Event Programme
Illuminate Festival Pass 2026
Experience more than 40 events with the Festival of Ideas Pass, giving access to live performances, films, talks, and workshops across town from 7–20 February 2026. Enjoy seamless entry, exclusive content, and the freedom to explore diverse cultural experiences — cr...
Tess Pike Tour of St Mary’s
Join Blue Badge Guide Tess Pike for a fascinating tour of St Mary’s Church, uncovering its hidden history from Saxon fragments to Norman architecture. Discover the impressive west-end piers, the exquisite east window, and the stories behind Kirkby Lonsdale’s ancient...
Mark Bridgeman – Dark Side of the Dales
Join author Mark Bridgeman as he explores ‘The Dark Side of the Dales’. His fascinating book details 21 true stories of murder, mystery and robbery from in and around the Yorkshire Dales
Smartphone Photography with Ginny Koppenhol
Using your smartphone camera, Ginny will offer tips and techniques to capture quirky details, create experimental images and celebrate the subjects you're drawn to as you walk around Kirkby Lonsdale.
Love Actually: the Science of Romance
Four iconic films. Four disciplines. One mystery: love. Explore the psychology of attraction, the biochemistry of desire, the data behind decision-making, and the bittersweet pull of unrequited longing. From When Harry Met Sally to Casablanca, journey through science, s...
Murder at Gatsby Manor
The fizz flows and the jazz is swinging — until one cocktail proves fatal. Step into the roaring twenties for a night of glitz, intrigue, and deception. Can you unravel the clues, catch the killer, and avoid becoming the next beautiful little fool in this dazzling mur...
Green Day
We’ve plus-sized Kirkby Lonsdale’s Repair Café with eco-focused activities and workshops from Lancaster University. Bring broken appliances, wonky clocks, or torn clothing for help with repairs, and join discussions on the challenges of the twenty-first century and...
Breathwork for Emotional Release
Join Trish Phillips for a deeply supportive guided breathwork session designed to release tension, ease emotional overwhelm, and restore balance. Through gentle somatic awareness and mindful breathing, this 60-minute practice invites calm, clarity, and reconnection. A n...
Rachel Canwell Book Launch
Join debut author Rachel Canwell in conversation with Jayne Davies as she discusses her haunting WWI-era novel set in the Fens. Inspired by the true story of a hospital that never opened, it’s a powerful tale of love, loss, and the ghosts that bind three women to the ...
Deep Relaxation with the Yoga of Sleep
Experience deep rest with Emma Gwillim’s Yoga Nidra, the yoga of sleep — a soothing, fully guided meditation to calm the mind and body. This 60-minute session combines gentle movement and relaxation to ease stress, improve sleep, and restore emotional balance, leavi...
Poco Besos
Celebrate Valentine’s night with the irresistible rhythms of Poco Besos. This dynamic live band transforms chart hits into Latin-infused grooves bursting with energy, flair, and passion. Expect soaring horns, soulful vocals, and infectious beats that make it impossibl...
Yoga Flow
Join instructor **Lucinda Gere** for an energising **Yoga Flow** session designed to build strength, mobility, and balance through mindful movement and breath. Suitable for all abilities, this one-hour class moves from warm-up to standing flow, finishing with deep stret...
Foresty featuring Nature Art with Richard Shilling
Join Richard Shilling and Land Art for Kids for a special Foresty afternoon of creative nature art. Make beautiful, ephemeral sculptures from leaves and natural materials in this relaxed drop-in workshop for ages 4 and up. Explore, play, and create outdoors — or indoo...
Sound Bath with Crystal Bowls
Join Kat Delaney for a dreamy sound bath using alchemy crystal bowls, drum, and chime to promote deep rest and energetic balance. Beginning with gentle breath and awareness practices, this soothing session helps release tension and restore calm — perfect for busy mind...
Limestone in our Landscape with Carolina Goodship
Join us on a geological journey to discover how limestone has shaped the character of the town. The walk will start at Devil’s Bridge where we will take a close look at the limestone outcrops near the bridge and hopefully find some fossils. We will then walk along the...
Jurassic World: Rebirth (12A)
An expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough.
The Works of Jane Austen, Abridged
Join Schoolhouse Productions for a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud romp through Jane Austen’s beloved works. In just 80 minutes, three plucky actors bring to life her heroines, heroes, and cutting social satire. A witty, big-hearted comedy that delights both devoted Janeit...
Emma Smallshaw – Our Kingdom of Blue
Emma Smallshaw is passionate about the power of books and developing a lifelong love of reading in children. ‘Our Kingdom of Blue’ is the first in a series of books inspired by her love of nature and the beauty of the Lake District,
Deepfakes: Just how worried should we be?
Deepfake technology can create convincing fake content of anyone, enabling political disinformation, financial fraud, and sexual digital forgeries. In this talk, Dr Sophie Nightingale explores her research into the realism and trustworthiness of AI-generated faces. Soph...
Art of the Outdoors
Hands-on workshop exploring the art of pressing flowers. Janet will share how she presses and preserves plant material grown in her garden at the Old Vicarage, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The Science Playground
Join our friendly physics students for a hands-on science adventure packed with exciting demonstrations, surprising experiments and plenty of ‘wow!’ moments. This interactive session lets children discover how science works through play.
The Curious Dance Academy
The Curious Dance Academy presents a contemporary performance inspired by our young dancers’ dreams, ambitions, and hopes for the future. Choreographed by Megan Alder-Cox with the dancers, this uplifting showcase comes to the Illuminate Festival. Free to attend; donat...
The Life of Chuck (15)
Based on a bittersweet, philosophical story from Stephen King, The Life of Chuck is a life-affirming, genre-bending story told in three parts in reverse
Micro:bit Explorers
For ten years the micro:bit has been a powerhouse of innovation in computer science education, with over 70 million children assisted, and over 11 million devices distributed globally. In this interactive workshop we discover the micro:bit story,
Wild Robot (U)
The Wild Robot: An intelligent robot—Roz is stranded when she crash-lands on an uninhabited island. She overrides her programming to assist the animals around her, in particular a gosling, whose mother she crushed in an accident.
Tess Pike Tour of St Mary’s
Join Blue Badge Guide Tess Pike for a fascinating tour of St Mary’s Church, uncovering its hidden history from Saxon fragments to Norman architecture. Discover the impressive west-end piers, the exquisite east window, and the stories behind Kirkby Lonsdale’s ancient...
Nightscape Photography
Join experienced photographer Pete Collins for a free nightscape photography workshop exploring how to capture the beauty of the night sky. Learn about equipment, settings, and editing, then head outdoors for a practical session overlooking Ruskin’s View (weather perm...
Smartphone Photography with Ginny Koppenhol
Using your smartphone camera, Ginny will offer tips and techniques to capture quirky details, create experimental images and celebrate the subjects you're drawn to as you walk around Kirkby Lonsdale.
Festival Crafts
Join us for a free half-term crafts session with a stars and dark skies theme. Enjoy creative fun for children and families, and decorate your bike with LED lights ready for the Little Star event and starlit cycle procession later that afternoon.
Little Star Family Activity
Join us for a magical candlelit storytelling session created for Illuminate 2026. Children and their adults are invited to enjoy an enchanting tale, then take part in a starlit cycle procession around the church, with bikes glowing under twinkling LED lights.
The Usuals
As the festival draws to a close, join us for a night of music with local band The Usuals. Featuring Joe Finney, Nigel Davies, Geoff Coulson, Amanda Ross, and Chris Worsley, they deliver rock, indie, and pop favourites from AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses to The Killers and T...
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (15)
A Chinese American laundromat owner discovers she's the key to the multiverse, capable of accessing skills and knowledge from her alternate selves.
The Lost Bus
Join us for an immersive family theatre experience aboard a vintage bus in Kirkby’s Market Square. This 30-minute audio adventure from Ragged Edge Productions runs at 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm (no 1pm show while the driver has lunch). Free to attend—just turn up...
Sheepfold Walk with Tess Pike
Join Blue Badge Guide Tess Pike and go exploring the old drovers’ route. Discover Andy Goldsworthy’s illuminating collection of reimagined sheepfolds along the way.
Game Show SHOW
Black Liver return with a riotous, interactive game show all about you! Hosts Ruth and Keith quiz the audience on local history, stories, and quirks, blending humour, satire, and community spirit. Whether you join in or simply enjoy the fun, expect laughter, surprises, ...
The Curious Dance Academy Workshop
Join Miss Lucy from Curious Dance Academy for a fun, beginner-friendly taster session for children to get creative through playful dance!