What's on in Cumbria and the Lake District in May 2027

Saturday 1 May 2027

• Carlisle Farmers' and Makers' Market

  10:00 Carlisle Cathedral, Carlisle

  Local producers in the Cathedral grounds and inside the Fratry, with farm meats, breads, preserves, cheeses, candles and crafts. Held on the first Saturday of each month except January, 10am to 3pm. Organiser

• Lakeland Trails Staveley

  11:00 Staveley Recreation Ground, Staveley · Parking £5 cars; entry fees on the event page

  A trail running day with 21km, 10km and 5km routes, including the climb up Reston Scar near the finish, plus free fun trails for children. The organiser lists the date as provisional. Organiser

Monday 3 May 2027

• Keswick May Day Celebrations

  Townsfield, Keswick · Free

  Keswick Town Council's free May Day event at Townsfield on the bank holiday Monday. The programme has not been published yet. Organiser

Tuesday 4 May 2027

• Swan Lake: The Royal Ballet

  18:30 Brewery Arts, Kendal · £19.00, £18 concessions, £17 under 26s

  Liam Scarlett's Royal Ballet production of Swan Lake, screened to cinema. Rated 12A. Organiser

Thursday 6 May 2027

• Royal Opera: Tosca

  Rheged, Penrith

  Screenings of the Royal Opera's Tosca, about 3 hours 15 minutes each. Organiser

• Tiddlers: Museum Explorer Group

  13:00 The Dock Museum, Barrow-in-Furness · Free

  A hands-on group for little ones with crafts, play and gallery exploration, with a different theme each month. It is designed for children from 18 months and younger children are welcome too. Organiser

Friday 7 May 2027

• Mini Retreat Break: Recharge Your Batteries

  Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre, Ulverston · £15 event only

  A short weekend break of guided meditation and talks at the Buddhist centre in Conishead Priory. Accommodation and meals are booked separately. Organiser

Saturday 8 May 2027

• Jenn Butterworth

  19:30 Theatre by the Lake, Keswick · £16, £12 under-26s

  Scottish guitarist and singer Jenn Butterworth blends traditional Scottish music, contemporary folk and her own songs. In the Studio. Organiser

Sunday 9 May 2027

• Royal Ballet and Opera: Tosca

  14:30 Rosehill Theatre, Moresby, Whitehaven

  A cinema screening of the Royal Opera's Tosca, shown at Rosehill Theatre. Organiser

Wednesday 12 May 2027

• Tom Stade Rules

  19:30 Theatre by the Lake, Keswick · £26, £12 under-26s

  Canadian comedian Tom Stade on modern absurdities and social codes. In the Main House. Organiser

Thursday 13 May 2027

• Al Murray: All You Need Is Guv

  19:30 The Sands Centre, Carlisle · From £33

  Comedy theatre from Al Murray, the Pub Landlord. Organiser

• Spiers and Boden

  19:30 Rosehill Theatre, Moresby, Whitehaven

  The folk duo John Spiers and Jon Boden play live at Rosehill Theatre. Organiser

• The Glenn Miller and Big Band Spectacular

  19:30 Theatre by the Lake, Keswick · £29, £12 under-26s

  The Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK plays swing and big band classics from Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. In the Main House. Organiser

• Matt Bragg

  20:00 Old Fire Station, Carlisle

  A comedy show from Matt Bragg. Doors 8pm. Organiser

Friday 14 May 2027

• Spiers and Boden

  19:30 Barrow Town Hall Banqueting Hall, Barrow-in-Furness · From £25

  English folk from Spiers and Boden, on The Forum on Tour. Organiser

• Wild Women Live

  19:30 Theatre by the Lake, Keswick · £33, £31 under-26s

  Women behind well-known wildlife documentaries share stories from behind the camera, with Sarah Roberts, Anna Dimitriadis, Michaela Strachan and Libby Penman. In the Main House. Organiser

• Matt Bragg

  20:00 Brewery Arts, Kendal · £22.00

  A deadpan stand-up with a new show of observational material. Aged 16 and over. Organiser

Saturday 15 May 2027

• Becoming Calm and Confident

  Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre, Ulverston · £30 event only

  A day retreat at the Buddhist centre in Conishead Priory. Organiser

Sunday 16 May 2027

• Exhibition on Screen: Monet

  14:00 Rheged, Penrith

  A cinema screening about the art of Monet, running for about 1 hour 45 minutes. Organiser

• RLPO: Reinventing Britten

  16:00 Barrow Town Hall Banqueting Hall, Barrow-in-Furness · £25, £23 concessions, £10 under 25s

  A Sunday matinee from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra exploring reimagined Britten. Organiser

Tuesday 18 May 2027

• Dear Loll: A Wartime Marriage in Letters

  19:30 Theatre by the Lake, Keswick · £29, £12 under-26s

  The wartime letters between Manchester Guardian journalist Gerard Fay and his wife Alice, telling how an ordinary couple got through four years apart. In the Main House. Organiser

Thursday 20 May 2027

• Chris Difford: An Intimate Evening of Stories and Songs

  19:30 Barrow Town Hall Banqueting Hall, Barrow-in-Furness · £29, VIP £45, Meet and Greet £75

  Squeeze co-founder Chris Difford mixes songs with stories from his career. VIP and Meet and Greet packages are available at a higher price. Organiser

Friday 21 May 2027

• Keswick Mountain Festival

  Crow Park, Keswick · Free

  Three days of swimming, cycling, running, hiking, triathlon and adventure racing around Keswick, with speakers and live music in the festival village at Crow Park. The village is free to enter, and sports entries and festival tickets go on sale in October 2026. Organiser

• James Ketchell: Unlimited Mindset

  19:30 Rheged, Penrith

  Adventurer James Ketchell talks about mindset, for about 2 hours 20 minutes. Organiser

Saturday 22 May 2027

• Barrow Dino Day

  10:00 Barrow town centre, Barrow-in-Furness · Free

  Barrow town centre becomes a dinosaur playground, with ranger training, meet-and-greets with baby dinosaurs, Dr Bones' Hatchery and live performances from T-Rex and raptors. Organiser

• Royal Northern Sinfonia: Dvorak's Eighth Symphony

  19:30 The Sands Centre, Carlisle · From £11

  Royal Northern Sinfonia perform Dvorak's Eighth Symphony. Organiser

Monday 24 May 2027

• Million Dollar Quartet

  The Sands Centre, Carlisle · From £30.80

  The touring musical about the 1956 recording session that brought together Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. Organiser

Thursday 27 May 2027

• Royal Ballet: Romeo and Juliet

  Rheged, Penrith

  Screenings of the Royal Ballet's Romeo and Juliet, about 2 hours 50 minutes each. Organiser

Saturday 29 May 2027

• Cartmel Races: Season Opener Saturday

  Cartmel Racecourse, Cartmel

  A day of jump racing at Cartmel Racecourse, one of nine meetings in a season that runs from the late May Bank Holiday to the August Bank Holiday. Race times are added on the racecourse website when available. Organiser

Monday 31 May 2027

• Cartmel Races: Bank Holiday Monday

  Cartmel Racecourse, Cartmel

  A day of jump racing at Cartmel Racecourse, one of nine meetings in a season that runs from the late May Bank Holiday to the August Bank Holiday. Race times are added on the racecourse website when available. Organiser

• The King's Speech

  The Sands Centre, Carlisle · From £30.80

  A touring stage production of The King's Speech. Organiser