Kendal

The South Lakes is enticing groups to visit its beautiful area in 2010 with a variety of offers, new things-to-do and suggestions that will not only get the party started, but make it wish the experience or trip would never end.

New facets have been added to the area’s already superb scenic, cultural, food, family-focused and outdoor activities offer, making a visit in 2010 a real must-do for many groups.

The new things that the area can boast include:

• New K Village, The Lakes Outlet opening on June 25 2010, comprising over 30 premium factory outlets, a new K Heritage Centre and five restaurants/cafés to create a unique, state-of-the-art destination shopping and leisure complex.
• New Garden Café at Beetham Nurseries which features home cooked ‘real’ food, produced to high standards with locally sourced ingredients.
• New ‘Full Steam Ahead: Quakers and Railways’ feature at the award-winning attraction, The Quaker Tapestry, Kendal, exploring the relationship between engineer, George Stephenson, and Edward Pease – a Quaker coal owner and merchant, who shared the dream to build a public railway line from Stockton to Darlington. The new Quaker Tapestry display features a working model railway.
• New ‘Keeping House With Mrs Tittlemouse’ exhibition at the Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead – celebrating 100 years of Mrs Tittlemouse and with a children’s activity sheet to bring the exhibition to life.
• New children’s garden trail during school holidays at Hill Top, Near Sawrey.
• Spectacular new bulb displays for Spring 2010 at Sizergh Castle and Garden thanks to the planting of 7000 bulbs in November, these being 3000 red, cream and yellow tulips in the herbaceous border, 1500 white tulips in the Hot Border and 200 mixed, coloured tulips and Dutch iris in the Kitchen Garden.
• New booking arrangement for groups and school parties visiting Grasmere Gingerbread, plus refreshments and sampling for pre-booked groups.
• New Lakeland Motor Museum opening soon.

Within a relatively compact geographical area, The South Lakes continues to have a concentration of top quality attractions that are the envy of other destinations. Major attractions include:

• The World of Beatrix Potter, Bowness
• Lakes Aquarium, Lakeside
• Windermere Lake Cruises
• The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, Lakeside
• Lakeland Wildlife Oasis, Milnthorpe
• The Lakeland Maize Maze, Sedgwick near Milnthorpe
• The Quaker Tapestry, Kendal
• Kendal Museum, Kendal
• The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal
• Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal
• The Museum of Lakeland Life, Kendal
• Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum & Art Gallery, Grasmere
• Rydal Mount, Rydal
• Sizergh Castle and Gardens, Sizergh, near Kendal
• Hill Top, Near Sawrey, Hawkshead
• Townend, Troutbeck
• The Beatrix Pottery Gallery, Hawkshead
• Blackwell – The Arts and Crafts House
• Go Ape, Grizedale
• Levens Hall & Gardens, Levens

Just a short drive away are the attractions of Coniston, including Brantwood, Steam Yacht Gondola, The Ruskin Museum, the Coniston Launch and the Coniston Boating Centre.

Also close at hand are Holker Hall & Gardens and the coastal area of Grange-over-Sands, Arnside and Silverdale.

Outdoor activities can be arranged with a wide variety of providers, or easily booked, even last-minute, through Destination Cumbria. Activities for families wishing to engage in some woodland exploration can be booked through Playdays in the Woods.

Those wishing to enjoy a brew with a view have a plethora of cafés, restaurants, hotels and other stop-offs to head to, the journey made all the easier by the special ‘Brew With A View’ booklet from South Lakeland District Council.

This publication highlights coach and mini-bus friendly stop-offs and the ‘view’ that can be enjoyed whilst drinking in the landscape or eating the wonderful local produce.

Real foodies can tuck in to the special culinary courses provided by LucyCooks in Staveley, try a regional speciality at Grasmere Gingerbread, or visit the Country Fest show, which includes the former Westmorland Food Lovers Festival.

With a highly attractive and packed events calendar, there are frequent opportunities to build a group itinerary around a specific festival or day out, whether this is Damson Day, Country Fest, The Westmorland County Show, Mintfest, Lakes Alive events, Lake District Summer Music, the Great North Swim, Kendal Torchlight Carnival, the English Stone Skimming Championships, or country events such as Grasmere and Ambleside Sports, or the Rydal or Ings Sheepdog Trials.

The South Lakes has everything to get the party started, thoroughly entertained, thrilled and delighted, and back on the coach or mini-bus with a mass of memories to last a lifetime.

For more information on the South Lakes visit www.southlakeland.gov.uk/tourism.

One of Britain’s biggest and most innovative seasons of outdoor arts events will take place across Cumbria again this spring and summer, set against the county’s beautiful and varied landscape and heritage.

This year’s Lakes Alive programme of events will run from 29 April to 5 September. It is Cumbria’s unique contribution to the Legacy Trust UK programme, which was set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The mainly free shows will include modern circus, dramatic outdoor theatre, contemporary dance and exciting, fiery processions.

Lakes Alive is created and directed by Kendal Arts International with Manchester International Arts. Julie Tait, the director of Kendal Arts International, says: “Lakes Alive is an ambitious four–year Cumbria–wide programme. Last year we set ourselves the objective of making the county a centre of excellence for street arts and we are already well on the way to making that a reality.

“Over 75,000 attended the events in our first year and by 2012 we will have brought at least £4 million of new arts spending into the county. We’re very excited by this year’s programme. As well as the top UK acts, Lakes Alive in 2010 will feature work by outdoor arts companies from across the world including Spain, France, Holland, Germany, Austria, India and Australia.”

There will be a chance to get a taste of Lakes Alive ahead of the full season at the Welcoming the Light event in Carlisle on Saturday 13 March, as part of Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall. A fiery parade will be accompanied by street artists and musicians and led by the incredible Heliosphere balloon with a performer suspended beneath it performing aerial acrobatics.

The Lakes Alive season will formally open in the atmospheric ruins of Furness Abbey near Barrow from 29 April to 2 May, with evening performances of a new show created by critically-acclaimed South Asian Dance Company, Akademi. The show has been specially commissioned by Lakes Alive.

A series of events across the May half term holidays will start with a thrilling outdoor animation festival in Whitehaven showcasing the town’s historic harbour on 29 and 30 May, including a dramatic procession with fire, light and giant illuminated fish by Spanish artists Sarruga.

From 3 to 5 June We Built This City will give people a chance to take part in a public construction extravaganza in the centre of Carlisle. Using thousands of big cardboard boxes and the energy and ingenuity of kids and families, Polyglot Theatre from Australia will help build a magnificent city.

Accompanied by live music buildings will go up, be pulled down, be redesigned, extended, walked through and jumped on, and reconstructed. At the end of the day, everybody can have fun knocking down and squashing the whole city into a recyclable heap of cardboard rubble.

In the south of the county Barrow will welcome some of the best and most exciting modern circus acts from Britain and overseas from 4 to 6 June. Zircus Plus, a unique International Circus Festival, will put on an amazing show at several locations across the town.

On 23 and 24 July German group Theater Titanick, one of Europe’s leading outdoor performance companies, will stage a stunning, large-scale show involving illusion, fire, water, music and dance at Carlisle Castle.

From 28-30 July a number of Cumbrian woodlands will play host to an afternoon of shows that have been specially created for woods or with a woodland theme. Into the Woods at Grizedale, Whinlatter and Talkin Tarn will provide an afternoon of outdoor family adventure with a difference.

Also during the summer holidays (dates TBC), The Cabaret of Dr Caligari, a show created especially for Lakes Alive in 2009, will tour towns in West Cumbria providing an afternoon of cabaret with music, dancing, comedy and spectacle for a family audience. The chaotic Dr Caligari conjures oddities, eccentrics and acrobats out of thin air to entertain the audience, but once out of the box they refuse to disappear!

On Sunday 1 August in Penrith there will be a new international street festival featuring puppetry, strolling characters, comic creations and more from across the globe.

On 30 August highly respected French artists Commandos Percu will stage a dazzling extravaganza of sound, fire, light and colour at Maryport.

The season of events will culminate in Mintfest, one of the country’s largest street arts festivals, which takes place in Kendal at the gateway to the Lakes. Running from 2 to 5 September the festival will include a host of the very best street artists from across the world, including new work commissioned by the UK street arts consortium Without Walls.

Further details about all the shows will be available at www.lakesalive.org.

Lakes Alive is one of three annual programmes commissioned for WE PLAY, the Northwest cultural legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. WE PLAY is funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games. The project is led by the Arts Council England Northwest on behalf of a new regional partnership. Lakes Alive is sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and has also received funding from Arts Council England and the Northern Rock Foundation.

Moira Swinbank, the Chief Executive of Legacy Trust UK, says: “Legacy Trust UK is delighted to be funding Lakes Alive, which has already made a considerable impact on Cumbria’s cultural landscape and will continue to build a lasting cultural legacy for the area with the fantastic line-up for the 2010 programme.

Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the NWDA said: “Lakes Alive has fast become a much anticipated programme of world-class events, attracting visitors to Cumbria from far and wide. It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase the region to a wide audience and adds a whole new dimension to the visitor experience. 2010 promises to deliver another unique collection of events which will no doubt provide a great boost to the region’s visitor economy.”

The Lakes Alive season is also supported by a wide range of other organisations including every council in Cumbria, the Lake District National Park, Cumbria Tourism, Carlisle Renaissance, Carlisle Tourism Partnership, Barrow Regeneration, the Forestry Commission and companies including K Village.

A continental market will be held in Kendal, November 18 to 22.

It will feature professional market traders from France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Holland and Poland, wearing traditional costumes, selling a wide range of foods and other products.

The market will be held in and around the Elephant Yard shopping centre. It will be open from 9 am to 6 pm Wednesday to Saturday, and from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday.

The North West’s top tourism businesses and professionals were honoured in Blackpool last night.

The 2009 Northwest Tourism Awards ceremony was held at Blackpool Tower and organised by the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

18 winners received awards fro BBC presenter Ranvir Singh:

• Bed and Breakfast of the Year – The Ashton, Lancaster
• Large Hotel of the Year – The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
• Small Hotel of the Year – Gilpin Lodge Country House Hotel, Windermere
• Self Catering Holiday of the Year – Hall Hills, Dalston, near Carlisle
• Holiday Park of the Year – Castlerigg Hall Caravan and Camping Park, Keswick, Cumbria
• Large Visitor Attraction of the Year – Imperial War Museum North, Manchester
• Small Visitor Attraction of the Year – Arley Hall & Gardens, Northwich, Cheshire
• Taste of England’s Northwest – Low Sizergh Barn Farm Shop, Kendal, Cumbria
• Tourism Experience of the Year – Farmaggedon, near Ormskirk, Lancashire
• Tourism for All – Kerridge End Holiday Cottages, Macclesfield, Cheshire
• Tourism Event of the Year – Blackpool Illuminations
• Public Space Award – Pier Head Public Realm and Canal Link, Liverpool
• Tourist Information Centre of the Year – Wigan TIC
• Travel Journalist of the Year – Stephen McClarence, The Observer
• Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award – Nigel Haworth, Northcote, near Blackburn
• Excellence in Business Tourism – Arena and Convention Centre, Liverpool
• Excellence in Customer Service – Christina Dixon, Jurys Inn, Liverpool
• Sustainable Tourism Award – Arena and Convention Centre, Liverpool

Each will represent the North West in next year’s national tourism awards.

The 2009 Northwest Tourism Awards will be held at Blackpool Tower on September 28.

The event will be hosted by BBC presenter Ranvir Singh and is being organised by the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

The finalists are:

Large Hotel of the Year

Carden Park Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa, near Chester
Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, Cumbria
Preston Marriott Hotel, Preston, Lancashire
The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
Malmaison Liverpool, Liverpool

Small Hotel of the Year

Peckforton Castle, Tarporley, Cheshire
Gilpin Lodge Country House Hotel, Windermere, Cumbria
Mytton Fold Hotel and Golf Complex, Ribble Valley

Bed and Breakfast of the Year

Harrop Fold Farm, Macclesfield, Cheshire
Storrs Gate House, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
The Ashton, Lancaster, Lancashire
Brooklands Lodge, Sale, Greater Manchester
The Ambassador Townhouse, Southport, Merseyside

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire
Walby Farm Park, near Carlisle, Cumbria
Blackpool Tower and Circus, Blackpool
Imperial War Museum North, Manchester
Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

Arley Hall & Gardens, Northwich, Cheshire
Wordsworth House and Garden, Cockermouth, Cumbria
Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Helmshore, Lancashire
Museum of the Manchester Regiment, Manchester
Acorn Farm, Liverpool

Self Catering Holiday of the Year

Kerridge End Holiday Cottages, Macclesfield, Cheshire
Hall Hills, Dalston, near Carlisle, Cumbria
Clough Bottom Farm Cottages, near Clitheroe, Lancashire
Blue Rainbow Apartments, Manchester
Premier Apartments Liverpool, Liverpool

Holiday Park of the Year

Castlerigg Hall Caravan and Camping Park, Keswick, Cumbria
Sunset Park, Hambleton, near Blackpool

Business Tourism Award

Carden Park Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa, near Chester
Warwick Mill Business Village, near Carlisle, Cumbria
Ribby Hall Village, Wrea Green, near Blackpool
The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
BT Convention Centre, Liverpool

Taste of England’s Northwest

Walk Mill, Chester
Low Sizergh Barn Farm Shop, Kendal, Cumbria
La Locanda Ristorante Italiano, Gisburn, Lancashire
The Modern, Urbis, Manchester
Delifonseca, Liverpool

Tourism Experience of the Year

Roman Tours, Chester
Silverband Falconry, Penrith, Cumbria
Farmaggedon, near Ormskirk, Lancashire
Costumed Performers, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester
Art in the Age of Steam, National Museums Liverpool, Liverpool

Customer Service Award

Janet Bradshaw, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire
Jennifer Taylor, The Archway Guest House, Windermere, Cumbria
Hannah Lee, The New Holly, near Preston
Mahendran Mayan, Renaissance Hotel, Manchester
Christina Dixon, Jurys Inn Hotel, Liverpool

Sustainable Tourism Award

Carden Park Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa, near Chester
Langdale Leisure Ltd, Ambleside, Cumbria
Malkin Tower Farm Holiday Cottages, Blacko, Lancashire
Radisson SAS Hotel Manchester Airport, Greater Manchester
Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool, Liverpool

Tourism for All Award

Kerridge End Holiday Cottages, Macclesfield, Cheshire
Ullswater Steamers, Glenridding, Cumbria
Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool
The Trafford Centre, Greater Manchester

Tourism Event

Nantwich Food and Drink Festival, Cheshire
Westmorland County Agricultural Show, Milnthorpe, Cumbria
Blackpool Illuminations, Blackpool
Manchester Pride, Manchester
Creamfields, Merseyside

Public Space Award

Cockermouth Market Place Regeneration Scheme, Cumbria
County Square Environmental Enhancement Scheme, Ulverston, Cumbria
Pier Head Public Realm and Canal Link, Liverpool

Tourist Information Centre of the Year

Congleton TIC, Cheshire
Coniston TIC, Cumbria
Cleveleys TIC, Lancashire
Wigan TIC, Greater Manchester
St Helens TIC, Merseyside

Travel Journalist of the Year

Chris Moss, Time Out
Craig Fleming, Blackpool Gazette
David Atkinson, Freelance
Paul Croughton, The Sunday Times
Stephen McClarence, The Observer

Heritage Open Days allow visitors free access to properties that normally charge an entrance fee or are not usually open to the public.

The event starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday September 13.

Hundreds of attractions and properties in the North West are taking part. For more details visit the official Heritage Open Days website.

Highlights include:

Barrow

Furness Abbey (more…)

Visitors looking for a cheap place to stay in North West England next year (or indeed the rest of the UK, Ireland or Spain) should take note that Travelodge today launched an amazing offer on budget rooms.

The budget hotel chain is offering 50,000 rooms at only £12. The rate applies for stays between January 1 and April 1 2010. Rooms are also available from £19 (book 21 days ahead) and from £29 (book 7 days ahead).

To take advantage of this amazing offer, visit this page on their website.

A remote farmhouse in Cumbria, immortalised in the cult film Withnail & I, has been purchased by an architect from Canterbury.

Tim Ellis, aged 41, has bought Sleddale Hall (Uncle Monty’s cottage) from United Utilities for an undisclosed sum. He plans to convert the building into a house.

Earlier this year the farmhouse was purchased at auction by publican Sebastian Hindley, but the deal subsequently collapsed.

An historic stone bridge that carries Coast to Coast walkers across the River Eden is now back in top condition thanks to Cumbria County Council’s countryside access team.

Frank’s Bridge at Kirkby Stephen has been renovated and strengthened in a two-week scheme to ensure the crossing is made safe while retaining its traditional look and character.

The double arched limestone footbridge formed part of an old corpse route that in years gone by was used to carry coffins from surrounding villages to Kirkby Stephen.

Nowadays though, it has a much less macabre function being a popular route for both locals and visitors. It gives access to a riverside walk, parkland and the open fell beyond as well as being a link on Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast –a route that attracts walkers and Wainwright enthusiasts from all corners of the globe.

The improvement scheme, which included structural strengthening and re-pointing, involved working closely with the Environment Agency and Natural England to ensure no river wildlife was harmed.

As Frank’s Bridge has been inhabited by bats, measures were also taken during the work to leave gaps that will allow them to continue using it as a home.

Councillor Tim Knowles, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for countryside access, said: ‘Maintaining the hundreds of stone bridges that form essential river crossings around the county is a major challenge for the county council’s countryside access team, but having bridges in a safe, working order is vital in allowing locals and visitors to enjoy Cumbria’s great outdoors. Frank’s Bridge is a perfect example of a crossing that is an important link, so I’m delighted this work has been carried out to ensure it continues to be used both now and for many years to come.’

The world’s leading street entertainers are preparing to unleash their talents on the Cumbrain town of Kendal for this year’s Mintfest street arts festival over the August Bank holiday weekend (27-30 August).

An energetic troupe of innovative street artists, circus performers, comedians, acrobats, dancers and musicians will take part in what has quickly become one of the country’s biggest and best street arts festivals.

The Lakes Alive event, produced in partnership with South Lakeland District Council, offers a rare chance to see so many top flight stars in one place – and most of the acts are free.

French performers Carabosse will be creating a breathtaking spectacle on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, transforming Noble’s Rest park into a glowing fairytale environment with fire sculptures dancing in trees, cascades of candles lining the pathways and animated fire machines. With a live soundtrack of haunting music, the Fire Garden will be an enchanting and magical experience.

Also topping the bill at Mintfest is the UK premiere of Circus Ronaldo’s new show Circenses which has proved a hot ticket around the globe. With a run of sell-out tours, this Belgian act brings a new dimension to contemporary circus with a mix of humour, incredible acrobatics and live music.

In a unique twist, audiences will get to watch the performance from both front of house and backstage thanks to a change of seats during the interval. Mintfest offers the only chance to see Circus Ronaldo perform this year in the UK and as The Independent newspaper comments, they are ‘a rare and treasurable thing’.

The Big Friday Night will feature a trio of top acts that are all free. First up at 8pm is Avanti Display – The Spurting Man, who will make a big splash with a comedy-packed show that culminates in one of the characters transforming into a human water fountain.

At 8.30pm, starting from the Birdcage on Stricklandgate, Salamandre will set the town alight with a beautiful wandering fire parade.

And Friday night’s free fun will climax at 10pm with La Sonambula in the Brewery Arts Centre gardens. This exquisite night-time spectacle takes place behind a screen with illuminated shadows tracing the life and loves of a flamenco dancer to stunning effect.

On Saturday, the streets of Kendal will turn into one giant stage with performers springing up all over town. Running from 10am-4pm, On the Streets will see a colourful array of street acts from around the world show off their talents for free.

From the playful to the powerful and the dramatic to the downright daft, this promises to be perfect family entertainment.

There’s also a free programme of events taking place in Abbot Hall Park on Saturday from 5pm-10pm and Sunday from 1pm-8pm.

Take a picnic blanket, relax and enjoy a line up of fantastic free shows that include Lakes Alive’s two new commissions The Trolls Kitchen from Plunge Boom and The Cabaret of Dr Caligari from Artizani.

More laughs will be guaranteed at the Mint Room Comedy Night on Saturday evening. The Brewery Arts Centre is the setting for a hilarious night of stand-up comedy compered by Mike Hancock.

Highlights include award-winning British Asian comic Shazia Mirza, awesome acrobatics from Marcelo De Ramos and fantastic comedy animation from the Wright Stuff Puppet Company, plus there will be live music and DJ beats to take you into the night.

A succession of live music will fill the gardens of Abbot Hall on Saturday between 7pm-10.30pm and Sunday between 1pm-9pm. The Rhythms of the World event will feature an array of acclaimed musicians including Hank Wangford & the Lost Cowboys and Tango Siempre and Baked A La Ska.

And for a chilled out end to the packed programme of events check out the Jazz Night at the Brewery Arts Centre on Sunday evening. It’s the perfect way to round off a memorable Mintfest weekend.

From Thursday to Sunday there will also be an opportunity to see a spectacular installation of 100 flags at Kendal Castle. Lakes Alive brought ten groups of people from across Cumbria together to design the large-scale flags with an experienced flag-maker and a team of specially-trained artists for the Welcoming the World project.

The project has the theme ‘Inspired by the Landscape’ and explores what kind of images and messages local people want to portray to the wider world in the run-up to the Olympics in 2012. The groups focused on how the landscape defines local identity and explored their aspirations for the future image of Cumbria.

The Welcoming the World project is part of Made in England, a BBC and Arts Council England initiative to bring artists and communities together to explore their landscapes through a series of original arts projects. It has also been supported by the World Heritage Site Project, the Lake District National Park Authority, South Lakeland District Council and Lanternhouse in Ulverston.

By the time this first season comes to an end Lakes Alive will have featured more than 100 different acts and companies involving more than 650 artists and performers, 20 per cent of them from overseas and 80 per cent from the UK (with about half of the UK performers coming from Cumbria and other parts of the North West).

Lakes Alive is one of three annual programmes commissioned for WE PLAY, the Northwest cultural legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. WE PLAY is a Legacy Trust UK funded project led by the Arts Council England Northwest on behalf of a new regional partnership. Lakes Alive is sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and has also received funding from Arts Council England and the Northern Rock Foundation.

Kendal Arts International has also been working in partnership with every local authority in Cumbria, the Lake District National Park Authority, Cumbria Tourism, the University of Cumbria and key arts organisations to deliver the Lakes Alive programme.

Full event listings

Welcoming the World – Flag Installation

Kendal Castle
Thursday, 27 August 2009
6.00pm – 8.00pm. Also Fri 28, Sat 29 and Sun 30 Aug, 10.00am – 8.00pm.

This event is FREE

An installation of 100 giant flags created by local communities from across Cumbria together with professional artists, led by Wendy Meadley.

Circus Ronaldo

Gooseholme Park
Thursday, 27 August 2009
8.00pm-10.15pm. Also on Friday 28 & Sat 29 at 8.00pm.

Tickets for this event: £12.00 (conc 8.00). Half price Preview Thu 27 tickets 6.00 (conc 4.00)

Circus Ronaldo (Belgium) is one of the world’s most exciting contemporary circus companies with sell-out shows wherever they go.

The Big Friday Night

From the Town Hall, Stricklandgate
The Spurting Man, Salamandre, La Sonambula

Friday, 28 August 2009
8.00pm – 10.30pm

This event is FREE

The grand opening to Mintfest takes place on Fri 28 Aug from 8pm.

Three Bonzos and a Piano

Maltroom, Brewery Arts Centre, Highgate
Friday, 28 August 2009
Doors 10.00pm, show starts 10.30pm

Tickets for this event: £10.00 (£8.00 conc)

This new show will delight everyone especially fans of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. All the recorded favourites are brought to life by three of the original members.

Carabosse – Fire Garden

Noble’s Rest, Maude Street
Friday, 28 August 2009
8.00pm – 10.30pm. Also on Sat 29 and Sun 30 from 8.00pm – 10.30pm.

Tickets for this event: £1.00 pay on Friday, £2.00 on Sat & Sun

A magical, sensory experience awaits you.

On the Streets

In and around Stricklandgate, Kendal town centre
Saturday, 29 August 2009
12.00pm – 4.30pm

This event is FREE

A startling, surprising and colourful array of street performers take over the town centre ensuring top quality entertainment wherever you turn.

Garden of Delights

Abbot Hall Park, Kendal
Saturday, 29 August 2009
5.00pm-10.00pm. Also on Sun 30 Aug, 1.00pm – 8.00pm.

This event is FREE

Rhythms of the World

Brewery Arts Centre Gardens, Highgate, Kendal
Saturday, 29 August 2009
7.00pm – 10.30pm. Also on Sunday 30 August, 1.00pm – 9.00pm

This event is FREE

The headliner on Saturday is Hank Wangford & the Lost Cowboys, headliners on Sunday include Tango Siempre and Baked A La Ska.

Mint Room – Comedy Night

The Maltroom, Brewery Arts Centre, Highgate, Kendal

Saturday, 29 August 2009
Doors 10.00pm, dancing and bar until 1.30am

Tickets for this event: £6.00 (£4.00 conc)

Mike Hancock, Shazia Mirza, Marcelo De Ramos & the Wright Stuff Puppet Company

Mint Room – Jazz Night

The Maltroom, Brewery Arts Centre, Highgate, Kendal
Sunday, 30 August 2009
Doors open 10.00pm, dancing and bar until 1.30am

Tickets for this event:

£6.00 (conc £4.00)

Wind down your Mintfest weekend amongst friends at this chill-out cabaret evening with live jazz from Aeola, bar and dancing until late.