We are excited to share our summer season – a packed programme of Live Music, Comedy, Spoken Word, Creative Learning, Exhibitions, Cinema, and delicious Food and Drink. From big names to new discoveries, it’s a varied line-up with something to dip into all summer.
With a Brewery Arts Membership, you can enjoy even more – save with discounts and 2-for-1 tickets while supporting our programme and community work.
Take a look at what’s coming up…
Live Music Highlights
A mix of big names, new artists and unmissable live shows – from electronic pioneers to soul legends and intimate acoustic sets.
Highlights include electronic trailblazers The Orb (30 May), soul legend P.P. Arnold (8 May), and a special acoustic evening with Badly Drawn Boy (9 May), in conversation with BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins. Jimmy Nail’s Stories and Songs tour (13 & 17 July) reflects on a remarkable career, while Tomorrow’s New Quartet (11 June) showcase emerging UK jazz talent in the atmospheric Malt Room.
Our much-loved Summer Sundays return in August with free live music in Kendal’s biggest beer garden – expect laid-back afternoons and feel-good performances from favourites including The Seals, Meetwood Flac, Atomic Brass and Bad Transmission.
View all Music here.
Comedy & Spoken Word
Mark Watson (18 June) brings Before It Overtakes Us, where a chance encounter spirals into big questions about humanity’s uncertain future — balanced with his brilliantly offbeat takes on everything from public slip-ups to the state of the UK sausage industry.
Susan Calman (15 May) joins us with a Work In Progress show – a rare chance to see new material ahead of her next tour (now sold out, with waiting list available).
We also welcome David Viney (20 May) to our new Poetry Club – a multiple slam winner whose work connects people to poetry across communities, from festivals to prisons and schools.
View all Comedy & Spoken Word here.
Big Screen Moments
Summer Cinema highlights include The Devil Wears Prada 2, Minions & Monsters and Scary Movie 6. Our Stage on Screen programme brings world-class performances to Kendal, including The Playboy of the Western World (National Theatre Live), El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego (The Met Opera) and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (National Theatre Live).
Event cinema includes Chicago (4 June), with a live score by silent film pianist Jonny Best, and Our Land (11 June), followed by a panel with voices from the Right to Roam movement and environmental writers and activists.
We are also partnering with Kendal Pride Festival for Cinema Rewind — a season of LGBTQ+ classics throughout June, including The Birdcage (2 June), Moonlight (9 June), The Handmaiden (16 June) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (23 June).
View all Cinema here.
Creative Learning: Try Something New This Summer
Our summer season features a range of new workshops, from crafts like Rag Rug Making to Experimental Approaches to Creative Writing. Families can also get creative together through Explore, Play, Print! and Sketch a Story: Family Memory Illustration, designed to inspire all ages.
Also, our Summer Camps are back this August – Performance Unleashed (7-14yrs) and Arts Unleashed (7-14yrs), perfect for keeping the kids busy!
View all Creative Learning here.
Exhibitions: A Celebration of Local Talent
Our annual Open Exhibition 2026 once again transforms the gallery from 8 May – 26 Jul, showcasing an exciting collection of local talent across a wide range of media. Carefully selected by our judging panel, this year’s exhibition presents a truly diverse and distinctive range of voices from across Cumbria.
Our younger creatives aren’t missing out either. Submissions are open for the Young Artist Open 2026, welcoming budding artists aged 4–18. This year’s theme, Adventure, invites you to explore, imagine, and create—whether through drawing, painting, sculpture, or any medium that inspires you.
Eat, Drink & Relax With Us
Our Bar & Restaurant celebrates the flavours of the Lakes with seasonal menus, craft beers and locally sourced ingredients. Drop in before a show, after a workshop, or just for a coffee.
This summer, enjoy a selection of fresh additions to the menu, from pulled pork, halloumi or crab sliders, to dishes like baba ghanoush and hot smoked salmon pizza.
Visit Food & Drink to view the Menu and book a table.
Brewery Social
Our Brewery Social events bring a lively, creative energy to the Bar throughout the summer. From our monthly Brewery Arts Quiz to the relaxed, bi-weekly Tuesday Social, there are plenty of chances to meet new people and get involved.
Join us on 27 May for South Lakes Drinks for Artists, Musicians, Filmmakers and Writers – a laid-back evening to connect, share ideas and spark new collaborations. Plus, don’t miss Yorkshire Coast Morris Dancers on 9 May, bringing a vibrant morning of traditional folk dancing to the beer garden.
View all Brewery Social events here.
