The Westmorland Dales Festival

26/07/2026

From 10am today, The Westmorland Dales Festival kicks into top gear!
Come along to Kirkby Stephen today for:
• great music
• delicious food
• Harrison Ward, aka the Fell Foodie
• circus skills with Matt Tiffany
• Where's Woolly treasure hunt
• face-painting with Rosie Kelly
• local arts & crafts
• Eden Animal Rescue dog show
• Scout Group youth market
• Drum & Brass
• Rugby, scarecrows & more with Upper Eden Rugby Club
• charity stalls
• Art in the Mart
• Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team
• Zumba with Anthea
• Stomping Ground wild play

And load more besides!

25/07/2026

🎉 We have some exciting news! 🎉

Eden Animal Rescue has been invited to take part in the Westmorland Dales Festival, and we couldn't be more excited!

📍 Saturday: Come and visit our stall in the Cloisters, where we'll be delighted to meet you, chat about our work, and share information about the animals we help, tombola and games.

🐶 Sunday: You'll find us in the church, and we'll also be running our Fun Dog Show in the Links Car Park with 12 fantastic classes for you and your four-legged friends to enjoy.

Whether you're entering your dog or just coming along to support us, we'd love to see you. It's going to be a wonderful weekend, and we hope you'll stop by and say hello!

Please share this post and help spread the word. We can't wait to see everyone at the Westmorland Dales Festival! 🐾💚

The Westmorland Dales Festival

25/07/2026

25/07/2026

A warm welcome to this year's Westmorland Dales Festival! Across this weekend of Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July there's tons to do. You can take a look at www.westmorlanddalesfestival.org for all the details, but also pick up a programme at the Festival, or use the digital version here, complete with a map of attractions in Kirkby Stephen. Have a great time!

25/07/2026

Oh no! The Woollys have escaped!

These 12 fluffy rascals were supposed to be helping set up The Westmorland Dales Festival, but they got distracted by Kirkby Stephen's fantastic shops. Now they're stuck in shop windows all around town. Can you find all 12?

Grab a Where's Woolly sheet from the Upper Eden Visitor Centre and keep your eyes open for Woollys in the shop and cafe windows up and down Market Street and around the Market Square. Each has a smart Westmorland Dales Festival scarf and a number. When you've spotted one, fill in the Woolly's number and where you found them. And if you find all 12 you might get to take one home!

25/07/2026

It's here! The Westmorland Dales Festival officially kicks off this morning at 1000. Come along to the Market Square where there's loads going on, and remember we have a full day of activities tomorrow, too! Find out more at westmorlanddalesfestival.org

24/07/2026

Emergency! We can now reveal that there has been a serious escape of Woollys in Kirkby Stephen town centre. Please remain calm and report to the Upper Eden Visitor Centre this weekend (Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July) to find out how you can help track them down...

24/07/2026

Music's in the air at The Westmorland Dales Festival!

On Sunday 26 July, from 1000 to 1345, you'll find all this on Church Green, Kirkby Stephen:

1000-1045 KIRKBY STEPHEN SILVER BAND
Kirkby Stephen's oldest and best known band kicks off a morning of great live music for Day Two of the Festival. Fresh from their recent concerts, KSSB will be a playing a whole range of joyous and feel good tunes. Who knows, they might take requests...

1100-1145 STEVIE B's ALL-STAR BAND
Guitarist Steve is definitely here to entertain you! A natural showman, he leads his handpicked scratch band from far and wide throughout Cumbria and Yorkshire, playing everything from Motorhead to Adele!

1200-1245 KIM SEYMOUR
Local troubadour Kim will be on hand for all your acoustic needs. A familiar face in Kirkby Stephen his tunes include some old ones, some new ones and some you’ve never heard.

1300-1345 MOROLOGICAL GENTLEPERSONS' SOCIETY
If you like your music small and with four strings you are in for a treat. We are very proud to host the Morological Gentlepersons' Society and their ukeleles for their first visit to the Festival.

24/07/2026

The Westmorland Dales Festival is a brilliant place for kids, and this Sunday 26 July, Festival favourites Stomping Ground are back with a day of wild play by the river Eden for children and their grownups.

Find the team's camp by the river Eden & have a go at all sorts of activities for all ages in an atmosphere of exploration and creativity. This year there are exciting workshops too:

• Whittling workshops at 11:15 & 13:15
• Foraging expeditions from Church Green at 12:00 & 14:15

No need to book – just meet the team at their Church Green base or head for the riverside and join in!

23/07/2026

Ever wondered what's UNDER the Westmorland Dales?

On Saturday 25 July (in the Market Square) & Sunday 26 July (on Church Green), come along and meet the teams from Oxford Cotswold Archaeology and AtkinsRéalis.

There'll be finds from the ongoing A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project on display and to handle, activities for the whole family, and an opportunity to ask questions about the project.