:What we’re about

Woodbridge Festival of ART & MUSIC is a community-run event that showcases ambitious, diverse and quality International line-ups, encouraging local talent and allowing emerging artists to share a platform with established national and international acts.

The festival is inclusive, accessible and sustainable, fun and alternative. It encourages creativity in the community and raises money for cultural education. We’ve supported equipment for six schools, music in health, music for the elderly and a choir for Alzheimer patients. We take environmental responsibilities seriously - avoiding using generators, operating a leave no trace policy, encouraging train travel for artists and audiences and having a dedicated EcoZone and educational activities at the festival.

:Our Story

Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music began life 10 years ago (in 2012) and re-launched in 2018 with a committee drawn from the local community at its helm.

In 2021 we were able to return, mid pandemic, to do our annual event in Elmhurst Park, with Jazzie B, Chris Coco, Faze Action’s Simon Lee, Rocky (Xpress2),Nathan X, Aruba Red and many more. We began our series of popular events projecting onto the Tide Mill, including Ben Osborne’s Noise of Art project ‘Tide Mill Out’, which projected the internal working of the Tide Mill onto its exterior - as seen on TV (we’ve been waiting to say that since we got into panto). We held the debut Fish Friendly Fireworks event at the Tide Mill (remember, remember: it’s back 5 November 2022). We launched our monthly Riverside residency with a sold out event for Ella’s Fight, featuring top local acts (including Peter Hepworth, Aartwork, Kevin Pearce) and partnered with Aspire Black Suffolk and Ipswich Art Centre to put on an event with Les Spaine - godfather of UK funk DJs. And we launched our twice monthly events at the fantastic new waterside venue, The Boathouse, featuring a line of top Balearic Disco DJs who would normally be playing the super clubs of Ibiza.

In 2020 we worked within Covid 19 restrictions. Unable to stage our big flagship weekend, we staged monthly socially distanced events from June to December, working with over 30 artists - including Leee John of Imagination/ Gorillaz, Red Snapper, Aruba Red, AIKO (Cz) and poets Kirsty Allison and H E Ross. - and filming them for online broadcasts; engaging over 30,000 people. We are grateful for support from Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council and AONB. We held events at The Riverside, the Table, East Coast Diner, Community Hall, Tea Hut, Turk’s Head and Elmhurst Park. We will continue holding monthly events at The Riverside when allowed in 2021.

Our 2019 event attracted over 1,000 people to Elmhurst Park, Red Lion, Woodbridge Glamping and New Street Market and included Live Music, Visual Arts, a Writers Zone, EcoZone, Family Entertainments and a locally sourced Food Street reflecting the breadth and excellence of local producers.

Previous years have featured Mercury nominated jazzers Polar Bear, hip hop pioneer TY, Glastonbury headliners Orbital and The Woodentops, Coldcut (Ninja), White Noise (1960s electronic), Salad (Brit Pop), Phil Mison (Cafe Del Mar/ Reverso 68), Mark More of S Express (Acid House), Red Snapper (Warp/ Lo),, Severino of Horse Meat Disco (Disco), The Reflex (House/ Funk), Justin Robertson (Hacienda/Bugged Out), original festival founder Ben Osborne (Noise of Art) and many more… We are grateful for support from Arts Council England, Suffolk County, East Suffolk and Woodbridge Town Councils and AONB.

More details of our events from 2012 onward are below

:timeline

2020

In 2020 we worked within Covid 19 restrictions. Unable to stage our big flagship weekend, we staged monthly socially distanced events from June to December, working with over 30 artists - including Leee John of Imagination/ Gorillaz, Red Snapper, Aruba Red, AIKO (Cz) and poets Kirsty Allison and H E Ross. - and filming them for online broadcasts; engaging over 30,000 people. We are grateful for support from Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council and AONB. We held events at The Riverside, the Table, East Coast Diner, Community Hall, Tea Hut, Turk’s Head and Elmhurst Park. We will continue holding monthly events at The Riverside when allowed in 2021. We were grateful for support from Arts Council England, East Suffolk Council and AONB.

2019

Hacienda DJ Justin Robertson,Bessie Turner, Si Begg, Flying Mojito Bros, Dudley Benson (New Zealand), North Atlas (Scotland), Exterior (Scotland), Ben Osborne, Planet Voices, Laura Wyatt, Peter Hepworth, The Brackish Edge, Smoothgroove, Richard Haugh & Tallulah Goodtimes, Auntie L, Boby Glo, literary zone, poetry walk, visual arts, local producers food street and bars, eco zone, education and family zones. Supported by County, District and Town Councils.

2017 & 2018

Following a fallow year the festival re-established with a committee from the community and held small events at Woodbridge Glamping, The Table & Red Lion.

2016 

Introduced a Woodbridge Ambient Music festival stream and a local acts free event in Elmhurst Park, with other events at The Table, Tea Hut, The Anchor, The Riverside, The Red Lion, The Community Hall. Acts: Phil Mison (Cafe Del Mar/ Reverso 68), Salad (first reformed gig), The Woodentops, Justin Robertson, White Noise, Ten Fé, Peter Hepworth, Aartwork, Caswell, Deben Collective, Girl In A Gale, Jan Pulsford, Jimmy Green, J.S & The Lockerbillies, Kelly Pritchard and Kevin Walford, nonsuchdjs, BBC Introducing. Fund-raising day for local music education and local acts, plus pre-events at Hollywells Park, Ipswich. Pump and Grind Ipswich with Danny Rampling, Diesel (XPress 2), The Woodentops, The Normans and many more. Stalls, Street Food & Bar from the Table. EADT

2015

Elmhurst Park, The Table, Tea Hut, The Anchor, The Riverside, The Red Lion, The Community Hall. Supported by Woodbridge Mayor, SCC. Acts: Phil Hartnoll - Orbital, Matt Black - Coldcut, pioneering late Sixties electronic act White Noise, Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s), Swallow and the Wolf, The Woodentops, Spatial Awareness, Justin Robertson, nonsuchdjs, ARMS, BBC Introducing Live with Richard Haugh, Graeme Mac, Mirror Signal, Love Nor Money, Adam Double, Peter Hepworth, David Freeland, Jan Pulsford, Fish Claw, Aartwork, Robert Castelani, Jesse Quinn (DJ Set) & Ben Osborne. Aldeburgh Music presents Run Time and the debut Sunday Literary Festival with Omnibus Books: Chris Charlesworth, editor never seen before Beatles photographs, Zoë Howe, biographer of Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, Daryl Easlea, biographer of Peter Gabriel. Art in the Fire Station and Woodbridge Arts Club. New Music Books section launched with festival at Browsers Bookshop, food, drink and fashion stalls and Street Food & Bar from the Table. EADT

2014

Elmhurst Park, The Table, The Anchor, The Riverside, The Red Lion, East Coast Diner, The Community Hall, The Fire Station. Supported by Arts Council England, Woodbridge Mayor, SCC. Acts: Red Snapper, TY, Polar Bear, The Reflex (France), Severino (Horse Meat Disco) (Italy), The Woodentops, Justin Robertson, Si Begg, Ben Osborne, Monika Cefis (Canada), The Intermission Project, Thomas J Spieght, Ben Hauke, Charlie Law, Peter Hepworth, Kevin Pearce, Rhiannon Mair, Arrtwork, Jan Pulsford, Non Such DJs, Talulah Goodtimes, Swallow and The Wolf, and Robert Castellani, plus BBC Introducing Live,Richard Haugh, Graem Mac, Dingus Khan, Booda French Aldeburgh Music Open Space presents Bird radio. And art installations and exhibitions from Mark scott Wood (Woodbridge Library) and Planet Patrol, food, drink and fashion stalls and Street Food & Bar from the Table. EADT

2013

Community Hall, Market Square/ Shire Hall, The Angel. Supported by Woodbridge Mayor, Department for Communities and Local Government and Arts Council England: Our Big Gig. Acts: Mental Overdrive (Norway), Aggie Frost (Norway), Ben Osborne, Peter Hepworth, Scarlett Wolf, Stephen Murphy, Charlie Law, Kevin Walford, Robert Brown, Hannah Saunders & Liz Simmons (USA), Oculus, Andy Heasemen, Aartwork, Ben Sherman, Jan Pulsford and more. Local acts acts selected in co-operation with the East Anglian Daily Times and BBC Introducing Suffolk, a welcoming address from our two female representatives County Cllr Page and Town Mayor Mulcahy plus Street Food from the Table & Beer Festival from The Angel. A two day weekend of events following a Friday night launch event with Coldcut, Mental Overdrive and Slow (Russia) at BFI Southbank, London. EADT

2012

Alternative Jubilee at the Tea Hut & along the riverside. Acts Mark Moore - S Express, Ben Osborne, Neil Boast and fireworks supported by The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Woodbridge and Bar from the Angel. EADT