Festival's 10th Year Anniversary Weekend in Park & Venues

For our 10th anniversary weekend we return to Elmhurst Park and the Community Hall on Saturday 3 September 1pm-7:30pm (£10 Tickets on sale here) with our trademark blend of international stars, pioneers and regional acts.

The line-up over the weekend so far includes Martyn Ware (founder The Human League, Heaven 17), Justin Robertson (The Hacienda/ Bugged out/ Lion Rock), Chis Coco (The Chill Out Tent/ Ibiza), Les Spaine (UK Funk legend and Motown label boss - tbc), Ben Osborne (Noise of Art), Auntie L, Jupiter Ray, Latin Heat, Peter Hepworth, Pop Chorus (who also celebrate their 10th year) and many more.

Tickets to the park start at £10 and children 15 and under are free. All child tickets must be accompanied by an adult. Further events take place Sunday 4 September at The Boathouse (free entry - book for food via The Boathouse’s website) and The Riverside Monday 5 September (Get details and Tickets from The Riverside).

On Saturday 3 September, Ibiza veteran DJ Chris Coco (one of the few UK DJs to have played every super club in Ibiza), joins Hacienda icon Justin Robertson, who famously converted the Chemical Brothers to dance music. Les Spaine (tbc), original funk DJ and one time UK label boss to Steveie Wonder, Marvin Gay and Diana Ross, pairs-up with the festival’s own DJ Ben Osborne, re-living their recent sets at Liverpool International Music Festival, where they appreaed alongside headliners such as UB40 and De La Soul. Top regional acts appearing include Suffolk based soul band Jupiter Ray, jazz funk dance act Latin Heat and singer songwriter Peter Hepworth. East London Jamaican funkster Auntie L comes fresh from her turn at Manchester’s Escape From Freight Island.

They join the park’s bumper line-up of regional and international music, spoken word acts, arts, workshops, kids zone and the festival’s active environmental area. More to be annunced.

Elmhurst Park will also include a food and drinks street, featuring local, artisan producers and brewers. For the first time, a new section of the festival, The Village, will host the word area, alongside workshops, stalls and a section devoted to local acts.

Legendary artist Martyn Ware (founder of Human League and Heaven 17, and producer of Tina Turner and Chaka Kahn), will launch his autobiography with a Q&A, and book signing at The Riverside on Monday 5 September. Tickets for Monday can be purchased from the Riverside box office and website.

Dates, times and venues at a glance: Saturday 3 September 1-7pm, Elmhurst Park, Woodbridge, Saturday 3 September 7pm-11:30PM, Woodbridge Community Hall, Sunday 4 September, The Boathouse, Whisstocks Square, Monday 5 September, 7:45pm Martyn Ware at The Riverside Cinema - tickets for each shows are available for £10 or under.

The tenth anniversary weekend follows our successful monthly lockdown shows throughout 2020-2022 in venues around Suffolk, incuding a huge event with Jazzie B/ Soul II Soul in Elmhurst Park in 2021, a series of events projecting onto the Tide Mill (covered by BBC TV), music and light art events in Ipswich, Saxmundham and Felixstowe, jam-packed Jubilation weekend events in parks and venues around Woodbridge and a sold-out evening with Jazzie B and Ben Osborne in Arlington’s, Ipswich, in March 2022.

Ben Osborne