Penrith Town Council plan to again lead on the 2026 Penrith May Day celebrations but has warned that the much-loved May Day parade will only go ahead if local people take part.

Speaking at this week’s meeting of the council’s Communities Committee, the Town Mayor, Cllr Bowen, said: “We can only retain the parade if people will participate. If people won’t participate, there will not be a parade.”

The acting chair of the Communities Committee Cllr Jackson added issuing a direct appeal to the local community via Penrith Town News cameras at the meeting saying:

“A parade is only as strong as its participants. For next year, if the residents of Penrith felt able to, please get together in your groups, your societies, your organisations, and think about forming part of the parade. I think it would really add to the town, to the event, and our sense of community.”

The council’s Communities Committee was receiving recommendations from the Penrith May Day Working Group, which has reviewed this year’s event run by the town council for the first time and drawn up proposals for the 2026 Mayday event. The proposals include inviting stallholders and food vendors to donate to the Mayor’s charity, introducing sponsorship opportunities for businesses for the event, and expanding the range of Cumbrian-based food vendors to provide more variety with up to 15 food vendor stalls around the town.

To make the event more accessible without the need to drive into Penrith on the day, plans are also in place to run two shuttle buses to bring people into the town centre on the day.

The working group also recommended terrorism counter measures for the day including that the council seek quotes for hostile vehicle mitigation barriers to strengthen event safety for 2026 and future years.

Cllr Kenyon returned the focus of the committee on the parade asking: “We can’t have wagons anymore due to health and safety – so it’s a walking parade. Can you carry a canoe, or can you carry a pair of golf sticks?”

In response, the council’s new Events Officer, Annabel Candler, said the town council would do all it could to help groups get involved safely:

“If they want to be involved, creativity and all of the health and safety, we can help them. It’s just the drive first.”

Cllr Bowen added: “They need to step forward and say, we want to be in this.”

The 2026 Penrith May Day will take place on Monday, 4th May 2026.

Anyone interested in taking part in the parade is encouraged to contact Events Officer Annabel Candler at the Town Council.