Cambridge Folk Festival

Cambridge Folk Festival is one of those events that feels genuinely irreplaceable. Running since 1965 and returning each summer to the beautiful grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall, it has spent six decades earning its place as one of the world's longest-running and most beloved music festivals. Families return year after year, strangers become friends by the end of the first afternoon and the atmosphere carries a warmth that is difficult to find anywhere else on the festival calendar. Having reviewed what was a stellar 2024 edition, the absence of the festival last year was felt keenly. Its return in 2026 is therefore not just welcome, it feels like something worth celebrating properly. The fact that it has already sold out only underlines how much it was missed.

Few artists feel more at home on a festival stage than Saturday night headliner Frank Turner. Built on years of relentless touring and a songwriting voice that has always sat at the intersection of folk, punk and Americana, Turner brings an energy and a connection with a crowd that makes his sets feel like communal events rather than performances. There is a rawness and an honesty to what he does on stage that cuts through in open air settings, the kind of performer who leaves a crowd feeling like they have been part of something rather than simply spectators of it.

Suzanne Vega joins him as a headliner, her presence on a bill like this carries a particular kind of weight. Few artists have shaped the landscape of acoustic songwriting as quietly and as profoundly as Vega has over the past four decades. Her songs are studies in precision and restraint, built around observation and detail rather than grand gestures and that intimacy translates powerfully in a setting as characterful as Cherry Hinton Hall. Hearing those songs performed live in the open air is about as good as an evening gets.

Richard Thompson with Zara Phillips completes the headline picture. Thompson's contribution to British folk and rock music over the past five decades is almost impossible to overstate, from his foundational work with Fairport Convention through to a solo catalogue that remains one of the richest and most restlessly inventive in British music. His guitar playing alone is worth the price of admission and the pairing with Zara Phillips adds an intriguing dimension to what is already a headline slot of real substance.

The supporting lineup reflects exactly what makes Cambridge so special as a festival. Seth Lakeman brings the kind of fierce, fiddle-driven energy that has made him one of the most compelling live performers on the folk circuit, while Skinny Lister arrive with their characteristically raucous, full-throttle approach to the genre. This Is The Kit offer something altogether more delicate and considered, their layered, atmospheric sound sitting beautifully in a festival environment. The Songs of Joni Mitchell, performed by Jesca Hoop, Lail Arad and more, promises to be one of the weekend's most talked-about moments, a celebration of an artist whose influence on folk and beyond is still being felt across every generation of the lineup. Ustad Noor Bakhsh adds a world music dimension that underlines just how broadly Cambridge interprets the folk tradition and emerging voices like Maddie Morris, George Boomsma and Amelia Coburn represent a festival that takes its responsibility to the next generation of the genre seriously.

Beyond the stages, a vibrant street performance area, Club Corner curated in partnership with local folk clubs and a programme of events spreading across Cambridge itself extend the experience well beyond the main site. It is a festival that understands the difference between a lineup and an atmosphere, and consistently delivers both.

The 2026 edition is sold out, but it is well worth keeping a close eye on the Cambridge Folk Festival website for any updates, resale opportunities and news of Cambridge Folk Festival Presents events throughout the year.