Kendal Whisky Festival will move to Brewery Arts on Highgate for its 2026 event, bringing three tasting sessions, about 40 exhibitors and more than 200 whiskies to the town on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December.

The move is the first change of venue for the festival after five years at Kendal Town Hall. Brewery Arts, at 122A Highgate, Kendal, LA9 4HE, is around 150 metres down the road from the former venue.

Three sessions at Brewery Arts

The festival will be divided into a Friday evening session, a Saturday afternoon session and a Saturday evening session. Each session is scheduled to last four hours.

The published booking information gives the Friday session as 6pm to 10pm on 4 December. The Saturday evening session is listed as 5pm to 9pm on 5 December, while the afternoon session time has not yet been published on the public booking page.

Online booking is due to close at 6pm on Saturday 5 December. Visitors can book one Saturday session, and the festival warns that a ticket may be cancelled if someone books both Saturday sessions. There is no stated restriction on also booking the Friday session.

Tickets, tastings and what visitors need to know

TryBooking lists tickets at £45 for each session. The ticket includes entry, a festival glass and the official programme. The festival says visitors will not need to pay for anything else inside the venue unless they use the shop, although TryBooking may add a booking fee at checkout.

Samples will be poured in 10ml measures, and a whisky shop will be available for bottles. Visitors will not be able to decant samples into their own bottles. The event also provides free drinking water and spittoons, and organisers ask people to eat before and during their session.

There is a price discrepancy in the festival’s published information: its About page still says a session costs £40, while the linked TryBooking page lists the price as £45. The booking page is the current price source identified in the event information.

The festival is for over-18s only, with proof of age required. Dogs are not admitted, apart from assistance dogs. Visitors cannot bring glasses, flasks or their own alcohol. People may leave and return during their booked session if they keep their wristband on.

Brewery Arts is step-free on the ground floor and has a passenger lift to the first floor. A coat area is available, although belongings are left at the visitor’s own risk.

Exhibitors and masterclasses

The organisers say the 2026 festival is growing to around 40 exhibitors, including distilleries and independent bottlers, with more than 200 whiskies from around the globe.

The 2026 exhibitor line-up has not yet been published. The festival’s exhibitors page is still headed “Exhibitors at Kendal Whisky Festival 2025”, so it does not confirm this year’s participants.

Masterclasses have also not been announced. The event information said on 7 October 2026 that they were “to be announced soon”. Masterclasses are booked separately, with announcements made first through the festival newsletter.

The festival says it was born in 2021. Its co-founders are named as Phil Walker and Dwayne Miller, while the TryBooking listing describes the 2026 event as its sixth year. Kendal BID and Kendal Town Council are listed as supporters, and Kendal BID includes the festival in its December calendar.

Travel and other events that weekend

Brewery Arts is in Kendal town centre. Kendal station is on the Lakes Line from Oxenholme and is a few minutes’ walk from the town centre, while the bus station is on Blackhall Road behind the Westmorland Shopping Centre. The event information suggests trains may be the simplest option for Friday or Saturday evening travel.

Drivers are advised to check town-centre car parks and any roadworks or travel restrictions before setting off. Late December train and bus information may also be relevant for visitors travelling home after the evening sessions.

The whisky festival falls on the same weekend as other local attractions and events. Kendal BID lists its Christmas Celebration in the Market Place for Sunday 6 December, while Christmas at Levens Hall is due to open on Friday 4 December. Further Christmas fairs are also listed in event information for the Kendal area.