Kendal Pride celebrates queerness of the natural world
Kendal Pride has teamed up with Brewery Arts and Kendal Mountain Festival for two special events celebrating the natural world and its queerness.
Kicking off the festival weekend on Thursday June 12, Bi-Curious George will bring their acclaimed show Queer Planet to Kendal.
And on Friday June 13, Kendal Mountain Festival will present an evening of queer-led adventure films.
Jamie Hooper, chair of the organising group, said: “A big part of Kendal Pride is celebrating and enjoying the outdoors and our environment.
“Queer Planet and our collaboration with Kendal Mountain Festival, do exactly that, and show that queerness exists and can thrive in all sorts of environments and in unexpected places.
“We can’t wait to share both of these brilliant experiences with visitors to Kendal Pride 2025.”
Fresh from repeat sell-out performances at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025, Queer Planet aims to shatter the heteronormative binaries through which we view the natural world.
Described as ‘a love letter to nature,’ the show combines stand-up comedy, parody songs and drag in the form of a nature documentary.
Miriam Randall, CEO/Artistic Director at Brewery Arts, said: “It’s great to see Kendal Pride growing each year, and to be co-presenting the award-winning Bi-Curious George in our theatre on Thursday 12 June, to celebrate the start of the Kendal Pride weekend.”
On the Friday evening of the weekend-long festival, Kendal Mountain Festival will take audiences on a journey around the world with five films, telling tales of endurance and bravery, transcending fear and redefining inclusivity.
Set in the future, Sh*t Swimmer imagines a world where swimming is illegal because of sewage dumping, but one self-proclaimed sports daredevil seeks to break a record swim time; without getting sick or arrested.
Also on the bill is Jamie, the story of a pioneering alpinist who’s survived some of the most dangerous climbs in the world. But nothing felt as life-threatening as admitted, at age 69, she wanted to begin a new life living as a woman.
Other films on the line-up include Unspoken Road, Anchors and It Will Be Different For You.
Faye Latham, Film & Arts Manager at Kendal Mountain Festival, added:
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be partnering once again with Kendal Pride to present a specially curated collection of films that celebrate queer folk in the outdoors, both in front of and behind the camera.
“Alongside an incredible roster of films, this year’s collection includes Jamie which was awarded Best Mountain Film at Kendal Mountain Festival 2024, and we couldn’t be more delighted to bring it to Kendal Pride.
“We can’t wait to share these stories with this year’s attendees – stories that reflect the full diversity of our outdoor and filmmaking communities.”
Elsewhere on the Kendal Pride festival weekend there’ll be a Pride Village at Abbot Hall on Saturday June 14 with free live performances, family activities and a range of stalls. Plus, that evening the Big Pride Party will return to Bowness Bay Brewery.
A range of other free activities including walks, runs, cycles, swims and more besides are still to be announced.