Your guide to the Festival

Your 5 simple steps to an amazing weekend!

  1. Save the Festival dates in your diary - 21st to 24th November 2024
  2. Plan your visit via the “Get Tickets” button at the top of this website 
  3. Be quick to buy your tickets 
  4. Book your travel and accommodation
  5. Come and enjoy the Festival.

  

Tickets

This year we are delighted to be introducing a new ticketing platform called Eventive.

Here you can browse the Festival programme, save your favourite events, create your own Festival programme and book tickets. And if you purchase multiple tickets for your family and friends, you will be able to easily transfer their tickets to their account.

You can view events and favourite tickets without an account but in order to book tickets you will need to set up an account. As this is a new and improved ticketing site, you will need to create a new account with us, even if you already had an account with us on the old system - this site has now been closed with all data removed.

Having an account means all your tickets are safely stored in one place. You will receive your tickets via email but they will also be stored on your account ready to access whenever you need them.

At the FestivalYou will be able to present your tickets on your device or print them off at home as they will need to be scanned by 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, The Festival Box Office, situated at the Brewery Arts ticket office, will be happy to provide you with one. Please note that the Box Office is only open to help with Festival tickets over the 4 days of the Festival.

The majority of our events are unassigned seating so please make sure you arrive in plenty of time ahead of the event start time to avoid any disruption.

How to choose what to do

Every ticketed event at the Festival is listed on our ticketing platform and can be found by clicking on the ‘Get Tickets’ button. Events will be added in four different waves up until the Festival in November.

When you click on the ‘Get Tickets’ button you can use filters to search for the type of event you are interested in (e.g. Family friendly, speakers, short film collections), or by the venue, and/or the date.

Festival pass - free tickets: 

As part of the Festival, we provide a selection of activities and events that are free for everyone to enjoy.  To book (and cancel) any of our free activities, you need to have a Free Event Pass. To find out more, please go to ‘My Passes’ section of the ticketing website.

Cancelling your free tickets: If you can no longer attend a free event, please do try to cancel your tickets. It will be hugely appreciated by others trying to attend the event and helps make for a better experience for all.

The official Festival Programme can be viewed and downloaded here. There will be printed programmes available at the Festival, these are free for you to plan your Fesitval weekend. 

You can aslo purchase a programme to be posted to your home, either before the Festival, or afterwards and use it as your essential TV guide to watch the 2024 feature films and collections.

Basecamp Village: there are three stages hosting over 70 free talks throughout the weekend. A full schedule can be found in our Festival programme (page 67-71) or listed on our website:

The GORE-TEX Brand Bothy Stage

Macs Adventure stage

Gallery Stage 

The Gore-Tex Brand Bothy and Mac Adventure stages will each provide 100 bluetooth headphones enabling you to fully engage within each conversation.  

Please note you will not require tickets for the Basecamp stage events.

Overview

Every November, we deliver a Festival that unites a global community of adventurers, storytellers, artists and filmmakers, who share a passion for nature, the environment, adventure and exploration. This year will be no exception.

During our four-day Festival, you can enjoy over 200 events including over 300 speakers, 190+ films, and 60+ activities, all while socialising with more than 25,000 adventure-seekers and outdoor enthusiasts. 

The Festival takes over the entire market town of Kendal, with various venues hosting an aray of events. We offer a brilliant mix of films, talks and activities at different prices, ranging from free to no more than £25*, ensuring everyone can get involved. Each event is individually ticketed, allowing you to design your own programme and budget for the weekend.

Our ever-growing and amazing Basecamp is situated in town in Abbot Hall Park. It's free to enter and hosts a variety of engaging talks, as well as opportunities to meet leading outdoor brands, charities, and partners.

Join us on Thursday night for the Festival Opening Ceremony, followed by the Kendal Street Parade into the Market Square. The festivities wind down on Sunday at 10:30pm with the 'Best of Kendal' Film Collections. Why not continue your Festival experience, stay overnight and take Monday off!

For a glimpse of the diversity and range of events, check out This article in The Guardian which gives you a great overview of the diversity and range of events that were on offer at the 2023 Festival.

*Excluding the Ultra Run. 

Events at the Festival

There is something for everyone at the Festival and our massive programme of events covers:

  • Speakers from the worlds of nature, adventure, mountaineering and conservation
  • World film premieres, feature films and short film collections
  • Book events - including children's authors
  • Arts events
  • Live music and parties
  • Secret Speaker Sessions & Secret Film Screenings
  • Trail & Ultra Runs
  • Family friendly events
  • Environmental films and talks
  • Yoga and other wellness activities
  • Small group hikes, runs and bike rides 

Accommodation

There are lots of options for places to stay in Kendal and the surrounding area - hotels, self-catering, B&Bs, hostels and camping and caravan sites - but please be aware that these need to be booked separately. Read more here

We would advise booking early to avoid missing out. There are useful links and more information on our Where to Stay page.

We are excited to open the Kendal Mountain Campsite for the Festival weekendbased in the heart of Kendal with prices starting at £12.50 per night.

Food and Drink

You can refuel at our Food & Drink Village located in our Basecamp in Abbot Hall Park. There are also plenty of great restaurants, cafes and takeaways in Kendal for you to enjoy.

The Food and Drink page on our website has useful links and the latest information.

Stay in the loop

Whether you’re a seasoned Festival veteran or interested in coming for the first time, we will be sure to let you all know in advance of each wave of ticket releases via our newsletter. If you're not already signed up, make sure to click the link below and be the first to hear about the latest updates.

You can also catch up on Festival updates through our social media channels:

Facebook

Instagram

We hope this gives you a good sense of how the Festival works and how you can get the most out of your visit.

If you have any questions that aren’t answered here or on our FAQs page, please feel free to contact us.

Have a great Festival.

© Kendal Mountain Festival 2024
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