Festival returns to Cherry Hinton Hall after sold‑out relaunch
The Cambridge Folk Festival has been confirmed to take place on 31 July–1 August 2027 at the Cherry Hinton Hall Grounds, organisers have said, bringing the city another weekend of contemporary roots music following this year’s sell‑out relaunch.
Festival promoters said the recent edition drew capacity crowds to a programme that mixed established names with emerging talent in an intimate setting. This year’s headline performers included Frank Turner, Suzanne Vega and Richard Thompson, while the bill also featured a broad cross‑section of folk and roots artists such as This Is The Kit, Seth Lakeman, Skinny Lister and Ustad Noor Bakhsh.
- Dates: 31 July–1 August 2027
- Venue: Cherry Hinton Hall Grounds
- Early bird tickets: on sale in September via the festival website
Organisers also pointed to a deliberate widening of activity across the city this year. In the weeks leading up to the main weekend, a series of "Cambridge Folk Festival Presents" events took place at venues around Cambridge, bringing festival artists into local clubs, halls and other settings.
“Thanks so much to everyone who supported the Festival this year. It has been wonderful to see you all on site over the weekend and also at our ‘Cambridge Folk Festival Presents’ gigs in the city,” a spokesperson said.
The off‑site programme included a range of performances that reflected the festival’s reach beyond Cherry Hinton Hall. Highlights cited by the organisers included a sold‑out "Folk on a Boat" event with John Bramwell, a family ceilidh at the Corn Exchange, and appearances at Storey’s Field Centre and the Portland Arms.
Support for emerging artists and added attractions
The festival’s commitment to new talent was underlined by the awarding of the Christian Raphael Prize for Emerging Artists to Tom Jenkins, with Amelia Coburn named as runner‑up. This prize has become a notable part of the festival’s role in promoting developing performers within the roots and contemporary traditions.
In another development for the event, a comedy strand made its debut this year with performers including Matt Bragg, Felicity Ward and Mark Watson, broadening the programme beyond music and offering a mixed‑genre experience for audiences.
| Aspect | 2026 highlights |
|---|---|
| Headliners | Frank Turner; Suzanne Vega; Richard Thompson |
| Emerging artist prize | Tom Jenkins (winner); Amelia Coburn (runner‑up) |
| City events | Folk on a Boat; family ceilidh; Storey’s Field; Portland Arms |
Organisers have said they plan to continue the city partnership scheme in the run‑up to next year’s festival, working with local promoters and venues to stage additional shows under the festival umbrella.
Early bird tickets are scheduled to go on sale in September. The festival’s website (cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk) will hold further details and ticketing information when they are released.
For Cambridge — a city with long ties to folk and roots music and a network of venues from theatres to pub stages — the return of the festival promises both an economic uplift for the immediate area and a boost to the year‑round cultural life fostered by the season of associated events. Local promoters and venue operators, who collaborated on this year’s expanded programme, are likely to play a significant part in shaping next year’s run up to the main weekend.
As the festival turns its gaze to 2027, audiences and artists can expect a repeat of the mix of established performers, emerging practitioners and community events that characterised the relaunch. Further line‑up announcements and ticket details will follow in due course.
