Local archive
Traffic & Construction
The Westmorland County Show returns to Lane Farm in Crooklands on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 September 2026, with livestock competitions, a new Westmorland Hub, Rugby 7s, a major food hall and more than 400 trade stands.
Community Burneside
Hall Park playground in Burneside has reopened, while a new skatepark for Queen’s Park in Windermere and a permanent pump track in Kendal are progressing through Westmorland and Furness Council’s programme. No public opening date has yet been set for either Kendal or Windermere project.
Traffic & Construction Town Centre
Councillors are due to decide on plans to convert part of the former Arnold Clark garage on Mintsfeet Road, Kendal, into self-storage and light industrial space after the council’s highways and flood authorities objected.
Sport Mint Bridge
Kendal RFC began its competitive campaign with a 36-17 Cumbria Cup victory over Keswick at the end of a closely fought match. The holders were twice behind and faced difficulties at scrum and lineout, but finished strongly through tries from Toby Merrick, Zane Butler, Finn Kennedy and Ben Dixon. Blackburn are due at Mint Bridge next, with the fixture moved to a 2.30pm kick-off.
Culture
Brewery Arts is asking audiences in Kendal and beyond to support its bid for the British Independent Film Awards’ Cinema of the Year award, with voting open until 22 September 2026.
Culture
Kendal Museum has been awarded £100,000 for a two-year project with Cumbria Development Education Centre and the Nandi-Kendal Association exploring the connected histories of Kendal’s World Wildlife Gallery and Kenya’s Nandi community.
Traffic & Construction Mintsfeet
Drivers in Kendal face a busy period of motorway closures, temporary road restrictions and diversions from September, with the M6, A591, A590 and roads around the town all affected at different times.
Community
Visitors to Westmorland County Show at Lane Farm, Crooklands, near Kendal, will be able to see the Grand Départ Trophy on 9 and 10 September 2026, ahead of the Tour de France arriving in Westmorland and Furness the following summer.
Culture Town Centre
Kendal Torchlight has been postponed for 2026 because of rising operational costs and reduced confirmed funding, with organisers aiming to bring the town’s major carnival back in 2027. Conflicting event listings still advertise the September procession, while Visit Kendal says it is not going ahead this year.
Traffic & Construction Mint Bridge
No fireworks display has been announced in Kendal for Bonfire Night 2026, while Low Wood Bay’s ticketed event near Windermere is currently the only confirmed and bookable display in the wider area.
Culture
Kendal BID has confirmed that the 2026 Christmas lights switch-on will take place in and around Market Place on Friday 27 November. The event is expected to include late-night shopping, entertainment and a farmers’ market, but no start time, parade route, line-up or road-closure arrangements have been published. A separate Christmas celebration has conflicting dates in two listings.
Culture Town Centre
Kendal Mountain Festival will return from 19 to 22 November 2026, with day passes from £25 and a weekend pass priced at £205. The event will use 10 venues around Kendal, while its film programme is not due until mid-October.
Business & Openings
Brewery Arts in Kendal has installed two larger, more energy-efficient pottery kilns after receiving funding from The David Snowdon Trust, replacing equipment that had served the studio for more than 20 years.
Community
Kendal Town Hall is flying the Red Ensign on 3 September 2026 as Westmorland and Furness Council joins a national tribute to Merchant Navy seafarers and those who served during the World Wars.
Culture
Brewery Arts will offer £4 tickets for standard cinema screenings on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 2026 as part of the expanded National Cinema Weekend.
Culture
Kendal Music Festival will take place on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 September at Brewery Arts, with free live performances, food and drinks available to buy, and no booking required.
Culture
Kendal is set to come alive with live music this September as the Kendal Music Festival returns, with Kendal BID announcing the event’s comeback.
Community
The third and final phase of the Crookfields housing development in Staveley has been completed with help from a £300,000 Westmorland and Furness Council grant, but Castles & Coasts has not yet advertised any of the 25 homes.
Traffic & Construction Stramongate
Westmorland and Furness Council is being asked to move £1.366m of Heart of Kendal funding into 2027/28, leaving almost the entire remaining £13m budget to be spent before the programme’s 31 March 2028 deadline.
Sport Mint Bridge
Kendal Rugby Union Football Club’s Wasps were beaten 33-10 by Keswick, but a stronger second-half display offered encouragement before the league campaign begins.
Sport
Kendal Rugby Union Football Club has published its pre-season schedule, including an away Cumbria Cup match at Keswick and a home game against Blackburn, alongside a pre-match pie lunch.
Sport Mint Bridge
Kendal Rugby Union Football Club’s Wasps will host Keswick at Mint Bridge on Sunday 30, with kick-off scheduled for 2.00pm in a pre-season fixture between two teams whose fortunes diverged last season.
Sport
Kendal Rugby Union Football Club members can apply for tickets to three England home fixtures in the 2027 Guinness Six Nations, with applications open until 19 September 2026.
Sport Mint Bridge
Kendal Rugby Union Football Club began its preparations with a 31-10 victory over promoted North Ribblesdale at Mint Bridge. The club also outlined squad changes, coaching arrangements, cup plans and a revised league schedule after the delayed start to the Community Rugby season.
Community
South Lakes Housing’s senior leadership team visited Hallgarth Estate in Kendal on Tuesday to meet residents, view homes and neighbourhoods, and test drive one of the organisation’s new fully electric vans.
Community
Westmorland and Furness Council will hold a free forum at Kendal Town Hall on Thursday 17 September 2026 for private landlords and managing agents, with places limited to the first 80 applicants.
Business & Openings
Brewery Arts in Kendal is recruiting a permanent cleaner for 20 hours a week, with applications closing at noon on 10 September 2026.
Community Burneside
Kendal households in Band D will pay £2,525.45 in council tax during 2026/27, an increase of £121.67 on the previous year. The bill includes charges for Westmorland and Furness Council, adult social care, policing, fire and rescue, and Kendal Town Council, while second-home owners face a 100% premium.
Traffic & Construction Oxenholme
There is no free council car park in Kendal, but drivers can pay as little as £1.40 for a full day by using early-bird tariffs, while Sunday parking at South Lakeland House costs £1.50.
Community
Kendal householders will see every bin collection move back by one day during the week beginning Monday 31 August 2026. The South Lakeland service also has new paid garden-waste rules, while larger recycling bins are planned but have no confirmed rollout date.
