2017 was a great year for Kendal and here we have gathered a few of our highlights for you to remember.

Festivals & Events

Our fantastic roster of events and festivals grew with old favourites and a few new arrivals:

• Lakes Alive Festival took place in September with vibrant performances and successful installations across town. View the highlights video here.
• Spring 2017 saw the first Kendal Walking Festival, which is set to return in May 2018.
• Voted one of the UK’s favourites, The Westmorland Show is one of the oldest and largest traditional agricultural shows and it returned with great success in 2017, with a Royal visit from The Prince of Wales.
•  Kendal Calling returned for the 15th year, with six separate headliners heading up the 2017 line-up.
• The Lake District Summer Music Festival brought the sounds of chamber music to our town, with the Berkeley Ensemble closing the 2017 festival from our wonderful St Thomas’s Church.
• Kendal’s Torchlight Carnival enjoyed clear skies and the town’s streets were filled with a carnival atmosphere over the weekend of celebrations.
• Lakes International Comic Arts Festival brought a Finnish Village to Kendal for 2017 along with with over 70 special guests from across the comic world.
• The Kendal Wool Gathering is growing in popularity each year. ‘The KWG Poppy Tent’ was a particular highlight for the 2017 gathering with crocheted poppies lovingly handmade for a special Remembrance Day service.
• Kendal Mountain Festival brought 116 speakers and 56 live events to Kendal over a fantastic four day festival. Highlights included 1500 people attending Free Family Film Sessions and over 800 school children attending Free Inspiring Adventure Talks.
• 2017 also saw the introduction of the new Kendal Mountain Literature Festival, which filled Kendal venues with 31 popular events.
• The annual Christmas Light Switch On saw a fun family day out on Sunday 19th November, complete with Santa and his reindeers!
• Summer 2017 saw Kendal come alive with a vibrant Umbrella Display lining our yards and shopping centres.
• A series of Kendal Trails were created by Kendal BID with the aim to encourage visitors and the local community to explore our town centre and the many shops and eateries on offer. The popular Summer Trails have since been extended to include a Christmas Trail.
• There were laughs a plenty at the Brewery Art Centre in spring with the week long Freerange Comedy Festival.

New Businesses & Celebrations

• Our town was recognised as a great place to live by The Sunday Times in March 2017 and received positive features in both Lancashire Life and In Cumbria magazines.
• Kendal celebrated the opening of lots of fantastic new businesses including eateries, bars, independent boutiques and well known high street brands. The all-new Mintbridge Stadium opened it’s doors on 3rd November with a special bonfire night celebration and Kendal Leisure Centre completed a significant refurbishment to improve the town’s sporting facilities.
• Kendal College enjoyed student successes including: Plumbing and Heating apprentice Matthew Barton being named ‘best of the best’ and gaining a place in the 2019 WorldSkills Finals in Russia.
• Kendal running club, Jogging Pals, was announced as Community Club of the Year in the Cumbria Sporting Awards having transformed the lives of over 300 people.
• Kendal was also successfully selected as a Britain in Bloom Finalist in the Large Town category.

Looking forward to 2018

2018 is set to be another great year for Kendal, with lots to look forward to:

• Festivals and Events
  Dates have now been confirmed for many of the town’s annual festivals and events with visitors already booking accommodation and travel in order to celebrate with us in 2018.
• New Businesses
  Exciting plans are in place for several new bars, eateries and shops to open in early 2018.
• Kendal Master Plan
  The Kendal Master Plan is in progress with bold ambitions for the town.
• Riverside, Park & Cultural Improvement Projects
  A variety of improvements are planned for the Kendal Riverside Corridor including Dockray Bridge, Abbott Hall Park and Stramongate Bridge. Noble Rest – situated at the end of Maude Street, this popular park is set for a refurbishment with plans for new paths, seats, planting and play areas commencing in early 2018. Kendal Town Council are co-ordinating an improvement project at Kendal Castle for 2018 to upgrade paths, install new welcome signage and create new interpretation panels.

If your business has a news story or celebration taking place in 2018 – please get in touch with us and we will be delighted to help you to spread the word!

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