Few UK festivals balance scale, soul and genuine community quite like Kendal Calling, and its newly announced 2026 line-up proves that the Lake District institution is showing no signs of slowing down. Returning to Lowther Deer Park from the 30th of July to the 2nd of August, the festival is already headed for its twenty-first consecutive sell-out, with over 95% of tickets snapped up before a single artist was announced!
Having attended Kendal Calling twice before, it’s impossible not to feel excited watching the festival continue to grow while honouring the legacy that made so many of us fall in love with it in the first place. This year’s headliners strike that balance perfectly. Biffy Clyro return as one of the festival’s most formidable bookings, riding high on the success of their UK number one album ‘Futique’ and reaffirming their status as one of Britain’s most vital rock bands. Two Door Cinema Club promise a full-album run-through of ‘Tourist History’, a nostalgia-laced yet joyously timeless set that feels tailor-made for the Deer Park.
Wolf Alice represent the present and future of British festival headliners, with their latest record ‘The Clearing’ pushing them firmly into arena territory, while Thursday night closers The Kooks will celebrate 20 years of ‘Inside In/Inside Out’, delivering indie anthems that remain woven into the fabric of UK festival culture.
Beyond the top line, Kendal Calling 2026 is stacked with over 120 acts spanning generations, from Scissor Sisters, Groove Armada, The Libertines and The Vaccines, to modern favourites like The Lathums and The Snuts. Add returning festival favourites, boundary-pushing new artists, and Kendal’s famously immersive woodland stages, and you’re left with a weekend that’s as much about discovery as it is devotion. Kendal Calling doesn’t just put on a festival, it builds a world, and 2026 is shaping up to be one of its most magical chapters yet.
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