Free festival returns thanks to community help

An annual arts and music fair which was cancelled last year amid rising costs will return for 2026.

Strawberry Fair started in 1974 on Midsummer Common, Cambridge, as a free alternative to the University of Cambridge colleges' May Balls. It attracted more than 30,000 visitors.

But it was cancelled in 2025, with the chairperson of programming saying costs had doubled in a decade from £100,000 to at least £200,000.

Organisers said the "year's pause has sparked renewed community involvement".

"[It] reminded us of our shared passion for what Strawberry Fair brings to Cambridge," a spokesperson said.

The festival - held on the first Saturday in June - is run by volunteers and when cancelling the event, organisers said charging for the festival was never an option.

"We are entering a period of modernisation, embracing positive changes in communication, fundraising, and engagement with the community," they said.

"These changes ensure that we move into our next chapter while always staying true to our core values of community, inclusivity, creativity, and volunteerism."

In previous years the fair has included music, poetry, community art, circus acts and wellbeing sessions.

As it is the 51st year the festival is on, organisers have chose an Area 51 theme, a nod to the secret US Air Force base.

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