Traffic delays and congestion are expected around Penrith and local roads from this morning (Thursday 31st July) as Kendal Calling music festival begins welcoming up to 40,000 attendees to Lowther Deer Park.
Festival gates are due to open at 9am on Thursday, with organisers finalising preparations for what has become a temporary pop-up town in the parklands. The event, running over four days, attracts tens of thousands of music fans each year, with many travelling by car.
Motorists are being warned to expect congestion particularly on key routes including the M6, A66, and A6 between Kemplay Roundabout and the festival entrance.
Organisers have also advised those planning to arrive on Friday to avoid travelling between 12:00 and 18:00, a peak period for congestion around the site. There are ongoing roadworks and local speed restrictions that could further impact journey times.
This year’s festival site will become a popup town twice the size of Penrith with its weekend population of 40,000 features not only its multiple performance stages, but also a Co-op store, a variety of food vendors, it’s own dedicated shuttle bus service, and even a temporary mobile phone network infrastructure established by Vodafone to help ensure connectivity for festival-goers.
The event draws to a close with final performances and the traditional Sunday night fireworks to draw the weekend to a close, but significant traffic is anticipated again on Monday as attendees begin to depart with the gates to Kendal Calling 2025 closing at 2pm on Monday.
And work starting on Kendal Calling 2026 that will return to Lowther Deer Park next summer from 30 July to 2 August 2026. Tickets for the 2026 festival go on sale from 10am on Thursday 7 August.
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