Kendal’s autumn calendar is set for a busy run of festivals, live performances, family activities and civic events, beginning with the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October and continuing through November.
The programme includes 40 comic arts events, a live-drawn Asterix and Tintin contest, a month of music and comedy at Brewery Arts, Halloween activities and ghost tours at Levens Hall, regular markets and a Remembrance Sunday service in the Market Place.
Comic Arts Festival opens the season
The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival returns to Kendal from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October, with venues across the town centre. Bill Sienkiewicz is the featured guest, while the festival lists 40 events across two days, including live drawing, films, presentations, guided tours and interviews.
Most of those events are included in festival passes, although the opening night and workshops are ticketed separately. Saturday and weekend passes are available through TryBooking, with the Saturday pass covering premium events, exhibitions and priority access to signings. The booking page had not listed a price when the diary was checked on 28 September 2026.
The opening event is Asterix vs. Tintin: The Rematch at Brewery Arts’ Main Theatre from 8pm to 9.30pm on Friday 2 October. Two teams of cartoonists will draw live while the audience votes, with Keli Lark as compère. The event is being held 10 years after the first bout, which Asterix won.
Other early October events include National Theatre Live: The Misanthrope at Brewery Arts on Thursday 1 October at 7.15pm, priced at £18, and the free South Lakes Age Friendly Festival at Kendal Leisure Centre on Sunday 4 October from 11am to 2.30pm.
Brewery Arts fills October with music, comedy and screenings
Brewery Arts is hosting events on most evenings through October and into bonfire week. Highlights include The Met Opera’s Così fan tutte on Tuesday 6 October, Vittorio Angelone on Wednesday 7 October, The Long Ryders on Thursday 8 October and Toploader on Friday 9 October.
Albert Lee performs on Saturday 10 October, followed later in the month by the Paddling Film Festival, Norrie MacIver, Shooglenifty, Chaps Choir and the Growing Singers, Live/Wire: The AC/DC Show, Martin Simpson, Peatbog Faeries, Jason Byrne, Republica, Poetry Club: Slambria and TRIP.
The month ends with the Comedy Club on Friday 30 October, Nick Cope’s Family Show and El Pony Pisador on Saturday 31 October. Ticket prices vary by event, with Brewery Arts adding a standard commission of between £2.50 and £3.50. Some events have cheaper tickets for particular groups, while age guidance and seated or standing arrangements differ.
At Kendal Museum, Holy Creatures continues until Saturday 10 October. The exhibition features work by 15 women artists exploring soil and the earth through installation, film, sculpture, print and poetry. The museum is temporarily open on Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 5pm, but will close on Friday 2 October for conservation work. Admission is £5 for adults and £2 for visitors aged five to 18.
Halloween, fireworks and Remembrance events
Levens Hall, five miles south of Kendal, is open into November for the first time this year, with normal opening ending on Sunday 8 November. Its Halloween programme includes ceramic painting on Tuesday 27 October, a mask workshop on Thursday 29 October and Ghostly House Tours from Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November, at 4pm and 5pm alongside other Halloween activities.
November events at Brewery Arts include The Royal Ballet’s Manon on Tuesday 3 November, Scott Bennett on Wednesday 4 November, Ferocious Dog on Thursday 5 November, Hejira: Celebrating Joni Mitchell and Cut Capers on Friday 6 November, and Rioghnach Connolly and Honeyfeet on Saturday 7 November.
Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa is scheduled to hold its bonfire and fireworks display on Thursday 5 November, with the display expected at about 7.30pm to 7.45pm. Entry to the Gallery Lounge is £12.50 including parking, while dinner packages are also available. The resort warns that the display may be cancelled or postponed in heavy rain or high winds.
Remembrance Sunday falls on Sunday 8 November. A service will take place at the Parish Church, followed by a two-minute silence at 11am at the war memorial in Market Place.
Later in November, the Kendal Mountain Festival runs from 19 to 22 November, Winter at Sizergh begins on 20 November and Kendal’s Christmas lights switch-on is scheduled for Friday 27 November.
Markets and regular activities
Kendal outdoor market takes place every Wednesday and Saturday in Market Place. The indoor Market Hall remains closed for refurbishment. Kendal Farmers Market runs on the second and last Friday of each month from 8am to 3.30pm, with dates listed as 9 and 30 October, followed by 13 and 27 November.
Fell Foot parkrun takes place every Saturday at 9am at Fell Foot Park, Newby Bridge. It is a free 5k event, but participants must register before their first run. The diary notes that Kendal itself does not have a parkrun.
Organisers running events in Kendal or the south Lakes can submit a date, time, venue, price and photograph to [email protected] for inclusion in the listings.
