Scarborough Fair are thrilled to announce that Brit and Ivor Novello award winning and Grammy nominated artist Richard Ashcroft is joining the line up for a headlining performance.

Richard’s fourth solo album These People is released on the 20th May a week before Scarborough Fair returns to the Yorkshire coast after an eighteen year hiatus. The former ‘The Verve’ frontman will be performing music from both his past band and solo work as he plays the first festival date of the 2016 calendar.

At the end 2015 Ashcroft only played a handful of rare unannounced live appearances, playing acoustic sets in Zurich, Bilbao, and an ecstatically received solo performance in front of 30,000 people at Mexico’s Corona Capital Festival in November.

Scarborough Fair festival Founder, Joel Levack commented; “We are over the moon to announce that Richard Ashcroft is joining us as a headline act for the festival. Richard is one of the most iconic voices and characters in British music, whose impact has been felt globally. To have him return and choose to headline Scarborough Fair not only feels really exciting but feels like a perfect fit for the show we are trying to build.”

Joining Richard will be the ever popular Mercury Award nominated indie rock band, Everything Everything, heroing their latest album Get to Heaven which The Observer described as, “an album of astonishing depth”. Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Lianne La Havas will also take the stage at Scarborough Fair, performing tracks from her second album, Blood, which has received wide critical acclaim following an iTunes Award for her debut LP Is Your Love Big Enough?

They all join a list of great contemporary outfits and legendary performers inc: Public Service Broadcasting, Submotion Orchestra, Martin and Eliza McCarthy, Eliza Shaddad, Billy Bragg, Clare Teal, I Am Kloot, Lau and Field Music.

In addition, BBC regular Edith Bowman will be hosting Michael Fassbender’s DMC film site.

The Yorkshire based festival will be taking place on May 27–29 2016 overlooking Cayton Bay in Scarborough and set amongst stunning views of the coastline at Redcliffe Farm, Scarborough Fair will kick off the UK summer festival season with 5 stages of music which is sure to be an event with an eclectic mix of pop, folk, funk, jazz and dance music.

The cultural melting pot festival is the brainchild of Joel Levack, who was previously on the management team of Glastonbury Festival, and has and overseen Port Eliot festival and a number of pop-up galleries in London and across the UK.

A key location on the new Tour de Yorkshire cycle race, Scarborough has always been a popular seaside destination and in 2016 will fill a gap on the festival map by welcoming thousands of art and music fans to its various stages.

Arts entertainment will be integrated throughout the festival, including a sculpture trail, installations and a unique pop up art space. Cayton Bay will also offer surfing experiences for festival goers.

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