TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Cropredy 2026 confirmed on the Fairport website - same arrangements as this year.

https://www.fairportconvention.com/news/cropredy-latest/

From the website:

Thank you to all of you who attended the reduced capacity Cropredy festival back in August. The Gods shined on us – absolutely perfect festival weather – and that was one very happy field. So much so – we’re going to do it again!

For 2026, we are going to repeat what we did this year. The size and capacity worked for us and according to the reactions we have witnessed, it worked for you too.

There is still a great deal of uncertainty around regarding outdoor events and we thank our suppliers for their loyalty and keeping their prices affordable. Not many festivals are lucky enough to have this and we really do appreciate it. At this stage it would be foolish to increase the capacity and hence, the risk. Better to play safe and live another day. After all, we all want to be here for our 60th anniversary in 2027 don’t we?

For 2026, like 2025, we shall be basing selling on a maximum of 6500 tickets. There were some who were disappointed to miss out last year once we’d hit capacity, so please, spread the word and let your friends know we’re open for business. We’d hate anyone to be left out.

We plan to announce the ‘Line-up so far’ and place tickets on sale at 11.00 on Monday 8 December – just in time for Christmas!

Sign up for the e-newsletter for more information as it happens. https://www.fairportconvention.com/contact/

Rather a relief, really.

Really great news! The 2025 Cropredy was brilliant and the smaller capacity worked well and gave it the feel of earlier years. Roll on August...!

I see Thompy will be in the country. To wait for the line up, or to blow it out on the off chance, that is the question…

Seeing, given recent history, it's unlikely to sell out before early Summer at best, surely waiting?

Quite a few people were disappointed this year because the reduced capacity meant that it sold out before they realised, so it's a juggling act. Also, prices go up after the first tranche.

But I do think that a number of people will leave it until the New Year.

Am I right in thinking tickets go on sale at 11am tomorrow?

I saw a Facebook announcement but there's nothing on the website and nothing about the lineup (not that that matters!)

Yes.

The website says We plan to announce the ‘Line-up so far’ and place tickets on sale at 11.00 on Monday 8 December.

I understand the marketing need to create a sense of panic buying, but am I incorrect that it sold out in Summer this year?

Cropredy 25 did sell out.

Glamping tickets are already on sale (10:00), if anybody is waiting to get them.

Yes, indeed.  I know, but in about June, as I recall.  Isn't that correct?

April/May ish. But the prices go up in Tiers so this is the cheapest they'll be.

Obviously popular as Fairport's website has fallen over due to excessive demand.

AXS accepting purcheses though.

Got my ticket, and looking forward to it!

Got ours!

 Interesting line up .

THURSDAY

Fairport Acoustic
Banter
Soft Machine
Matt Bragg
Turin Brakes
La Vent du Nord

FRIDAY

Cropredy Primary School
Danny and the Champions of the World
Danny Bradley
The Celtic Social Club
Marshall Gilmore Webbs
Breabach
Spooky Mens Choral
Richard Thompson and Band

SATURDAY

Gerry Colvin Big Band
Restless Dream
The Haar
Barbara
Hayseed Dixie
Will Pound and Jen Butterworth
Fairport Convention

================================

My comment...Great to see Turin Brakes back (but they should headline over La Vent du Nord).Gerry Colvin is always fun . RT never gives a bad gig. Loved Hayseed Dixie last time out. Breabach good . No sign of Richard Digance.?????  

Overall , a good list but nothing spectacular .

Couldn't get to the Tickets page on the Fairport website, but got admission tickets via the AXS app and Glamping via www.brookbelltents.co.uk

I can't get through on the website and the AXS site is sending me round in circles... I'll leave it for now

I eventually got my ticket, after several attempts - for some reason it didn't like my credit card - but eventually paid through Paypal and that seems to have worked.

Not the best line-up I've ever seen, but not the worst either. A number of acts I don't know, but experience says that there will be at least some I really enjoy.  Looking forward in particular to Le Vent Du Nord again, Banter, the Spooky Men and of course RT.

Brook Bell Tents were accepting orders from 10:00, so got my glamping early.

AXS sent me round and round in circles (you are at the top of the queue / your session has expired) but eventually condescended to sell me 2 tickets.

Especially looking forward to Spooky Men, Le Vent Du Nord and RT. Soft Machine not so much.

Won't feel quite the same without Richard Digance - anybody know why he's not playing?

Now the Brook Bell site is playing silly buggers.

I thought that there were not tiers last year, with the limited release…maybe a false memory.

You're probably correct. I'd forgotten that.

According to his website he's at Corton Coastal Village nr. Lowestoft - August 15-Warners, Corton Coastal Village, Corton, Nr Lowestoft -

From his website: Richard is delighted to have signed an agreement with Warner Hotels for regular monthly appearances during 2026 at Warner Leisure Hotels & Breaks. Warners appearances are shown in purple. For Warners information visit www.warnerhotels.co.uk

Warner Holidays are welcome to him. Other opinions are, as always, available.

PS I'll just add a bit of flesh to the above comment - I enjoyed Digance when he first took over the Saturday lunchtime slot for my 2nd visit to Cropredy in 2002. He was funny in an old-school "this is how they used to do it" kind of way, and I used to look forward to him every year. Trouble is, his act became samey, stale and more "Daily Mail" over the years to the point of embarrassment. He became more thin-skinned ; he could dish it out but couldn't take it. The year he called out the Talkawhile forum from the Cropredy stage for daring to criticise him was the start of the decline. The final straw was probably the "England one day will be great, we just don't know the date..." song...

I'm not knocking those who still enjoy his brand of comedy, however, I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing they'd give another standup a try in that slot, mix it up a bit, keep it fresh and interesting.

He's a bit Marmite, really. I do know that many people appreciate him. I'm not one of them after I had a run-in with Mr Digance at Skeggy a few years ago.

Ho-hum.

As to another, similar artist, replacing him: Jasper Carrott has been tried and worked once, but not the second time, largely because he was a much-overhyped mystery star guest. Has Mike Harding ever appeared at Croppers?

I don't think it's a very impressive line up for £240. Hayseed Dixie are on local to me, in a few weeks, for £25 and I don't think there are any other bands that you would pay much more to see on the bill. The New Forest Festival has quite a few of the same bands, over 5 days and is just over half the price of Cropredy and 5 days of camping for £40 !
 :(

Does MH still perform live?
According to his website his last tour was 2015.

Good point. He apparently did Crops in 2007 but I have no recollection of that.

Maybe Dave Eagle?

Just a hunch but I very strongly suspect that most of the moaners about the line-up started going to Cropredy in the last 20 years and aren't on the main, Fairport stalwarts of old.  Those of us who first knew the festival in the 80s (or earlier) probably recognise it as much closer to the spirit of those festivals than the anything goes as long as it's a big name jumble of the post-Pegg Cropredy Convention years.

I do think the price is pushing it a tad - especially the camping which seems utterly excessive to me.  The festival I do every year now (Krankenhaus) is almost exactly the same price but camping is included.  But that's only a quarter of the size of this one (1500).

Looks like your "hunch" is wrong, I've been to every one starting on Crossman's lawn. To be honest, it's a "Beach Boys, Alice Cooper" price but not the acts to warrant the price IMO

Mike Harding introduced the Liege and Lief lineup to the stage in 2007, with Chris While covering for Sandy.

As far as I’m concerned the obvious alternative to Digance is someone who would already be on site, a certain Mr Anthony John Clarke.

Bill Bailey would be great but not financially viable

Unfortunately the price of just about everything to do with putting a festival on has increased massively since Covid, and if they were putting Alice Cooper or the Beach Boys on this year, the price woulod be a lot more than £240/head.

its a no from me I'm afraid after attending for many years I think my Cropredy days are over now. But boy did i see some great acts over the years! Bands and people i had always wanted to see but never quite managed.

Matt Bragg is a great comedian. I’ve seen him a few times.  I don’t think he’ll offend anyone - amusing observational comedy

Got my tickets  {:-)

Yes, it's expensive but we look forward to it so much we're prepared to make sacrifices to go.

The line up is pretty much as we expected - I'm a huge Turin Brakes fan so V happy to have them back, plus the Spookys and Hayseed Dixie, who I missed last time they played due to a problem with a never-ending pint glass :D  ;D I shall check out the rest of the lineup over the next few weeks. I've never seen a bad band at Cropredy, plenty I'm not bothered if I never see again, but never a bad band. I trust the organisers.

I do think this could be the penultimate so there's no way I'm missing it!!  8)

Check out the Haar. We've seen them several times and enjoy their music a lot.

I just have and they seem like perfect sunny afternoon music!  🎶

Fantastic band, they even manage to bring new life to such folk staples as “Wild Rover” and “Danny Boy”
Really looking forward to seeing them again.

An article in Oxford Mail says up to 15,000 could attend this yr . This will obviously include ‘crew’ , stewards, stalls etc but would be up on last yr.  Mail may have git it wrong of course.
I am playing a fest on the Sat so I have known for some weeks that I couldnt attend this yr…..
I have seen a lot of these bands before , incl fests last yr but I have been having the stirrings of withdrawal symptoms.

Bob Fox would be great for that slot, imho.

6,500 is a hard total for tickets. I can't see there being 8,500 staff. Perhaps 1,000 at a very long stretch.

It'll be staff plus complimentary ticket holders, of course, but personally I'd be amazed if those totalled 500 on top of the already announced limit.  Either the Mail is very wrong or we're being told porkies, and that seems unlikely.

Agreed. I think the Oxford Mail had a brain f**t. Look for em-dashes in the story, a giveaway it was AI generated.

As I’ve said before I am wary of posting on here as my last Cropredy was 2018, although I went Brase fringe after that.
I am starting to question the word fringe at the Brase.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02ZJrejknFXZ5kYhxJL2v8AiocN9koCRczaRyHhrf7Z7PS9x61YBan36qP12Ehv2jwl&id=100063697865098

Several acts here who sit very comfortably on the main stage .
I can’t get down on the Saturday, I’m playing another fest but I will try to get down on other days …it’s about getting down early and finding parking!