Hundreds celebrate in style at Kendal Pride

Hundreds of people brought an explosion of colour and glitter to the Auld Grey Town this weekend for Kendal Pride.

The now annual event – billed as ‘pride done differently’ – took over the Cumbrian town for its third year from Friday June 13 to Sunday 15, offering a host of activities for people of all ages.

Over the three days people enjoyed zuma, yoga and performances from indie rock band Tote, drag king Andi Blewitt, drag queens Viola, Miss Gendered and Georgia Diamond, plus a special performance by students from Kendal College charting the past, present and future of pride

Jamie Hooper, chair of the organising group, said: “This weekend has been absolutely beautiful and it’s been fantastic to see so many smiling faces at the Pride Village at Abbot Hall on Saturday and around the town.

“This year’s theme was ‘together for everyone, no exceptions’ and we really stood together as a community in solidarity with our queer, trans, and non-binary family”

“We had an incredible team of volunteers, performers and stallholders, and of course our wonderful sponsors, and we’re already looking forward to 2026.”

Once again the festival took place across a range of venues, and the Pride Village remained at its new home at Abbot Hall, with a host of stalls and free activities taking over the riverside.

As well as cycles, walks and open water swims, visitors brought their dogs along too, taking part in a special ‘proud pooches’ dog show in collaboration with Animal Rescue Cumbria.

This year’s festival was funded by Kendal Town Council, Kendal Bid and the National Lottery Community Fund, and was made possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors the Westmorland Family, Herdy, Douglass Grange accountants, TryBooking and Klean Kanteen.