Cockermouth Live!

Cockermouth LIVE! celebrates the wealth of musical and other artistic talent in and around Cockermouth. It normally takes place around the first weekend in July. In its current form we can date it back to 2010 when a Midsummer Festival was put on as part of the town’s recovery from the devastating floods of November 2009.
This year it will be held from Thursday July 3rd until Sunday July 6th . We would love your support.
Rather than build a festival site in an empty field, the emphasis has always been on animating the town itself with events going on in pubs, cafes, shops, churches, church halls, Wordsworth House, the Kirkgate Arts Centre and the Castle (not normally open to the public). We aim to generate more custom for local businesses so we don’t bring in any outside catering. We want people to come and enjoy the excellent independent shops and cafes, a hallmark of our town. This year over 20 venues have expressed interest in hosting events including 4 new ones.
It’s a festival by and for all ages. The strapline “A weekend of music, inspiration and family fun” captures the spirit but not the diversity of what the festival offers. As well as all kinds of music there’s poetry, theatre, both on and off the streets, and visual art. We enjoy the participation of the many choirs, ensembles, folk , blues, rock and jazz combos, which thrive in Cockermouth and surrounding areas. Normally between 400 and 500 amateur performers contribute to the weekend’s entertainment.
Historically the festival has taken place largely on just the Saturday. For the last two years we have organised much more on the Sunday too, and allowed the festival to “breathe” a little more and avoid duplication of activity. This year we will be starting with two performances on Thursday evening for the first time. You can make up your own itinerary and enjoy an amazing variety of performances by going from one venue to another, with a coffee or a pint in our cafes and pubs.
We also like to bring in well-known professional performers for a headline ticketed concert. In recent years these have included Dr Feelgood, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Kiki Dee, Edward II and Peter Knight’s Gigspanner. The programme has often included a comedian, such as Lucy Porter, Mark Thomas, Alfie Moore or Ian Macmillan, or a personality such as Andy Kershaw, Stuart Maconie or James Rebanks. This year we have already booked Cardiff based Guinean singer N’famady Kouyate and his 5 piece band to play on the Friday night. And on Saturday we are looking forward to welcoming nine piece Stax of Soul to get Cockermouth dancing. The festival weekend has traditionally been rounded off with a concert by the 50-strong Cockermouth Community Orchestra, conducted by local composer Philip Wood – this year will be no exception. And Cockermouth’s very own Mechanics Band will be playing on the Saturday and Sunday at the castle.