Cambridge Council Plans Multi-Venue Folk Festival Relaunch

The Cambridge Folk Festival, one of the UK's longest-running and most iconic folk music events, faced a significant financial loss of £320,000 in 2024, leading to a strategic pause in 2025 and prompting a comprehensive review by Cambridge City Council. To ensure financial resilience and sustainability, the festival is proposed to relaunch in 2026 in a new multi-venue format across the city, with Cherry Hinton Hall remaining the anchor venue but scaled down to a two-day event with more basic camping and fewer stages. This approach aims to reduce infrastructure costs and council subsidies, which could have reached £500,000 annually, while increasing accessibility and inclusivity by hosting additional folk events at other city venues throughout the week. Council members emphasize protecting the festival’s legacy while adapting to changing audience behaviors, such as declining interest in weekend camping, and balancing tradition with broader community engagement. The new format also intends to support emerging local and national talent, spreading the festival’s economic benefits more widely across Cambridge. Some local political voices have expressed concerns about the consultation process and confidence in the review, but the council remains optimistic about the festival's future under this revised model.