Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

The Kirkgate, Cockermouth

Alex Saint
The Kirkgate, Cockermouth, image via Visit Cumbria

Converted from a former school in an all-hands-on-deck community effort, the Kirkgate in Cockermouth is a theatre-cum-cinema offering a wide programme of touring theatre, music, independent film and events to the townsfolk and visitors of this culturally rich town.

Watch out for the regular ‘Big Gig’ programme where appreciative audiences gather to hear the sort of contemporary folk musicians who find themselves top of the Radio 6 playlists and lauded in the Radio 2 Folk Awards. Great names in a great location  – what could be better.

The Kirkgate CentreCockermouthCA13 9PJ View map
Visit Now

Admission Charges

See website for details

Commercial and Hire Services

Rooms available for hire

Services and Facilities

Bar available during evenings and weekends

What's on near The Kirkgate, Cockermouth

Tom Branfoot. Photo Eleanor Hall, Museum of the Home
LiteratureWest Yorkshire
Poetry at the Dusty Miller

Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a now regular night with invited readers, organised by Carcanet-published Carola Luther and Judith Willson in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.

free entry
See all events

Where to go near The Kirkgate, Cockermouth

Cumbria
Museum
The Puzzling Place

Interactive optical illusion, for each visitor to immerse themselves in. This specialty museum in Keswick will baffle, surprise and amuse.

See all places

Cumbria District Guides

York Castle Museum
Things to do in Kendal

Kendal is a key destination in the Lake District, packed with fantastic places to visit as well as a wide range of high-quality restaurants, bars and pubs.
Carlisle and Keswick, Cumbria

Our guide to things to do in Carlisle, a city framed by its famous castle, and the ‘honeypot’ town of Keswick in Cumbria.

Cockermouth and West Cumbria

Our guide to West Cumbria, with its independent, industrial streak, and Wordsworth’s birthplace, Cockermouth.
Things to do in Eden Valley, Cumbria

Our guide to the best things to do in the beautiful Eden Valley in Cumbria, which stretches from Sedbergh to Penrith.
Kendal and Sedbergh, Cumbria

Packed with fantastic places to visit and a wide range of high-quality restaurants, bars and pubs, there’s loads to do in Kendal and Sedbergh.
Things to do in Penrith
Things to do in Penrith and the Surrounding Area

With the picturesque Lake District to the west and the sweeping ridge of the Pennines to the east, Penrith is a stunning cultural destination.
Allan Bank, Grasmere, image courtesy of Visit Cumbria
South Lakes, Cumbria

No trip to Cumbria is complete without a visit to the South Lakes, Coniston and Grizedale among them. Here’s our guide.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.