FESTIVAL HISTORY

The Cambridge Champagne Fringe was born in the Covid years of 2020 and 2021.

We were so grateful to Amanda and her team at the Red Lion, Cherry Hinton for allowing us to hold a small event to maintain the tradition of the Champagne Breakfast, which then stretched back more than thirty years. 

In 2023, we were saddened by the fact that we were “asked” to move away from the spot at Cherry Hinton Hall that we had occupied for decades; away from the tree under which the ashes of three of our old friends are buried. This, coupled with the fact that the organisers of the festival seemed to object to a crowd of people enjoying what our Irish friends would call “the craic”, engendered a return to the Red Lion in 2024. 

The “no music until Sunday” rule was consigned to the dustbin of history and an ever-growing crowd enjoyed three days of great music and great fun.

In 2025, due to the cancellation of our beloved festival and the fact that camping would not have been possible locally, we were not able to return to the Red Lion. Our friends at Letchworth Rugby Club came to the rescue and a wonderful weekend ensued. More than thirty excellent acts performed upon a very impressive stage over the three days. There were also some very moving tributes paid to absent friends. It was a great weekend! 

As there will not be a recognisable Cambridge Folk Festival in 2026, plans are well-advanced and newly named Baldock & Letchworth Folk Festival will be at Letchworth Rugby Club again. (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday - 24th, 25th, & 26th July 2026)

In short, The Baldock & Letchworth Folk Festival has grown from its origins of a few friends at a table under the trees at Cherry Hinton Hall, through the gatherings in the covid years at the Red Lion, to what is now a full weekend of music, friendship, remembrance, and craic; the very elements that once made the Cambridge Folk Festival so special. There may also be the odd pint of Guinness and a couple of hundred of Robin and Lesley’s photographs to remind us all of the good old days!

Industry insiders are suggesting that there will also be an elegant sufficiency of Champagne for those in need of refreshment whilst waiting for the bar to open!