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About Us
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:
Kirkgate Arts and Heritage delivers opportunities for all to actively enjoy the arts, local heritage and community life; and ensures that creative talent is valued, developed and nurtured in a manner that is financially secure and commands enthusiastic public support.
We will ensure that the organization is sustainable for future generations, both financially and environmentally. We will also provide an environment that encourages growth, the development of skills and confidence, and enjoyment for all.
Strategic Objectives:
The mission will be delivered through the following strategic objectives:
- Kirkgate Arts and Heritage will be the pre-eminent deliverer of a broad range of geographically dispersed arts and community projects across Cumberland.
- Kirkgate Arts and Heritage will offer a long-term solution to ensure that the heritage collection is stored and cared for to a professional standard; and encourages engagement with it by the local community.
- The Kirkgate Centre will sustainably act as the community and cultural centre for Cockermouth.
- Kirkgate Arts and Heritage will successfully deliver a wide-ranging rural touring programme through Arts Out West.
- Kirkgate Arts and Heritage will have strengthened its financial position to ensure that the organisation has a sustainable future.
- Kirkgate Arts and Heritage will support and develop the roles of our volunteers, building on the strong tradition of volunteers being at the heart of the organisation.
WHAT’S ON
Finding Emily (12A)
19th August 2026 2:00pm (Doors open at 1:00 pm)
Kirkgate Centre
A romantic comedy in which a lovesick musician is given the wrong number for his dream girl, he teams up with a driven psychology student to find her. Together, they spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way. “It’s quite an achievement to take a genre as well-worn as the romcom and to ...
Tuner (15)
21st August 2026 7:00pm (Doors open at 6:00 pm)
Kirkgate Centre
In Tuner, Academy Award-winning director Daniel Roher's first narrative feature, Leo Woodall (Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy) stars as a gifted young piano tuner whose heightened sense of hearing draws the attention of criminals, who see his talents as useful for opening safes as well as for tuning Steinways. With his once-promising musical career over, he works across New ...
Poets Out Loud
23rd August 2026 4:00pm
Kirkgate Centre
Booking not required Poets Out Loud For writers, readers and listeners from Cumbria and beyond. All are welcome to a most informal poetry session at the Kirkgate Centre. It IS for listeners, not just writers. Lovers of poetry and the spoken word who would like to just sit and enjoy the words are most welcome It ISN’T an open mic ...
Jazz@Kirkgate: The Jack Pearce Quintet
23rd August 2026 7:30pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)
Kirkgate Centre
Drawing influence from Post-bop and 90s world fusion, while also infused with a strong sense of the rock music he grew up on, Jack effortlessly blends genres, creating a unique style that escapes the confines of conventional jazz. The original compositions have a uniquely open and interactive approach. Strong rhythms underpin vibrant, playful melodies creating a fusion complimentary to both ...