme includes free events, ticketed performances and activities aimed at children, young people, veterans, businesses and community groups.
Art, exhibitions and activities for young people
Several exhibitions continue through the summer. Bellwethers: Fragility & Survival runs from 11 April to 3 October 2026 and explores stories of fragility and survival through the voices of people in Barrow and Kendal. It is described as a multimedia experience.
The Paper Quilt Project is listed from 11 April to 19 September. The living exhibition involves a community art piece being created while it is on display in the gallery.
Joshua Donkor & Lela Harris: Familial Traces continues until 3 October. It 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 the makers, ideas and objects that have shaped its collection. Entry to the gallery exhibition is included with gallery admission.
On the Thick and Thin of Painting is listed from 29 July to 3 September, generally from noon to 5pm. Conceived by British painter Daniel Sturgis, it examines the physical and more ethereal boundaries of painting. The listing marks it as free.
Young people can choose from summer creative programmes including Performance Unleashed Summer Camp from 3 to 7 August and Arts Unleashed Summer Camp from 10 to 14 August. Both are for children aged seven to 14 and run from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Weekly Summer Art Club: Drawing with Lela sessions are scheduled for 5, 12, 19 and 26 August, for eight- to 14-year-olds. Prices are listed at £2 to £10.
Concerts, performances and the Kendal Music Festival
Music events begin in August with the Manna House Summer Concert on 1 August from 7pm to 9.30pm. The event raises money for a 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, Summer Sundays features The Seals, the Agogo String Quartet and the Wihan String Quartet. The two string-quartet performances are listed for 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 take 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. Concerteenies presents The Duck With No Luck at 11am and 1pm on 9 August, followed by Meetwood Flac’s Summer Sundays performance at 2pm.
The two-day Kendal Music Festival takes place 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. Tickets are listed at £26.
Family, community and outdoor events
BounceFest is scheduled for 12 and 13 August, with inflatable attractions for children aged zero to 12. The programme includes 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 and 5, 19 and 26 August from 6pm to 7pm. They are open to all abilities.
Other listings 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 Kendal Walking Festival is listed for 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. The social programme also includes speed dating for straight singles aged 21 and over on 5 September.
Residents are advised to check the Visit Kendal What’s On calendar before travelling. The listing contains event-specific times, ticket prices and other information that may change.