FAQs

The Festival launches on the evening of Thursday 16th November and runs until the evening of Sunday 19th November 2023.

For those who like to plan ahead (and we do!) - here are the dates for the two years that follow:

2024 - Thursday 21st - Sunday 24th November

2025 - Thursday 20th - Sunday 23rd November

The live Festival takes place in Kendal, a picturesque market town situated on the edge of the English Lake District UNESCO World Heritage Site. We use a number of venues around the town to host events.

You can also access many of the events and films online via the Kendal Mountain Player.

Plane, train or automobile... 

TRAINOxenholme - The Lake District railway station is Kendal’s closest mainline train station. Once you’re there, hop on the quick connection to Kendal station - it is a 5 minute walk to Kendal town centre from here. Plan your train journey using the National Rail website.

BUSThe reduced bus fare scheme has been extended beyond October 2023 meaning a single bus fare in most of the Lake District will be just £2.50 over the 2023 Festival.

Kendal Bus Station is on Blackhall Road, right in the centre of town behind the Westmorland Shopping Centre.

Kendal is well seviced by local bus services from neighbouring towns and cities (for example the Stagecoach 555 bus connects Kendal to Lancaster and Carnforth to the south and Windermere, Ambleside and Keswick to the west). For more information on buses take a look at South Lakeland Bus Timetables or plan your bus journey using Traveline.

Scheduled National Express coaches also travel to Kendal with only a short walk from the bus station to the festival venues. For more information take a look at National Bus Timetables.

CARKendal can be very busy during the Festival weekend so we strongly recommend using public transport (it is also less stressful and better for the environment). If you do choose to drive then Kendal is 15 minutes from Junction 36 on the M6 and 20 minutes from Junction 37. You may also wish to park elsewhere and use public transport for the final part of your journey to Kendal.

CAR RENTALCo-wheels is the only independently-owned national car club, providing low emission, hybrid and electric cars on a pay-as-you-go basis for organisations and communities across the UK. Located in Kendal Oxenholme and Staveley.

CAR LIFT SHAREIf you can, please find someone to share a lift with or offer to drive others. We have a Kendal Mountain Festival Liftshare webpage and there is also a BMC Liftshare webpage.

BIKEKendal has plenty of places to park your trusty steed - look out for bike racks all around town.

In addition to the cycle racks, there are 20 free to use secure bike boxes which can be used up to 24 hours at a time. These are located at:

Marks & Spencers car park – 5 boxes, own bike lock required

Westmorland Shopping Centre / Blackhall Yard – 5 boxes, own bike lock required

Better Kendal Leisure Centre, Burton Road – 10 boxes, keys available at the centre’s reception

PLANEKendal is easily reached by car from Manchester and Liverpool Airports. There is a regular train service from Manchester Airport taking just an hour and a half.

All of our ticketed Festival events are sold separately and you will receive your tickets as an E-ticket.

Once you have made your booking, you will receive confirmation of your order via email and your tickets will be attached as a PDF document. All of the tickets made in each booking will be sent in one confirmation email and will be on one PDF.

You can show the ticket on your device or print it off at home.

You will need to show your tickets to the Kendal Mountain Festival staff on the door.

If you can’t find your tickets, do not have a smartphone, or require a physical ticket for accessibility reasons, our box office will be happy to provide you with one.

The majority of our events are assigned seating so please make sure to sit in your allocated seat to avoid disruption.

Please note: If you are having a problem paying for your tickets please check you have included your postcode as this is sometimes the issue. Another solution might also be to try a different device just in case that helps.

Some general e-ticketing tips

It might be a good idea to screenshot your tickets if you’re concerned about wifi access.

If you’ve booked tickets for a group, please try your best to show up together.

Above all, be kind – e-ticketing is still fairly new at the Festival, for venue staff as well as audience members, so try to bear this in mind if there are any hold-ups.

Some of our Film Collections are assigned Red, Blue, Green or Yellow. The colours don't have any significance in terms of the content of the collection. They simply mean that we have so many great films in that category that we have been able to create more than one collection. They could have been assigned 1, 2, 3 etc or A, B, C - we just preferred the use of colours!

Many events are not suitable for young children, but we do hold specific events for families.Many events for families including Parent and Baby Film Screenings, Family Adventure Films and Children's Book Events will be added in autumn.

You are welcome to take children to explore our Basecamp Village, this is free to enter and no ticket is required. Please note whilst prams are welcome, the space can get busy.

If you can't make it to Kendal you can catch the majority of Festival films online via the Kendal Mountain Player with a range of purchase and subscription options.

While most of the films will be available via the Player please be aware that some of the Festival selection films will only be available at the Live Festival and some will have limited screening time on the Player. We will endeavour to announce these in advance although access to films is subject to change depending on distribution rights.

This year a decision was made to stop filming speakers and sessions at the Festival for the Kendal Mountain Player and instead place the focus of the Player on the film programme. The decision to stop filming was not made lightly and was for a number of reasons, including the lack of take up in views by subscribers and the relative cost of filming every session. This year we are experimenting with recording the audio of some of our speaker sessions and making these recordings available for free on the Player and will continue to explore ways to make the Festival as inclusive and accessible as we can going forwards.

For more information on accessibility please refer to https://www.kendalmountainfestival.com/how-to-festival/festival-venues/

We use a number of venues around the town to host events including Kendal Leisure Centre, where you’ll find our speaker events in the 800+ seat venue.

Many of our events and films are shown at the various venues at the Brewery Arts Centre, where you will also find our Festival book shop.

Just a few minutes' walk from here in Abbot Hall Park you'll find our expanded Basecamp Village. With free talks, interactive stands, and a food village this is the true social hub of the Festival and a great place to hang out between sessions.

The Festival extends throughout Kendal's cobbled lanes and yards. Venues include Kendal Town Hall, the Shakespeare Centre, the Barrel House and Kendal Library - all easily reached by foot.

BasecampAbbot Hall Park. Kirkland, Kendal LA9 5AL

Leisure CentreBurton Road, Kendal LA9 7HX

Brewery Arts Centre venues including - Theatre, Screen 1, Screen 2, Studio, Malt Room, Book Shop, Press Room122A Highgate, Kendal LA9 4HE,

Kendal Town Hall9a Lowther St, Kendal LA9 4DL

Shakespeare CentreYard, 76 Highgate, Kendal LA9 4HE

Ruskins12-14 Stricklandgate, Kendal LA9 4ND

Handsome BreweryHandsome Brewery, Kent Street Bar, Kendal LA9 4AT

The Barrel HouseCastle Mills, Units 8-16, Aynam Rd, Kendal LA9 7DE

Cross Lane ProjectsCross Lane, Kendal LA9 5LB

Parking in Kendal over festival weekend is limited and we recommend using public transport where possible.

There is very limited parking available in the immediate vicinity of the Brewery Arts Centre and Town Hall (Highgate). Rather than setting your Sat Nav for the centre of town (and potentially getting stuck in traffic on Highgate or around the one way system) we recommend you point yourself towards a car park / location further away and enjoy a short stroll/bus/train/taxi ride to the Festival.

Please always be respectful when parking and remember that the ongoing support and success of the Festival relies on the goodwill of local residents.

If you do drive into Kendal we recommend you plan ahead and look for parking options using these websites. Please note these are all external websites not affiliated with the festival:

• There are a number of car parks around Kendal managed by South Lakeland District Council.
• Parkopedia also shows a range of available car parks
• Cumbria County Council Car Park behind County Hall on Busher Walk
• JustPark also provides listings of public and private car parks

You could also consider car sharing using a website like Liftshare.

November in Cumbria – it will be cold and it's likely to be wet. Whilst we are predominantly an indoor event, it will be necessary to walk between venues so please dress appropriately. Warm layers are encouraged but you can leave the ice axe, crampons and compass at home. 

All our main venues are fully accessible. Specific information about each venue can be found on our Festival Venues and Accessiblity page.

If you would like to book a space for a wheelchair or have accessibility requirements please contact us at info@mountainfest.co.uk. We also offer one free carer seat, please use the same email address to discuss this with us.

If you are attending an event with accessibility requirements we request that you arrive a few minutes early so our team can help you accordingly.

Of course! Our legendary, fully accessible, free to enter, tented Basecamp Village is the heart of our Festival and is back this year at Abbot Hall Park.

There is a wide range of accommodation available to book in Kendal and the surrounding area.

Please visit our “Where to Stay” page to find some useful links and more information that will help you find a great place to stay.

Yes, we're delighted to continue to expand our offering with the growing Food & Drink Village in our Basecamp.

There are also lots of great places to eat and drink in Kendal which we would encourage you to explore - find out more on our Food and Drink page.

Unfortunately dogs are not allowed in any of the main Festival venues including the Basecamp area - both indoors and out.

Part of our conditions with the local council in order to use the park where the Basecamp is situated is that we have to have the area outside fenced. This is so we can control crowd numbers which forms part of our event licence. In reality this means we have to filter everyone through the main Basecamp so we can count them in before they can reach the outside area - this internal space is extremely crowded and is not at all suitable for dogs. We appreciate you understanding.

Guide dogs, of course, are allowed.

Thea's Lakeland Walks is a Pet Sitting company based in Penrith that may be able to help you if you would like your dog looked after while you are at the Festival.

Yes, the Info Desk is situated in our Basecamp in Abbot Hall Park, just a short 3 minute walk from the Brewery Arts Centre.

As a general rule we are not able to offer refunds but we might be able to swap your ticket for another event if availability allows.

Please contact us at info@mountainfest.co.uk if you need to discuss this with us.

We have set aside a prayer room/quiet space that is open to anyone of any faith. It is located in the Lowther Room at Kendal Town Hall (9a Lowther Street, LA9 4DL). One of our volunteers will be able to direct you once you are at the Town Hall.

The Lowther Room is on the ground floor and has disabled access.

The prayer room/quiet space is open: Friday 9am- 5pm / Saturday 9am - 5pm and Sunday 1pm - 3pm

We are recommending the About Time Espresso Bar (26 Finkle St, Kendal LA9 4AB) as a safe place for the LGBTQIA+ community. You'll certainly receive a warm welcome from the lovely staff.

Opening times:

Thursday - 09.30 to 16.30Friday & Saturday - 09.30 to 23.00Sunday - Closed