We spoke to Amie Hoyland, Partnerships Officer at Cambridge Folk Festival, to learn more about the history of the event, this year’s line-up, and activities to expect on the day.
Since the first festival in 1965, Cambridge Folk Festival has become one of the most prestigious folk festivals in the world. What do you think makes it so special?
There are incredible artists to see covering a range of music from Folk, Blues, Roots and Americana – and there is always an exciting new artist to discover as well as household names.
In addition to the music offering, there are a host of activities for guests to enjoy, including artist-led music making and willow sculpture. The festivals’ location in Cherry Hinton Hall Park serves as a charming backdrop for guests to enjoy all that’s on offer, not to mention the space itself with its breath-taking nature, including a tranquil pond.
We have been proudly independent since 1965 and much of our audience, as well as the people who work at it, have been returning to the festival for decades!
We are delighted to be supporting the emerging talent stage, The Den. Can you give us a teaser of what to expect on the stage this year?
We are delighted to be partnering with Turing Locke on our emerging talent stage, The Den. Nestled amongst the trees, The Den is an incredible location to see up and coming artists and this year we have Indie-folk, Jazz, Americana, plus a harpist!
I’m particularly excited to see Francesca Louise, who has been compared to Carole King and Joni Mitchell, as well as award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Annie Baylis. I’m hoping to catch Ghanaian-English soul and jazz singer-songwriter Nectar Woode too!
Eighteen of the artists playing will be short-listed for The Christian Raphael Prize. Can you tell us more about last year’s winner?
2023 saw singer-songwriter Frankie Archer from the North East of England announced as the winner. Since then, Frankie has been touring the UK, building on her burgeoning reputation. In October 2023 she performed on BBC 2 on Later… with Jools Holland which was an incredible achievement. The award-winning UK band The Last Dinner Party were so impressed with Frankie Archer when they met her at Later . . . with Jools Holland that they booked her to be their opening act at London Roundhouse! She's now working on her debut album, co-producing with Jim Moray.
We are so pleased that Frankie returns to the Folk Festival in 2024, performing on Sunday 28th July.
Similarly to Locke, the festival has a huge focus on community. What activities will be available at the festival this year to help bring the community together?
The ceilidh, which takes place on Friday, is a brilliant chance for everyone to come together for a dance. We also have an array of activities for guests to partake in, including instrument making, song writing, storytelling and tai-chi, as well as the festival choir! There’s also the opportunity for 14 – 18 year olds to take part in The Hub band project.
We have a large children’s area with plenty to inspire and keep children entertained, including creative workshops and the opportunity to learn songs, clog and ceilidh dance, easy tunes and beginner’s guitar. We have a performance area for children which includes our well-loved Folk Idol and clog workshops, as well as a play area with musical/percussive instruments so that children can give a variety of instruments a try plus a brilliant playground and paddling pool.
The festival was recently deemed “Outstanding” at the Greener Festival Awards. Can you tell us about the festivals commitment to sustainability?
We were delighted to receive ‘outstanding’ again for the 2024 festival. We take our impact on the environment very seriously and have worked steadily through the aspects of our carbon footprint on the local community and wider world over recent years. We continue to implement plans to reduce our impact, hand in hand with providing a great festival experience.
Our festival’s waste at 0.3 kg/person/day is significantly lower than the industry benchmark of 2 kg due to our efforts in managing and encouraging reductions. We work hard to improve our performance and work with everyone involved to enhance the festival experience in a planet positive way! You can read more on our website here.
Enjoy 10% off your stay at Turing Locke.
This design-led property comprises a host of elegant apartments, from studios to one-bedroom and two bedroom apartments, each equipped with a kitchen, living area, bedroom and bathroom. Turing Locke is perfect for a night, a week, a month or even a year for all the family, including your furry friends.
Return to the tranquillity of Turing Locke after the excitement of each day of the festival. Use code MUSIC to get 10% off your stay at Turing Locke, Cambridge between 24th-28th July for Cambridge Folk Festival. Complimentary Universal Electric Bus tickets included in your stay to get you to & from the train station for the festival.*
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Terrace Suite, Turing Locke.
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