Fairport Convention will celebrate 60 years of British folk rock at Cropredy in August 2027, with Richard Thompson, Iain Matthews and Kellie While among the guests announced for the Oxfordshire festival.
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention returns from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 August, with the band planning a two-and-a-half-hour closing set drawing on six decades of music. Two warm-up concerts will take place at The Mill Arts Centre in Banbury on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 August.
The complete festival line-up will be announced at 2pm on Friday 4 December 2026. Festival and glamping tickets go on sale at 10am on Monday 7 December.
Cropredy 2027 at a glance
Festival: 12–14 August 2027, Cropredy, near Banbury.
Banbury warm-up shows: 9 and 10 August 2027, The Mill Arts Centre. Their ticket-release date will be announced separately.
Full line-up: Announced at 2pm on 4 December 2026.
Festival tickets: On sale at 10am on 7 December 2026 through Fairport Convention’s official website.
Special guests for Fairport’s 60th anniversary
The anniversary programme brings together founding guitarist and singer Simon Nicol, bassist Dave Pegg, violinist Ric Sanders, multi-instrumentalist Chris Leslie and drummer Dave Mattacks. Thompson and Matthews, both former Fairport members, are among the guests joining the celebrations.
The band’s announcement promises a Cropredy finale spanning its history, rather than a performance devoted to one album. The rest of the festival bill will follow in December.
In the announcement, Nicol said: “It’s a complete privilege to be part of Fairport and for the band to be holding its own musically and commercially after six decades of finding our own way and making thousands of people happy with what we do. We love our job and I think it shows!”
Organisers say capacity will remain at around 7,000 for 2027. The latest Cropredy update also confirms that the Banbury warm-up concerts will return to The Mill, with advance notice promised before their tickets go on sale.
How Cropredy became Fairport’s annual gathering
Fairport formed in London in 1967 and played their first concert at St Michael’s Church Hall in Golders Green on 27 May that year. Their anniversary celebrations will mark the date with a London show exactly 60 years later.
But the band’s relationship with north Oxfordshire has its own history. Dave Pegg and Dave Swarbrick lived in Cropredy during the 1970s, and Fairport played an outdoor farewell concert at Peewit Farm in the village in 1979.
They returned with friends the following year for a reunion. Although earlier village performances had taken place, the band recognises 1980 as the first Cropredy Festival, according to its history of the event.
The festival subsequently grew beyond a gathering for Fairport followers. Its past bills have included Robert Plant, Alice Cooper and Status Quo alongside folk artists, while its single main stage allows audiences to follow the programme without choosing between simultaneous headline sets.
Planning a visit to Cropredy
Banbury is the nearest mainline rail hub for the festival. Drivers approach via junction 11 of the M40 and follow the temporary festival signs. Check the 2027 shuttle timetable before planning a late train home.
Camping vehicle passes and festival admission are separate considerations, and glamping guests also need festival tickets. Check the options when booking opens on 7 December.
The festival’s visitor information describes a wheelchair-accessible viewing platform, adapted toilets and designated accessible camping. Contact the organisers about your requirements and the 2027 carer-ticket arrangements before booking.
Thompson’s return continues a long association with the village festival: we previously covered his 2024 headline appearance with Zara Phillips.
Anniversary concerts across the UK
Before the summer festival, Fairport will play 24 dates across England and Wales from 23 February to 21 March 2027. Anna McLuckie will open the concerts, which feature the five-piece band with Mattacks on drums and keyboards.
The opening night at The Stables in Milton Keynes starts at 8pm on 23 February, with tickets advertised from £38.50 including the booking fee.
Four separate anniversary concerts follow in May, in Perth, Manchester, Birmingham and London. The press announcement names Thompson, Matthews and While among the guests for those celebrations. Later in the year, Pegg will mark his 80th birthday with a concert at Dudley Town Hall on 2 November.
Full UK tour dates
The following February and March dates are listed on the official tour schedule, with venue booking links. All are in 2027 and were checked on 4 November 2026.
| Date | Town or city | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 23 February 2027 | Milton Keynes | The Stables |
| 24 February 2027 | Swansea | Taliesin Arts Centre |
| 25 February 2027 | Exeter | Corn Exchange |
| 26 February 2027 | Bath | The Forum |
| 27 February 2027 | Tewkesbury | The Roses Theatre |
| 28 February 2027 | Kidderminster | Town Hall |
| 2 March 2027 | Peterborough | Key Theatre |
| 3 March 2027 | Buxton | Opera House |
| 4 March 2027 | Stockton-on-Tees | ARC |
| 5 March 2027 | Hexham | Queen’s Hall |
| 6 March 2027 | Lytham | Lowther Pavilion |
| 7 March 2027 | Stafford | Gatehouse Theatre |
| 9 March 2027 | Canterbury | Gulbenkian Arts Centre |
| 10 March 2027 | Harpenden | Eric Morecambe Centre |
| 11 March 2027 | Worthing | Connaught Theatre |
| 12 March 2027 | Winchester | Theatre Royal |
| 13 March 2027 | Poole | Lighthouse |
| 14 March 2027 | London | EartH, Hackney |
| 16 March 2027 | Leamington Spa | Spa Centre |
| 17 March 2027 | East Grinstead | Chequer Mead Theatre |
| 18 March 2027 | Southend | Palace Theatre |
| 19 March 2027 | Saffron Walden | Saffron Hall |
| 20 March 2027 | Hunstanton | Princess Theatre |
| 21 March 2027 | Loughborough | Town Hall |
| Date | Location | Event or venue |
|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2027 | Perth | Concert Hall |
| 25 May 2027 | Manchester | New Century Hall |
| 26 May 2027 | Birmingham | Town Hall |
| 27 May 2027 | London | Union Chapel |
| 9–10 August 2027 | Banbury | Warm-up concerts, The Mill Arts Centre |
| 12–14 August 2027 | Cropredy | Fairport’s Cropredy Convention |
| 2 November 2027 | Dudley | Dave Pegg’s 80th birthday concert, Town Hall |
A further autumn UK tour is planned, with dates still to be announced.
Booking for Cropredy 2027
Are festival tickets on sale yet?
Not yet. The announced sale begins at 10am on Monday 7 December 2026, three days after the full line-up reveal. Glamping bookings open at the same time.
Does a festival ticket cover the Banbury warm-up shows?
The warm-up concerts have their own ticket release, which organisers will announce separately. They take place before the festival, on 9 and 10 August.
For festival announcements and ticket links, visit Fairport Convention’s website.
