With just two days to go until the 20th edition of Wychwood Festival, organisers have announced Friday night headliner Craig David Presents TS5 is no longer able to perform.
The last-minute withdrawal sees the UK garage and R&B icon Walking Away from the festival – one can only assume due to how busy he is on Thursday and Friday and Saturday…
Posting online, Wychwood said:
“We are disappointed to announce that Craig David Presents TS5 is unfortunately unable to join us at Wychwood Festival this year due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. We sincerely hope to welcome Craig to Wychwood in the future.
“Our team has been working flat out behind the scenes to make sure Friday night remains every bit as special as planned and we are thrilled to announce that the phenomenal Sophie Ellis-Bextor is now stepping up to headline Friday night.
“Sophie was already set to bring the disco to the main stage, and now she will officially close the night with a sequin studded headline performance. We’re deeply grateful to Sophie and her team for rearranging plans at such short notice to make this happen.“
Despite the disappointment many will feel at losing an iconic headliner in Craig David, there have been more than a few comments describing his booking as “Not very Wychwoody” so not everyone will be upset with the change.
So the baton passes to Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Queen of the Kitchen Disco, riding to the rescue upon a Disco-ball of pop brilliance (you’d imagine) to bring her sequin-studded disco to light up the night.
With a remarkable music career spanning over 25 years, Sophie has achieved five Top 10 albums and eight Top 10 singles. Her iconic hits include “Take Me Home,” “Get Over You,” “Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer),” and “Murder on the Dancefloor”—which enjoyed a massive resurgence after featuring in the film Saltburn, now boasting over 11 billion global streams.
So could the Friday rejig open the doors to an exciting last-minute addition? With an already stacked lineup featuring the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Levellers, Everything Everything, Maximo Park, Feeder, Boney M, Newton Faulkner, Chesney Hawkes and many more, Wychwood organisers’ little black book is clearly full to the brim with contacts – so watch this space!
One thing for sure is whoever steps into the fray it’s already a belter of a weekend in store for attendees.
The 20th edition of Wychwood Festival takes place 29th – 31st May 2026, Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire. Remaining tickets are available via Wychwoodfestival.com
