After a sold out edition in 2025, Fairport’s Cropredy Convention returns for 2026 with a trademark line-up of folk and rock heavyweights, alongside some of the UK’s most exciting established and upcoming talent.
Tickets for the 3 day pilgrimage are now on sale, and expected to sell very quickly. Taking place across the 13th, 14th and 15th of August 2026, the 3 day festival of folk, roots and rock will once again transform the bucolic village of Cropredy (as well as its hostelries, waterways and pastures) into a mecca for the discerning music lover.
Fundamentally unchanged since it’s inception in 1980 – and predating other outdoor behemoths such as WOMAD, Leeds and V Festival by a decade or more – Cropredy represents an opportunity to experience a pure, untainted festival experience – free of corporate sponsors, high street chains and eye-watering prices. Still lovingly curated by the band itself, this personal touch continues to imbue the event with a very personal atmosphere of joy and celebration.
Fans of both the band and their synonymous gathering in the Oxfordshire fields were treated to a Cropredy Convention to remember in 2025 – featuring some memorable performances from established acts such as Albert Lee, Trevor Horn and Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre, whilst also being introduced to some of the UK’s finest emerging voices including The Henry Girls, Urban Folk Quartet and The Salts.
There were even a couple of illustrious surprise guest appearances – topped off by Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant joining Deborah Bonham for a couple of numbers in the blissful Saturday afternoon sunshine.
The line-up for 2026 touches all the bases fans have come to expect from the festival – presenting long-established and legendary names across the Folk and Rock spectrum alongside some of the most exciting upcoming and established talent from the U.K and beyond.
Genuine Rock Royalty comes in the form of Canterbury’s foundational Soft Machine, the Mercury Prize nominated Turin Brakes and lauded Fairport alumnus, Richard Thompson – who’ll be deftly augmented by vocalist Zara Phillips and very familiar former colleagues, Simon Nicol, Dave Mattacks and Dave Pegg.
Contemporary folk figureheads Danny & The Champions of the World, Breabach and Le Vent Du Nord all feature in the 2026 edition, whilst the next generation of emerging talent is ably represented by The HAAR, Danny Bradley, Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth.
There’s also the welcome return of some past festival favourites, as Hayseed Dixie bring their barnstorming rockgrass sound back to Cropredy after far too long, whilst wry Antipodean theatricalists The Spooky Men’s Chorale look to repeat the success of their 2024 appearance, with more pindrop beautiful ballads and highly inappropriate covers.
After a pragmatic decision to reduce the festival’s capacity in 2025, tickets for 2026 will once again be limited and expected to sell out in record time.
Tickets are on sale now via the Fairport Convention website and from AXS, the festival’s Box Office partner.
https://www.axs.com/uk/events/1206353/fairportys-cropredy-convention-tickets
And now – the full line-up
Your founders and hosts… FAIRPORT CONVENTION
Formed in 1967, Fairport Convention pioneered the blending of traditional and electric instruments, in turn becoming synonymous with the ‘electric-folk’ sound. Their annual music festival attracts up to 15,000 people to the fields of Oxfordshire each August, and unlike many of their peers, they continue to sell out venues across the country – delighting both existing fans and new converts alike.
With a career now spanning 59 years, the chaps continue carrying on the Fairport torch, with 2026 marking 30 years of the band’s current lineup – featuring Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie, augmented by Dave Mattacks on the drummer’s stool.
With their most well-known track ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ reaching over 32 million Spotify streams this year, Fairport are true statesmen of British music – cherished by critics, musicians and fans alike. The band have also won a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award and Radio 2 listeners voted their ground-breaking album Liege & Lief ‘The Most Influential Folk Album of All Time’ in 2006.
As tradition dictates, Fairport Convention will open proceedings on the Thursday afternoon with a stripped back acoustic set, before headlining Saturday night for a fitting finale alongside a cavalcade of special guests.
Having begun one innocent Summer day in 2000 when John Wheeler and Mike Daly drank roughly enough whiskey to float a battleship from the Florida Coast over to Portugal and back, Hayseed Dixie have evolved into a proper force – one that most people either love, hate, or have never heard of.
Fourteen albums later – consisting of both original material and reinterpretations of previously rendered songs – and with over 1,200 live shows in 31 different countries under their belts, Hayseed Dixie are without doubt the undisputed creators of the musical genre, Rockgrass… There are many copycats, converts, and disciples out there – accept no imitations.
Hayseed Dixie make a welcome return to Cropredy, guaranteed to provide a sure-fire Saturday evening wake-up call!
What can we say that hasn’t already been said?!? Formed in 1966 and central to the fabled Canterbury Scene, Soft Machine are quite simply one of the greatest UK avant/jazz-rock bands of all time.Their work – from their earliest performances as a psychedelic band who were contemporaries of, and shared stages with, Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience – all the way to being one of Europe’s best known ‘fusion’ groups, has influenced several generations of bands, and continues to be name-checked by today’s hip experimentalists.
Whilst the line-up of Soft Machine may have changed many times since the heady days of the late 1960’s, the band’s spirit of musical adventure, and the ease with which it freely avoids being pigeon holed and can move from powerful progressive jazz fusion to atmospheric psychedelia to free improvised jazz-rock to ambient loop music continues to make it both unique and totally contemporary.
Turin Brakes, founded by childhood friends Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, is today made up of Knights, Paridjanian, and long-term collaborators Rob Allum and Eddie Myer. They released their Mercury-nominated debut “The Optimist LP” in March 2001 and followed it up in 2003 with their most commercially successful album, ‘Ether Song’, hitting the Top 5 in the UK Official Album Charts and featuring the Top 5 hit single ‘Pain Killer (Summer Rain)’.
Some of Turin Brakes’ personal highlights include playing the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury before Radiohead’s 2003 headline set, appearing on Top of the Pops, and hearing Robert Plant on the radio reveal himself as a fan. Over the years, their music has soundtracked American TV on shows like The OC, which played their song ‘Rain City’, and Designated Survivor with ‘Save You’.
2026 marks a welcome return to the Cropredy stage for Turin Brakes – as well as their 25th year together – and follows on from their acclaimed 2022 appearance. This is a set that is sure to delight the Cropredy masses…
Marshall Gilmour Webbs are a group formed of Louise Marshall (celebrated vocalist from the Jools Holland band) Romany Gilmour (of number one single ‘Between Two Points’) and Hattie & Charley Webb (known for their work with Leonard Cohen and Tom Petty).
They developed a close bond on David Gilmour’s 2024 Luck and Strange tour. Performing a series of shows in July they took Piano Smithfield by storm, selling out and releasing extra dates. With swelling vocals, ethereal harmonies and eclectic instrumentation, they have performed the music of The Roches, Dolly Parton, Billy Joel, Minnie Riperton and more, along with their own original songs written collaboratively from Louise’s living room.
The Haar brings the fresh talent of traditional Irish singer Molly Donnery combined with three of the most exciting instrumentalists on the folk and traditional music circuit: Cormac Byrne (Instrumentalist of the Year 2019, FATEA Magazine Music Awards), Adam Summerhayes (‘a Paganini of the traditional violin’ fROOTS) and Murray Grainger (‘Gorgeous stuff’ BBC Radio 3).
The band has its origins in a chance meeting between Adam, Cormac and Molly at a trad session at Craiceann Bodhrán Festival, Inis Oírr, resulting in an improvised live performance recorded by the shipwreck of the Plassey on the wild Atlantic seafront. With the addition of master accordionist Grainger, they entered the studio at the end of 2019 to record their debut album The Haar with no plans or arrangements, guided only by the live musical landscapes they created – the music was recorded as it flowed, often in the first and only take.
DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD
Multiple UK Americana Music Association award winners, Danny and the Champions of the World are a heartland rock and soul band who over the course of their career so far have carved themselves a reputation as a force to be reckoned with. Theirs is a rich, roots, life affirming sound perfected by a tireless gigging schedule that has taken them all over the world.
You Are Not A Stranger Here is their long-awaited new album – their seventh studio release and the first since 2017’s Brilliant Light. You Are Not A Stranger Here is the sound of a band exploring new and surprising musical terrain, produced by Champs keyboard player Thomas Collison and featuring frontman Danny George Wilson’s most compelling songs to date.
Described as “The future of folk”, Banter take English traditional music to the next level with their iconic interpretations of classic songs and dance tunes. Since their formation in 2015, this dynamic quartet has redefined the folk genre, earning rave reviews and captivating audiences at the UK’s most prestigious festivals.
Following in the creative footsteps of the likes of Steeleye Span and La Bottine Souriante, Nina Zella, Simon Care and Tim Walker have lovingly reinvented what defines English Folk. This year the trio have added the multi-instrumentalist skills of Mark Jolley (TradArrr, Feast of Fiddles) to their line-up and have been receiving rave reviews from around the globe for both their live shows and particularly for their fourth album HEROES.
Barbara make charming chamber pop inspired by 1970s greats – the Kinks, ABBA, ELO – classic, irresistible pop music with a literary approach. There’s something for everyone in Barbara’s sound: 70s US AM radio, a dash of English Music Hall, the effortless catchiness of a Broadway musical, a sprinkling of sequinned power pop, luscious Disney strings and glorious golden harmonies.
Lauded by those in the know – and described variously as “an insanely talented band with an innate sense of melody and arrangement” (Phill Jupitus), “Bacharach with bats and balls” (Nick Heyward/Haircut 100) and “Better than Elderflower Cordial!” (August Darnell/Kid Creole and the Coconuts), Brighton’s Henry and John Tydeman bring their ‘pocket-sized pop symphony’ to Cropredy for the first time.
Traditional yet progressive, original yet fast becoming a new sensation at venues throughout the world, THE CELTIC SOCIAL CLUB are a vital link between the past and the future of music. Forging a new way to bridge the gap between Celtic, rock and pop music with compelling authority, THE CELTIC SOCIAL CLUB have been pursuing a fascinating journey in the modernization of traditional tunes from Brittany, Ireland, Scotland and Asturia, to name but a few. Ten years after their inception, THE CELTIC SOCIAL CLUB are still thriving upon their traditional heritage, but also widening their influences to the richness of other genres and cultures.
Back in 2024, Cropredy Primary School started a folk music class – an endeavour that soon snowballed into the pupils from years 4 & 6 taking to the festival stage in front of thousands. A big hit last year, the 2026 Folk Class will take to the stage and attempt to top the class of ’25. Good luck!
RICHARD THOMPSON with Zara Phillips
A founding member of Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson’s musical influence cannot be overstated. His genre defying mastery of the guitar, along with engaging energy and onstage wit continues to earn him new fans and a place as one of the most distinctive virtuosos and writers in Folk Rock history.
The Los Angeles Times called him “the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix” and Rolling Stone has named him one of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time. He has received lifetime achievement awards for songwriting from the BBC Radio 2 Awards, the Americana Music Association, and was awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award. His song ‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning’ was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Greatest Songs Since 1923.” A wide range of musicians have recorded Thompson’s songs including Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, Tom Jones, David Byrne, and many more.
No stranger to Cropredy, Richard will be joined on stage by vocalist Zara Phillips and former colleagues, Simon Nicol, Dave Mattacks and Dave Pegg.
Twenty years on from winning the Danny Kyle Open Stage Award at Celtic Connections, Breabach remain securely ranked amongst Scotland’s most skilled & imaginative contemporary-folk acts and at the forefront of the burgeoning traditional music scene. The band unite deep roots in Highland and Island Gaelic tradition alongside progressive musical influences and have cultivated a unique sound, anchoring double bagpipes, fiddle, whistle, step-dance and song with energetic double bass and guitar accompaniment.
Versatility, love of experimentation and a willingness to push the boundaries of Scottish roots music have endured as the core values of the band over the past two decades. They have embraced and pioneered many cross-genre collaborations, linking up with artists including Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord, BAFTA award-winning animator Cat Bruce, indigenous Australasian artist Moana & the Tribe, video game composer Big Giant Circles, Cape Breton powerhouse Beòlach, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and most recently with county star Darius Rucker as part of the Grand Ole Opry: Live in London show at the Royal Albert Hall.
The award-winning and highly-acclaimed Le Vent du Nord are a leading force in Québec’s exciting and progressive Francophone folk movement. The group’s vast repertoire draws from both traditional sources and original compositions, while their highly rhythmic and soulful music, rooted in the Celtic diaspora, is enhanced with a broad range of global influences. Since first launching in August 2002, Le Vent du Nord have enjoyed meteoric success, performing well over 2,200 concerts over 4 continents, releasing 12 albums and racking up several prestigious awards. On stage these five friends create intense, joyful and dynamic live performances that expand the bounds of tradition in striking global directions. This is the modern sound of tradition, a music of the here and now.
As thunderous as a herd of wildebeest, as sly as a wagonload of Spike Milligans and as sonorous as a cloister of monks, the Spooky Men’s Chorale are the gift that keeps on giving. They emerged blithering and blinking-eyed from the Blue Mountains of NSW in 2001, and armed with no more than their voices, a nice line in deadpan and an ill-matched set of hats, have been gleefully disturbing audiences everywhere since.
Formed by NZ-born spookmeister Stephen Taberner, the Spooky Men soon attracted attention with a judicious combination of Georgian table songs, pindrop beautiful ballads, highly inappropriate covers, and a swag of original songs which seek to both celebrate the “boof” and mock it. Always renowned for a combination of Visigothic bravado, absurdist humour and eye-moistening tenderness, the Spookies in middle age – and fortified with a new generation of wunderkinds – are more masters of their territory than ever before. They will delicately garnish their much-loved black-catalogue with new incursions into beauty and stupidity, somewhat like a chocolate muffin with bits of chocolate in it. Welcome back mates.
ROB JONES & THE RESTLESS DREAM
Rob Jones is a Manchester-based singer-songwriter making midnight Americana, northern heartland rock, a quiet kind of gospel. His songs are about searching, longing, and the moments that flicker like headlights on wet tarmac. The soundtrack to a long drive toward something better — or at least something honest.
Latest LP Stars is a record written in the ruins; cries from the wilderness of one man’s early thirties, having walked away from a job, a home, a life, and a version of himself he could no longer recognise. Recorded loud in Manchester with a full band full of the city’s best musicians, it’s got Hammond organs, upright pianos, big harmonies, sweeping choruses. A sound sure to go down swimmingly with the Cropredy faithful.
Winner of the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Danny Bradley is a Folk musician and fingerstyle-guitarist who has toured the U.K. as the support act for Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention. He has also opened for Martin Carthy, Tony McManus, and Jon Gomm. Born in the US, and raised in the UK, Bradley’s unique blend of compelling tales of Folk combined with impassioned singing and playing of the Blues colour his debut album Small Talk Songs.
This virtuosic duo formed as the result of a chance meeting at a folk session in 2018, and led to Will and Jenn’s music travelling around the world as a viral internet sensation. Their roots lie in the English and Scottish folk music traditions, but they draw on inspiration from blues, gypsy jazz and folk traditions across the globe. In their live shows, they play a game of ‘musical cat and mouse’; improvising and responding to each other, weaving virtuosic performances that are unique and in-the-moment as only two musicians highly accomplished in their craft can produce.
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