What to see and do at Kendal Mountain Festival 2026
The Huck guide — With a stacked lineup of films, talks, trails, parties and more, we recommend things to check out at one of the global outdoor industry’s biggest gatherings.
Every November, nature enthusiasts flock to the Lake District for a weekend of art, talks, hikes and more at the world’s largest outdoor culture gathering.
It’s always a jam packed extended weekend. Kendal Mountain Festival 2026 will open with a parade on November 19, before a schedule featuring over 450 events with more than 300 athletes, explorers and artists. 150 films will be screened, as well as 60 activities and workshops. There’s also a few Huck treats from friends and staffers dotted around the weekend.
While there’s something for everyone at the festival, four days just isn’t enough to see it all, so we’ve made a handy guide of things we’re most looking excited for to help you plan your Kendal appropriately.
Films
Amazomania
When: Sunday, November 22 @2:45pm
Where: Brewery Arts
Filmmaker Nathan Grossman asks who is allowed to remain hidden and who we have exploited in the name of discovery in this re-examination of a first encounter with the Korubo tribe in 1996.
The Art of Hold Shaping
When: Friday, November 20 @2pm; Sunday, November 22 @12pm
Where: Brewery Arts
This documentary steps right into the world of Dan Yagmin, the creator of Decoy Holds, to explore how his art is shaping the industry and the experience itself of rock climbing.
Derek vs Derek
When: Thursday, November 19 @8:15pm; Sunday, November 22 @2:15pm
Where: Brewery Arts
Two neighbours, both called Derek, both farmers, find themselves on two sides of a fight over what should happen to their land. The two Dereks straddle the fence between rewilding and traditional agriculture as one fights for intensive farming and the other plans to leave his farm to wildlife.
Glacier’s Requiem
When: Friday, November 20 @2pm; Sunday, November 22 @12pm
Where: Brewery Arts
Modular synthesis artist Colloboh transforms glacial recordings from an isolated Icelandic peninsula. Glacier’s Requiem follows him as he learns to read his recordings of the ice and sea, gaining new understanding of his own place in the climate crisis.
You Should See Me Now: Portraits of the Polar Academy
When: Thursday, November 19 @6pm; Saturday, November 21 @6:30pm
Where: Brewery Arts
A group of downtrodden Scottish teenagers are selected for a year of training. But far from a punishment for being bullied or isolated, this culminates in a polar expedition and a chance to make themselves seen.
Reel Rock 20
When: Thursday, November 19 @ 5:30pm
Where: Brewery Arts – Thetre
The tentpole climbing film tour turns 20, with a slate of huge climbing stories from the past year. It’s headlined by the consensus world best woman climber Janja Garnbret, who takes on the historic 9b+ route Bibliographie, but also follows Michaela Kiersch’s huge year of hard boulders and sport climbs, Ben Mayforth’s attempt at a 5.13 adaptive climb, and Colin Haley taking on a winter ascent of Patagonia’s Cerro Torre.
Activities and Workshops
The Benefits of an Entirely Inconvenient Approach to Documentary Storytelling
When: Friday, November 20 @9:30am
Where: Friends Meeting House
Led by Huck’s Hendrick Faller, director of You Should See Me Now and the award-winning Winner Gets Cake, this interactive workshop explores the moments of magic that occur in moments of distress and inconvenience. Sometimes friction is good, and being open to the unexpected can lead to great results.
Field Recording with Alice Boyd and Kendal College — presented by Patagonia
When: Sunday, November 22 @10:30am
Where: Kendal College Arts and Media Campus
Musician and sound artist Alice Boyd will lead a guided field recording workshop for attendees, teaching the basics of using microphones to capture ambient environmental sounds. It will include a riverside walk and woodland trails, and is run in collaboration with Kendal College’s music production course.
North Face Climb Along
When: Saturday, November 21 @1pm
Where: Lakeland Climbing Centres
Four of The North Face’s team of professional climbers will take to the Lakeland Climbing Centres and climb with those who go along. Big waller Siebe Banhee, alpinist Fay Manners, lead climbing champion Molly Thompson-Smith and sport climbing phenom Brooke Raboutou will lead the session, sharing stories, techniques and inspiration from their adventures and competitions.
Shelby’s Haus: A Beginner’s Guide to Wildlife Photography – presented by Berghaus
When: Saturday, November 21 @9:30am
Where: Waterside Café & Bistro
At the tender age of 16, Shelby Grant has established himself as one of the UK’s most in-demand photographers, with cinematic shots of tawny owls, badgers, woodland foxes, dolphins and much more. Shelby will take a group out shooting, and perhaps open their eyes to the world around us.
Trail Mix – presented by Cuessta & Passenger
When: Friday, November 20 @2:30pm
Where: Gallery Stand / Passenger Bus, then Basecamp
Our friends at Passenger are joining outdoor music collective cuesta for a day out in the Lake District, with a 7km loop around Kendal’s fells and trails, before reconnecting at Basecamp for two hours of DJ sets and a hangout. Knowing Passenger, it will be a lovely vibe.
Speakers and panels
Eco-Conscious Climbing presented by Robbie Phillips – presented by SCARPA
When: Friday, November 20, 2026 @4:30pm
Where: Kendal Town Hall – Assembly Room
As with most outdoor folk, “leave no trace” is a common phrase that’s bandied around climbers. Usually that means clean up the crag, or protect fixed gear, but what does leaving no trace actually mean? How can we minimise our impacts even further? In this talk, Scottish climber and alpinist Robbie Phillips explores how climbers can reduce their carbon impacts through taking the train or cycling, and the compromises of a big adventure.
Outdoor Connections
When: Thursday, November 19 @9am-5pm
Where: Low Wood Bay Resort Spa & Hotel
The full day summit is the biggest outdoor industry event of the weekender, and includes a programme of talks, debates and networking opportunities. It’s hosted by friend of Huck and journalist Keme Nzerem, and look out for The Great Unrotting, presented by our Creative Director Duncan Harrison, who will explain how as a creative and media world, we can fight back against slopification.
Patagonia Human Powered Session
When: Saturday, November 21 @3:30pm
Where: Kendal Town Hall – Assembly Room
The popular session, which celebrates stories of people in the outdoors doing remarkable things at the frontier of sport and activism returns for its fourth appearance at Kendal. This year will be hosted by climber, access campaigner, fell runner and ecologist Jess Peach, alongside Huck’s own Phil Young, while guests include Sámi champion Marianne Gråik and big wall climber Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll.
Gilly McArthur – The Beauty of Cold: The Restorative Power of Cold Water for Connection and Joy
When: Sunday, November 22 @11:45am
Where: Brewery Arts – Malt Room
In the wake of her new book The Beauty of Cold, cold water coach Gilly McArthur will present what she’s written and learned about in the process. Over decades, she’s dived into the health benefits of cold water swimming, but her experiences have led to something deeper – healing and regeneration.
Parties
The Full Send Party – presented by Endura
When: Friday, November 20 @11pm
Where: Brewery Arts – Malt Room
To cap off Kendal’s Bike Night, presented by adidas & Canyon, Enduro are hosting a party for the extended mountain bike community. Expect big tunes and energy.
Fjällräven Folk Night with Johnny and Lillie Flynn
When: Friday, November 20 @6pm
Where: The Venue – at Castle Mills
Fancy a more relaxed BPM? Fjällräven are hosting a night of folk music with Johnny and Lillie Flynn, as well as traditional Irish and Scottish group The McGoldrick Family, who wll play music passed down their family through generations. They will also be joined by local favourite Jimmy Patrick.
Arc’teryx After Party
When: Saturday, November 21 @10:30pm
Where: The Venue – at Castle Mills
With an extended closing time, Arc’teryx will be hosting a late, late party that will go into the wee hours of the morning, for festivalgoers who want to let loose. Soundtracking the party will be Urbi, fouder of Staple Music, British underground scene regular Monki and Philippines-born, Manchester based vocalist, DJ and producer PABLÓGYAL.
Kendal Mountain Festival takes place November 19 – 22. For more information and tickets, visit the festival’s official website.
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