Teenager Dies After Medical Episode At Kendal Calling Festival
A 17 year old girl has died after suffering a medical episode during Kendal Calling festival in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Emergency services were called to the festival site at Lowther Deer Park, near Penrith, at around 2.15am on Sunday, August 2. Officers from Cumbria Police and paramedics from the North West Ambulance Service attended the scene after reports that the teenager had become seriously unwell.
Despite the best efforts of emergency responders, including the administration of CPR, the girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Her family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Cumbria Police confirmed that enquiries into the circumstances surrounding her death are ongoing. Detectives are appealing for anyone who was near the Calling Out tent and the Big Wheel at around 2am to come forward with information that could assist the investigation.
Officers are particularly keen to identify and speak with a group of women who alerted first responders after becoming concerned for the teenager's welfare shortly before emergency services arrived.
Festival organisers released a statement expressing their condolences, saying security and on site medical teams responded immediately after the teenager became unwell. They added that paramedics provided emergency treatment but were unable to save her and that the festival is fully cooperating with the police investigation.
Kendal Calling, one of Cumbria's largest music festivals, attracted around 40,000 attendees this year, with performances from acts including Wolf Alice, Scissor Sisters, Biffy Clyro, Primal Scream, and The Libertines. The festival has continued while authorities investigate the incident.
Police have urged members of the public not to speculate about the circumstances of the teenager's death and have asked anyone with information to contact Cumbria Police, quoting incident number 26 of 2 August 2026, or to report anonymously through Crimestoppers.
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