A NEW festival and market celebrating the arts is planned for Kendal’s riverside.

Stalls which showcase artists, arts materials, live music and interactive workshops will be held alongside the River Kent and down the malls of K Village.

Called Kendal Summer Arts, it is a joint venture between the arts co-operative, Kendal Arts Community, and shopping complex K Village, The Lakes Outlet.

It will be held over the weekend of June 14 and 15 and if successful will become an annual event.

The event will kick off on Friday, June 13, with an open-mic event in K Village, and then the weekend will feature painting, sculptures and hand-made crafts in stalls in marquees along the river.

Art materials shops, framers and cake decorators from around Kendal will be invited to have stalls.

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Buskers, pavement artists and performers will also be invited to take part and there will be fun workshops and collaborative artworks created.

Organiser Heather May said: “We anticipate a high involvement of local community, interacting and engaging both locals and visitors through lots of exciting things going on throughout the weekend.

“We also hope to increase the footfall in the centre and throughout the town, encouraging repeat visitors to explore the vibrant artstic scene in the town.”

Around 35 exhibitors are expected to attend, with a bad weather contingency in a large disused unit within K Village.

Free car parking will be supplied by the factory shopping outlet.

KAC launched nearly three years ago to support and promote Kendal artists, artisans, craft workers, writers and musicians. It now has more than 150 active members.

It has three or four exhibitions a year at Ruskin’s and meets there fortnightly.

Co-organiser Helen Isaac, representing Kendal Arts Community, said: “We want to showcase the variety and talent of artists throughout the Kendal area.”

Kendal Summer Arts follows the successful Kendal Wool Gathering launched last year.