A 17-year-old girl died at Kendal Calling festival in the early hours of Sunday, August 2. Cumbria Police said she suffered a medical episode at around 2am and was pronounced dead at the scene, despite treatment from emergency responders. Officers are looking into the circumstances and want to speak to anyone who was near the Calling Out tent or the Big Wheel at the time, and in particular to a group of women who alerted first responders after becoming concerned for her.
Kendal Calling is a four day music and arts festival held every summer at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District, in Cumbria. It has run since 2006, when it was a two day event with room for 900 people, and it now takes a crowd of 40,000 across nine stages. This year was its 21st.
The 2026 bill was headlined by Wolf Alice, Biffy Clyro, Primal Scream, Scissor Sisters and The Libertines, which put the weekend at the rock and indie end of the British festival summer. The same weekend, Ash played the site as a tribute band and collected gold discs. The dates for Kendal Calling and every other festival we follow are in the festival tracker.
A Kendal Calling spokesperson said the festival team was supporting the investigation, and that on-site security and medical staff reached the girl as soon as she became unwell, with paramedics giving emergency care at the scene. The team said it was deeply saddened and sent its sympathy to her family and friends. Her family have been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
Cumbria Police asked people not to speculate, saying it could have a significant impact on those closest to her, and asked that the investigation be allowed to take its course. No cause of death has been given, and nothing further about the girl has been released. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the force, quoting incident number 26 of August 2. Police are separately investigating a woman's death at Houghton festival this summer.
The facts
- A 17-year-old girl died at Kendal Calling festival early on Sunday, August 2
- Cumbria Police said she suffered a medical episode at about 2am
- She was pronounced dead at the scene despite treatment from emergency responders
- Officers want to hear from anyone near the Calling Out tent or the Big Wheel
- Police are trying to trace a group of women who alerted first responders
- The festival said its own security and medical teams attended immediately
- Kendal Calling ran four days this year and marked its 21st anniversary
- Wolf Alice, Biffy Clyro, Primal Scream and The Libertines headlined the 2026 bill
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Kendal Calling has run at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District, Cumbria, since 2006, growing from a two day event with room for 900 people to a 40,000 capacity four day festival across nine stages
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