Folk-Rock Hero Richard Thompson To Headline Sutton’s Folk In The Park 2025

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Richard Thompson, globally acclaimed as one of the finest singer-songwriters and guitarists of his generation, has been confirmed as the headliner for this year’s Folk In The Park. The one-day festival in Sutton, curated by the Sound Lounge, will take place on Saturday, August 16th in Manor Park. It’s likely to be Thompson’s only London performance of the summer.

The attractive bill already features such internationally-renowned names as Eddi Reader and The Tom Robinson Band, and in keeping with the Sound Lounge’s unswerving support for emerging artists, will also include former BBC Sound Of… nominee Ren Harvieu and David Banks (formerly of The Whybirds) with his band The Loose Change. Many more names will be announced in the coming days and weeks.

A co-founder of folk legends Fairport Convention in the 1960s, Thompson becomes the latest in a series of Fairport-related bookings at FITP, including performances by the Ric Sanders Trio in 2022 and Iain Matthews in 2023. “I’m really looking forward to performing at Folk in the Park this summer, where I’ll be performing acoustic versions of material old and new,” he says. “It looks a lovely location and the line-up will make for a great day of music. See you there!”

The festival will also feature food stalls and bars, craft workshops and a family zone, and will mirror the sustainability standards of the Sound Lounge by ensuring that all food is locally sourced and plant-based.

FITP and Sound Lounge co-founder Hannah White describes Thompson as “A master guitarist. He does it all, and means it all. This is going to be the highlight of my year!” Sound Lounge patron and music journalist Paul Sexton adds: “We’re incredibly excited that Richard accepted our invitation to Folk In The Park. Having interviewed him several times over the years and seen his unbelievable guitar wizardry at close quarters, I can’t wait to welcome him to Sutton.”