Cambridge Folk Festival

Cambridge Festival is renowned for its eclectic mix of music and a wide definition of what might be considered folk. Traditional folk artists from the UK and Ireland rub shoulders with more contemporary acts, the finest American country, blues and roots artists, acclaimed singer songwriters and even the odd pop star. Bluegrass, gospel, cajun, zydeco, jazz, world, klezmer and a ceilidh are also regular features. The line up has reflected the many changes in the music scene from the 60s to the present and is always a hotbed mix of the old and the new.

The list of performers who have appeared reads like a who’s who and the Festival has been a launching pad for many now well known artists. Most artists perform more than once over the weekend on the different stages: Stage 1, housed within a giant marquee in front of the main Festival arena, the Stage 2, a more intimate venue, and the Club Tent, hosted on the Festival’s behalf by five local folk clubs. There, in addition to invited artists, members of the audience including some well known names get up and perform. Indeed very often the real stars are not the booked acts but the audience themselves, who create their own music in sessions in the bars and long into the evenings in the campsite.

Website: www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk