Woodbridge Festival 2023: Latest news!
Previous act Jazzie B wowed audiences at the Woodbridge Festival, Picture by John Ferguson www.johnfergusonphoto.com
Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music has been shortlisted for a prestigious East Suffolk Award and is to return to Elmhurst Park and other venues on September 1st-2nd.
The announcement of the first date over the weekend, the annual Elmhurst Park festival on Saturday September 2nd, saw all its super-early bird tickets sell-out in record time.
This joyous festival, which is returning for its 11th year, has been shortlisted for East Suffolk Green Impact Award 2023.
A not-for-profit and community run festival, as well as holding events in parks and public squares and projecting onto the Tide Mill and historic buildings, it’s donated music and art equipment to six local schools, run art and literature competitions attracting 100s of entrants, supported an Alzheimer's choir, held eco summer schools and in class eco sessions in schools and donated funds to local causes. A large part of the festival site is devoted to an eco zone and this year it’s been shortlisted for the East Suffolk Green Impact Award.
The festival began with music and light projection nights around Woodbridge in 2010/2011, with the first festival-type event being held in 2012 during the jubilee, followed by a trial multi-venue event (2013) and the first Elmhurst Park festival in 2014.
Featuring big name headliners alongside homegrown talent, previous acts have included Jazzie B - Soul II Soul, Martyn Ware - Human League/ Heaven 17, Leee John - Imagination and Gorillaz, Diesel and Rocky - Xpress 2, Phil Hartnoll - Orbital, Mark More of S Express, Matt Black - Coldcut, Severino - Horse Meat Disco, Red Snapper, Faze Action, Richard Norris - The Grid/ Jack the Tab, DJ Ben Osborne, Chris Coco - Cafe Del Mar, Justin Robertson - Hacienda/ Lion Rock, UK hip hop pioneer TY, Salad, The Reflex, Mental Overdrive (Norway), Aruba Red, Les Spaine, Kevin Pearce, Peter Hepworth, J.S & The Lockerbillies, live broadcasts by BBC Introducing and many more.
The festival arts programme has commissioned open call competitions attracting 1000s of entries and included works by Alice Stallard, Mark Scott Wood, James Hutchinson, Brie Harrison, Woodbridge Art Club and more.
Spoken word, poetry and literature strands have included poets Kirsty Allison, H E Ross and Peter Bloor, Chris Charlesworth (discussing his book of unseen Beatles photographs and friendship with John Lennon), Zoe Howe, biographer of Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, Daryl Easlea, biographer of Peter Gabriel and members of Woodbridge writers and poetry groups.
Advance Tickets for the festival day in Elmhurst Park are on sale at:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/woodbridge-festival-of-art-and-music-2023-tickets-537893623307
