Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music

Started in 2012, Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music is a community-run event that showcases ambitious, diverse and quality international line-ups alongside emerging talent. It is committed to promoting good eco-practices and encouraging local talent and allowing emerging artists to share a platform with established national and international acts. Inclusive, accessible and sustainable, fun and alternative, it encourages creativity, supports cultural education and well being through the arts, and promotes sustainability through events, workshops and cultural engagement.

Previous acts have included Jazzie B - Soul II Soul, Martyn Ware - Human League/ Heaven 17, Leee John - Imagination and Gorillaz, David Vorhaus / White Noise, Diesel and Rocky - Xpress 2, Phil Hartnoll - Orbital, Mark More of S Express, Matt Black - Coldcut, Severino - Horse Meat Disco, Red Snapper, Faze Action, Flying Mojito Bros, Les Spaine, Richard Norris - The Grid/ Jack the Tab, Chris Coco - Cafe Del Mar, Justin Robertson - Hacienda/ Lion Rock, Si Begg, Polar Bear, UK hip hop pioneer TY, The Woodentops, White Noise, Salad, Phil Mison - Cafe Del Mar/ Reverso 68, The Reflex, Mental Overdrive (Norway), Aggie Frost (Norway), Noisy Pots (Czech), Cleo T (France), Bratri(Czech), Aiko (Czech), Maella (Czech), Cleo Gould and Jonathan Morton, Jesse Quinn, Hannah Saunders & Liz Simmons (USA), Run Time, Bird Radio, Ten Fé, festival programmer and host DJ Ben Osborne - Noise of Art, Neil Thornton - Lazer Magnetic, Swallow and the Wolf, Spatial Awareness, ARMS, Richard Haugh, Mirror Signal, Love Nor Money, Adam Double, Fish Claw, Robert Castelani, Kevin Pearce, Peter Hepworth, Dingus Khan, Booda French, Aartwork, Caswell, Girl In A Gale, Laura Wyatt, Charlie Law, Stephen Hodd, Robert Brown, Deben Collective, Andy Heasemen, Jimmy Green, J.S & The Lockerbillies, Daniel Lee Harvey, Neil Boast, Kelly Pritchard and Kevin Walford, Bobby Bucy, Adrian Wiggins, Smoothgroove, nonsuchdjs, Talulah Goodtimes, live broadcasts by BBC Introducing and many, many more.

The arts programme has seen commissions and open call competitions 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 Lennon), Zoë Howe, biographer of Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, Daryl Easlea, biographer of Peter Gabriel and members of Woodbridge writers and poetry groups.

Our environment section, which includes one third of the festvial site, summer schools, in class eco sessions and the annual Fish Friendly Fireworks projected on the Tide Mill, has been shortlisted for the East Suffolk Green Impact Award 2023.

The Festival is not for profit. But we have donated art and music equipment to six schools, an Alzheimer ’s choir and the Jess Foundation memorial fund, set up to support local music.