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Folk Tales AHEAD OF THIS YEAR’S CAMBRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL, NICOLA FOLEY TALKS TO OPERATIONS MANAGER REBECCA STEWART FOR A BEHIND-THE-SCENES PREVIEW OF WHAT’S IN STORE Fo l k Ta l es
F rom small beginnings in the 1960s, Cambridge Folk Festival has flourished into one of the best-known and best-loved gatherings of its kind in the world. It’s a festival cherished by many for its friendly atmosphere and delightfully eclectic line-ups, which embrace folk music in its many guises. A merry melting pot of traditional fiddlers, pipers and folky troubadours with acts at the cutting edge of the contemporary scene, the programme spans blues and country, too, along with gospel and world music performers. In total, some 14,000 folk fans make the pilgrimage to Cherry Hinton Hall each summer, many of whom return year after year – but what makes this event such a favourite, and how do the organisers keep guests coming back? “I think it holds a really special place in people’s hearts, because every aspect of the festival is considered important to us,” says the festival’s operations
manager, Rebecca Stewart. “It’s not just about what happens at the main stage; it’s every stage – and the audience is key, too. We try and look after them to the best of our ability from the booking of their tickets to their arrival on site to the camping; the whole thing is thought about. It’s the attention to detail and the care we give that makes it special.” Rebecca is part of the small team at Cambridge Live responsible for the monumental task of bringing everything together for the festival each summer, and for whom it’s a year-round job. “There’s three of us on it full-time, and we’re already thinking about next year’s event,” she explains. “That’s mostly in terms of getting artists sorted. We do get a bit of a break after the festival and some time off. Then it’s straight into debriefing and planning again. It’s definitely a rolling process.” While around 200 staff will come together on the weekend itself, Rebecca
and her colleagues are the lynchpins of the behind-the-scenes organisation, taking care of everything from sourcing artists to organising the caterers and traders. “My role is a bit logistics, a bit admin – and a bit of talking people down from having paddies,” she laughs. “One of the best bits of the job, of course, is going and seeking out new stuff and seeing what’s out there – so that’s always a bit of a joy; finding the next thing.” Alongside headliners like Graham Nash and José González, this year’s event includes a guest curator in the shape of acclaimed singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey, an artist who is no stranger to CFF. “Nick’s been on the list for a long time,” says Rebecca. “He’s a local boy done good, and he’s played on every stage at the festival over the years. He always goes down incredibly well with our audience, and because of his ties to the area, it was a perfect fit for us. And Cambridge Folk Festival is special for him as well, because
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