Welcome to the Lake District, mun! 🌲 Where the deer roam free, the mud comes quicker than your hangover, and 35,000 music fans descend on Lowther Deer Park for one of the UK’s most loved festivals: Kendal Calling.

This year’s bash was a stormer – Courteeners, Fatboy Slim, and The Prodigy headlining, a supporting lineup packed with indie heroes, comedy gems, and enough cider-fuelled singalongs to raise the dead. Add in food that ranged from “heavenly Tibetan spice bombs” to “an insult in a bun,” and you’ve got a weekend for the ages.

So grab a pint (£7 if you’re lucky 🍺), kick off your muddy wellies, and let’s dive into a band-by-band breakdown of the chaos.

🎤 The Headliners

Friday – Courteeners

Straight out the gate, Courteeners turned the fields into a Mancunian karaoke session. Every tune was belted back louder than the band, proving once again that Kendal is basically their second home. Arms aloft, pint pots flying, and “Not Nineteen Forever” ringing out like a national anthem.

Saturday – Fatboy Slim

By far the highlight of the weekend. Norman Cook showed why he’s still the rave king, dropping banger after banger with visuals that could melt your retinas. The Parklands Stage looked like a fluorescent mosh pit from Mars. Even your nan would’ve been shuffling.

Sunday – The Prodigy

Holy hell. 🥵 If you weren’t bouncing, you were broken. The Prodigy tore the festival to pieces with a firestorm of beats, strobes, and pure chaos. Kendal ended not with a whimper but a thunderous “Firestarter” and a crowd who’ll be buzzing till Christmas.

🎶 The Supporting Cast – Highlights & Mayhem

  • Kaiser Chiefs – Ricky Wilson’s cardio levels are unfair. Crowd pleasers from start to finish.
  • The Last Dinner Party – Art-pop elegance wrapped in gothic drama. One of the freshest sets of the fest.
  • Travis – Fran Healy reminding everyone that “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” is the perfect Lakeland anthem.
  • The Wombats – Non-stop indie party. At this point, they’re bulletproof.
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor – “Murder on the Dancefloor” became the unofficial festival hymn. Disco mums and mosh lads united.
  • Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls – Fist-in-the-air folk-punk that felt like a pub lock-in gone nuclear.
  • Maxïmo Park – Paul Smith leaping about like a caffeinated gazelle. Indie nostalgia at its best.
  • The Lancashire Hotpots – Forget Coldplay, THIS was the real singalong. “Chippy Tea” congas, traffic cones on heads, and the kind of northern daftness that makes you proud to be British. 🍟
  • Scouting for Girls – Pure cheese, pure joy. Even security guards were caught singing “She’s So Lovely.”
  • Skindred – Dub-metal wrecking crew. Benji Webbe turned the field into a Newport street party. 🏴
  • Dub Pistols / DJ Yoda / Mr Scruff – Late-night electronic mischief merchants keeping the rave heads fed.

And that’s just scratching the surface – with The Big Moon, Corinne Bailey Rae, The K’s, The Lottery Winners, The Pigeon Detectives, Lindisfarne, Elvana, and about 200 more names lighting up stages across the deer park.

🍔 Food & Drink – The Cost of Survival

Festival food at Kendal is both glorious and wallet-melting. Here’s the damage:

ItemPrice (approx)Verdict
Pint of beer / cider£6–8Standard fest price. Painful but expected.
Street food meal£12–15Tibetan Kitchen’s momos were divine. 🌶️
Daily food spend~£60According to some poor sod on Facebook who documented it. Ouch.
Hot dog by Ferris wheel£8Quote of the weekend: “an insult in a bun.” Avoid.
Man v Food BBQ£15–18Piles of meat – worth every artery.
Smoothies / vegan wraps£6–10Fresh, tasty, but left you hungry 10 mins later.

Plus, don’t forget the Real Ale Festival and 10 themed bars – gin tents, rum shacks, and cocktails that’ll make you forget the price until your bank statement arrives. 🍹

🌲 The Vibe

  • Families with kids dancing in ear defenders by day.
  • Glitter-covered ravers and cider warriors by night.
  • Random conga lines at 2am led by blokes dressed as traffic cones.
  • Campfire singalongs that went from Oasis classics to dodgy sea shanties in seconds.

Kendal Calling manages that sweet spot: family-friendly Glastonbury vibes in a smaller, lush northern setting, but with enough late-night carnage to keep the hardcore lot happy.

🏆 Riff Report Final Verdict

Kendal Calling 2025 was a masterpiece of madness.

✅ Killer headliners
✅ An endless lineup of indie belters & local legends
✅ Food swinging from Michelin-star spice to school-dinner slop
✅ Drinks flowing like the River Kent itself

Would we do it again? YESS MUN! 🏴 Proper job.

Final Score: 10/10 pints of overpriced lager 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺

👉 Were you there, butt? What was your highlight – Fatboy’s rave, The Prodigy chaos, or singing “Chippy Tea” with a cone on your head? Drop your stories in the comments below!