Cancelled for this year, but promising to be back, so the story ran in January and true to their word the organisers of the beloved Cambridge Folk Festival have announced that it is back in 2026 but in a new format designed “to protect what makes Cambridge Folk Festival special and celebrate the iconic event’s early independent grassroots values“, say Cambridge City Council, organisers of the event since it began in 1965.
To achieve this goal, they have developed a multi-venue approach that extends the reach of the festival to the city’s numerous venues and performance spaces, while Cherry Hinton Hall, its spiritual home, remains the essential heart of things with a scaled-back, two-day outdoor event including basic camping. The approach is designed to stage the event inclusively and affordably for attendees, while also being more financially resilient and environmentally sustainable, enabling it to continue in the current, economically challenging festival market. Either side of the Cherry Hinton Hall weekend celebrations, additional venues across the city will host folk and roots music events throughout the week.
Festival organisers commented: “The Cambridge Folk Festival is about to enter a new and important chapter in its long history. We understand how passionate and loyal the Festival’s audience is. The decision to change its format has not been easy but having to cancel the Festival altogether was a very real prospect we wanted to avoid. The past few years have been particularly challenging across the whole industry, and sadly, our Festival has felt this too. Rising infrastructure costs, economic challenges affecting us all, and a decline in ticket sales mean to secure the future of Cambridge Folk Festival for the next generation, we no longer have the option of continuing the Festival in its current, unaffordable format.
“We will work hard to stay true to what makes the Festival so special and so much more than a festival…its heart, its friendship, its music. Our aim is to protect the independence and spirit of the Festival and rebuild a strong foundation that will allow us to grow safely and securely in the years to come. We truly hope that our devoted audience will continue to be part of the Festival’s journey and we are also excited to welcome new attendees over two days at Cherry Hinton Hall and at our venues across the city. We look forward to joining together in a successful new chapter for our beloved event.”
The plans, confirmed by Cambridge City Council this week, mark a significant step in the festival’s development. They follow an extensive review informed by comprehensive consultation with the event’s core audience, including both recent and long-term attendees, regional Folk Club members, stakeholders, industry professionals, and external consultants.
The multi-venue format has already proved successful for Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Manchester Folk Festival, and with Black Deer in the City, a new addition to the list. It is expected to create an opportunity to attract fresh audiences to the event with greater involvement across the whole city, plus offering the potential for scaling according to demand and growth.
During the Festival’s fallow year in 2025, the organisers have continued to support the folk community with a series of locally based events throughout Cambridge and initiatives to encourage emerging artists, and would like to continue this programme.
More details to be announced, and tickets are scheduled to go on sale by the end of year. Here’s an Anglia TV show from 1974 featuring Arlo Guthrie and Loudon Wainwright III amongst others. It’s groovy!
