For one weekend every year, the dense ancient woodland of Lowther Deer Park comes alive with a very different type of wildlife. The deer may temporarily retreat into the shadows, but in their place arrive 40,000 music lovers, transforming this beautiful corner of the Lake District into the North West's biggest indie festival. From hidden forest stages and late-night adventures to huge moments of musical madness beneath the Cumbrian sky, Kendal Calling 2026 once again proved why it remains one of the most loved festivals in the UK.

Here are the seven things we witnessed during another magical weekend at the top end of the M6, where thousands of music fans disappeared amongst the trees for four unforgettable days.

1) Ash Secret Set at Tim Peaks Diner

One of the weekend's diamond moments came when Ash appeared for a surprise set at Tim Peaks Diner. During the gig, Tim Burgess presented the band with an award recognising the remarkable number of copies of Girl From Mars sold, prompting a huge cheer from the packed crowd. Ash then launched into Girl From Mars itself before bringing the intimate woodland performance to a memorable close with a stirring rendition of the Pixies classic Where Is My Mind?

It was, without doubt, one of those legendary Kendal Calling moments that will be talked about for years to come.

2) Biffy Clyro Main Stage With a Flamethrower!

Biffy Clyro were an absolute standout of the weekend, kicking off their main-stage set with The Captain, followed by That Golden Rule – and then deciding that what the evening really needed was a flamethrower, plus a few nervous sweat patches under the arms of the festival's insurers. As Who's Got a Match? approached, Simon Neil asked the crowd: “Who's got a match? Well, we don't need a fucking match – we've got a flamethrower!” before promptly proving it by blasting flames across the stage and taking the crowd from bouncing to mildly concerned in a matter of seconds. It was spectacular, bonkers and very, very Biffy – and quite possibly the only time this weekend anyone actually needed to worry about getting their eyebrows singed.

3) The Libertines

The Libertines rolled back the years with a blinding set packed with classics, proving they can still command a festival crowd like few other bands of their generation. Up The Bracket and Time For Heroes were among the many highlights before the band signed off with a glorious Don't Look Back Into The Sun, sending thousands of forty-somethings into an emotional spiral and briefly convincing them they were still young, cool and living in Camden. It was all so gloriously early-2000s that half the crowd were probably expecting Kate Moss to wander on stage carrying a packet of Marlboro Lights.

4) Primal Scream

Primal Scream were another huge highlight, with Bobby Gillespie and the band ripping through a glorious run of classics including Movin' On Up, Loaded and Rocks. Watching Gillespie tear through those songs was a reminder that, remarkably, the spirit of the Madchester and baggy scene is still very much alive and out there playing to festival crowds – even if some of its original inhabitants now require slightly longer recovery times. By the time Rocks came around, it felt like the Hacienda had somehow been relocated to Lowther Park – minus the queues, dodgy toilets and sticky floors.

5) The Kooks Smashing It on Thursday Night

The Kooks came bouncing onto the stage after The Cribs on Thursday night and wasted no time in reminding everyone just how many belters they’ve got in the locker, rattling through Seaside, She Moves in Her Own Way and Ooh La like they’d never been away. It was bloody brilliant to hear them again, and when they finished with the legendary Naive, the entire crowd erupted into a huge singalong – the perfect soundtrack to a Thursday night that suddenly felt like the weekend had properly begun.

6) Shit Indie Disco

For the second year running, Shit Indie Disco bossed it after the bands had packed up and gone home, turning the big red tent into the place to be. Friday night delivered the monster that is Wham!'s Last Christmas, while Saturday night somehow got even more gloriously chaotic with The Pogues' Fairytale of New York, with thousands of people singing along as though they were all auditioning for the world's most overcrowded Christmas party. There was something wonderfully ridiculous about everybody being rammed into one enormous red tent, sweating, bouncing and belting out indie classics together – and booking Shit Indie Disco again for Kendal Calling 2027 should be an absolute no-brainer.

7) Silver Bars – Local Band from Barrow-in-Furness

Friday's main stage got off to a belting start with Barrow-in-Furness five-piece Silver Bars, who brought a hefty dose of indie guitars and attitude to the party. They've just released their debut album Hit the North, produced by Anthony Chapman, whose previous work includes Franz Ferdinand and Klaxons, so these lads clearly haven't been messing about. They tore through their Kendal Calling set with plenty of energy, big choruses and enough guitar noise to wake up anyone still hiding behind their sunglasses – a cracking main-stage debut that suggests Silver Bars won't be staying at the bottom of the bill for long.

Kendal Calling - thank you so much for four days of forest school hedonism – we love you and cannot wait to see you again next year.

Photo by Tom Martin