Home

2025 is our 30th anniversary!

Celebrate with us throughout the year with our 30th anniversary events…

Picnic at the Castle – Sunday 1st June

With thanks to Lord and Lady Egremont, who we are excited to enjoy the company of, we will be enjoying the surroundings of Cockermouth Castle for a variety of live entertainment, an afternoon tea picnic (from the High Tea Guy) and a glass of prosecco!
Entertainment includes…
Close up magic from The Great Baldini!
Live music!
A literary inspired tour from Jessie McMeekin – including personal favourites from Lord and Lady Egremont.
You can also book to take part in a castle tour, guided by knowledgeable members of the Civic Trust (who were instrumental in saving what is now the Kirkgate Centre from demolition back in the mid 90s).

30th Anniversary Summer Film Festival – from July 19th

We’re showing 30 films to celebrate our 30 years, one film from each year since the Kirkgate Centre opened. Each title will have a local connection, see if you can work them all out once the films are announced!
We will be releasing the films for bookings soon, but in the meantime you can purchase a film pass, which will give you the option of booking to see every one of the 30 films for just £30.

Anniversary Party! – Saturday 11th October

Join us at The Kirkgate for a New Orleans speakeasy style celebration with the 1920s swing jazz band Alligator Gumbo, there’ll be food with a Cajun twist and you’ll have a final chance to buy your 30th birthday raffle tickets.
This a chance to celebrate 30 years of The Kirkgate in style, so put on your fanciest frocks, invite all your friends and get ready to groove the night away.

30th Anniversary Raffle – to be drawn mid October

With  30 prizes for our 30 years including a private film screening with dinner for two from Wild Zucchinis, a house concert from At The Drop of Another Hippopotamus, bespoke glass art, a voucher for The Kirkstile + a case of beer and many more! Raffle entry is £5 either online or through our box office.

ENTER THE RAFFLE HERE

 

Kirkgate Arts and Heritage Cockermouth Venue for Theatre Films Music The Kirkgate Centre is an entertainment and cultural venue at the heart of the lively community of Cockermouth, Cumbria.

We celebrate our local talent and heritage, and bring top quality professional entertainment to our town and many other communities across the area to the west of the Lake District National Park.

Whether you enjoy films on a big screen, live music, theatre, exhibitions, shows for children and families or community events, Kirkgate has something for everyone. Our quirky character makes us a special venue for weddings, parties, festivals and conferences.

Our mission:

“Creative talent is valued, developed, and supported with opportunities for all to actively engage with and enjoy the arts, our local heritage and community life”

Our values:

Commitment – Our staff and volunteers are dedicated to delivering our mission.

Inclusion – We aim to make art, heritage, and culture accessible to all our communities.

Sustainability – We aim to ensure that the organisation is secure for future generations from both financial and environmental perspective.

Nurturing – We aim to provide an environment that encourages growth, development of skills confidence and enjoyment for all.

WHAT’S ON

Cockermouth Chat Group

1st May 2025 1:00pm

Kirkgate Centre

Category: Local History

PLEASE NOTE: The March meeting will be at the Friend's Meeting House, Kirkgate, CA13 9PH at the usual time of 1pm – 3pm. See you there! A time to chat and share memories over a cup of tea/coffee. From food to school days, to work and travel and all sorts in between. We'll have some photos and artefacts from the ...

Steel @ The Gather – Ennerdale

1st May 2025 7:00pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)

The Gather, Ennerdale

Category: Arts Out West

Two lads. Twelve hours. One million pounds. On the wet West Cumbrian coast, James and Kamran have been mates for more than a decade. At seventeen, the world should be theirs but Workington’s a ghost town – an unemployment blackspot where lasses drink Bacardi by the pint and boys don’t cry. When James discovers he is heir to a single ...

A Complete Unknown (15)

2nd May 2025 7:00pm (Doors open at 6:00 pm)

Kirkgate Centre

Category: Film

Timothée Chamalet won the Screen Actors Guild award for outstanding performance by an actor in a leading role. Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton picking up Oscar nominations for their roles. Set in the influential New York City music scene of the early 1960s, "A Complete Unknown" follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan's meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert ...

Steel @ Globe Hall – Ireby

2nd May 2025 7:30pm (Doors open at 7:00 pm)

Globe Hall Ireby

Category: Arts Out West

Two lads. Twelve hours. One million pounds. On the wet West Cumbrian coast, James and Kamran have been mates for more than a decade. At seventeen, the world should be theirs but Workington’s a ghost town – an unemployment blackspot where lasses drink Bacardi by the pint and boys don’t cry. When James discovers he is heir to a single ...
Testimonials

I remember fondly our time at the Kirkgate a couple of years ago, the warm and intimate atmosphere and the friendly welcome.

Kiki Dee