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Upfront Arts Venue

Upfront is a rural arts venue near Penrith combining the new Upfront Puppet Museum, dedicated puppet theatre, changing art exhibitions, vegetarian café, live music, events and distinctive holiday accommodation.

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About Upfront Arts Venue

Upfront Arts Venue is a distinctive independent arts destination at Unthank near Hutton-in-the-Forest, around ten minutes from Penrith. Established in 1997, it occupies converted historic farm buildings alongside a purpose-built puppet theatre.The venue now includes Upfront Puppet Museum, which officially opened in August 2026 and gives a permanent home to puppets from around the world and collections linked to British puppetry history. A lift provides access to the museum.Upfront is also home to a dedicated puppet theatre with regular productions, an art gallery with changing exhibitions, a licensed vegetarian restaurant and coffee shop, gift shop, live-music programme and event space. Self-catering holiday accommodation is available on site.The main venue normally opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 4.30pm and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays.

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Performance times and event access vary, so check the current programme before travelling specifically for a show.Accessibility includes level access to the main downstairs areas, an accessible entrance, accessible toilet, baby-changing facilities, wheelchair spaces in the theatre and a lift serving the building. Parking is available directly outside the main entrance.Upfront works particularly well as a wet-weather stop or a slower cultural half-day around Penrith and the Eden Valley because visitors can combine the museum, exhibition and café in one location.

The Cumbria Guru verdict

Our local note

A genuinely unusual Eden Valley arts stop. The new puppet museum adds another reason to visit, while the theatre, changing gallery exhibitions and vegetarian café make Upfront much more than a single-purpose venue.

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Last updated 24 August 2026.