Cambridge Festival 2025 cancelled

[Andy]

A good run, 1965-2024, but rumoured as unlikely to return. Hopefully it will, but...

[John747]

The info the festival put out says they will return in 2026.

[alanw]

It was a long time ago, but I wonder whether the loss by the local Council of £644,951 to a scam ticket sales company still has repercussions?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/7819022.stm

http://www.rtaylor.co.uk/?s=secureticket

https://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/litigation-and-enforcement/311-litigation-features/12552-directors-of-ticket-company-that-owed-council-p600k-disqualified-for-10-years?tmpl=component

I've fond memories of the festival: I attended every year in the 80's. A friend had a house backing onto the grounds. Very civilised. Hop over the fence for the eternal veggie chilli in the slow cooker, clean loos and comfy sleeping mats. Bucks fizz corks being fired over the fence on the Sunday morning.

[Kevin M]

Claim to have lost money in 24 - hard to see how they managed that with £250 ticket prices, very little in the way of expensive headliners (Robert Plant excepted) and a very well attended 4 days - even if not fully sold out.

[Delfini (Diane)]

I’m so very sad.
It was the first festival that I attended.
No words.

[davidmjs]

Claim to have lost money in 24 - hard to see how they managed that with £250 ticket prices, very little in the way of expensive headliners (Robert Plant excepted) and a very well attended 4 days - even if not fully sold out.

It seems to be far more commercial than it was until the last year or so, but until recently, like with PoB, Plant was effectively subsidising Saving Grace dates by taking virtually nothing out of them, letting the rest of the band earn whatever they earned.

[John747]

Got this today from the Cambridge team:

To our dedicated Cambridge Folk Festival community

The Cambridge Folk Festival is about to enter a new and important chapter in its long history.

Following the decision made at Cambridge City Council’s Cabinet meeting last night, we can now confirm the plans for the 2026 Folk Festival.

As outlined last week, after an extensive period of review, the Festival will take on a refreshed approach from 2026 onwards.

We understand how passionate and loyal the festival’s audience is, and how deeply rooted Cambridge is in your lives and in the memories of many who have grown up with it which we are incredibly thankful for. 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.

This is a chance to preserve and pass on the legacy of Cambridge Folk Festival for the next generation and the planned move to a new multi-venue format, with a two-day event at Cherry Hinton Hall, is a creative path forward to securing that future.

We’ll work hard to stay true to what makes Cambridge Folk Festival so special and so much more than a festival it's heart, it's friendship, it's music.

And we’re also excited at the potential for development with a multi-venue format, welcoming new audiences, expanding the reach of the Festival and creating more affordable ways for people to experience folk music, especially younger generations and those new to the Festival.

This announcement may be disappointing for some, and your recent messages and comments cement just how loved this event really is. This decision wasn’t made lightly but has been made with care and with the future as its focus.

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 you 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.

With warmest wishes,

The Cambridge Folk Festival team

P.S We’ll be sharing more updates on ticket sales and artist announcements in the coming months.

Customers who hold Early Bird tickets from 2025 will be contacted directly in the coming days.

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This is so sad. I can't see many people outside of the immediate vicinity travelling for a 2 day event

[blagden]

I am a veteran of Cambridge and it is a rewarding experience however it's hard work. Parking in a school grounds half a mile away and carting all your weekend needs either on a shuttle bus or walking isn't easy but worth it for four days but trust me no-one will consider this for two days. We now have caravan but would still consider it probably a no no. I think this is a compromise for the local community who subsidise all this so then so be it.