THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSES TO SUPER FLY - our project about the US Air Force and American Black Music in Suffolk

Having featured on on BBC Radio 4 and BBC6Music, our Super Fly call out for your stories has had a flying start.

Join Us for woodbridge festival’s FIRST LONGSHOP LIGHTS EVENT

THANK YOU FOR 2025 AND all BEST FOR 2026

Thank you everyone who supported our events in 2025. We attracted record audiences of over 10,000 people, while our media numbers reached over five million.

We welcomed over 1300 visitors to our annual flagship summer weekend in Woodbridge. Our Super Fly project saw legendary soul singer Geno Washington (the star celebrated in Dexy’s Number 1 hit ‘Geno’) bring Brit Soul home to Woodbridge, where Geno started his musical career while serving in the US Air Force’s Woodbridge base in the 1960s. Super Fly also hosted Les Spaine, the pioneering UK funk DJ. Les is a principle partner in Super Fly and was part of the project’s first public events at the Riverside Theatre in 2021. Stay tuned for more artist announcements.

We launched our Spin programme in June and are grateful for the support of national organisations and East Suffolk’s all party eco Councillors. The project has already reached hundreds of participants.

We brought our annual carnival celebrations back to the Woodbridge Regatta all day long on Sunday 29 June, with Nicky Don, of Rasta Yard and Ashanti sound systems, and Ben Osborne on decks and an opening address by Woodbridge Town Mayor.

We held our annual Fish Friendly Fireworks. Woodbridge Festival’s team created the new five day festival, Felixtowe Loves, which contributed a 20% plus upswing of day and overnight new visitors to the town.

We held celebrations for the 450th annniversary of the Shire Hall in Woodbridge, followed by two days of events for the Christmas Lights On at the ened of November - all working with Woodbridge Town Council..

And now we are continuing our annual Winter Lights Festival 2026. Thank you to everyone that’s supported us so far as we enter our 15th year.

Woodbridge Festival
of art & music

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

Woodbridge Festival started in 2012 and is a not-for-profit, collaborative, community run festival with charitable aims. We present high quality, original artists to local audiences at accessible prices. We promote a creative community and encourage and support the local creative economy. We attract year round cultural visitors, involve thousands of people creating community artworks and reach a media audience of millions.

We run a year round education and outreach programme across Suffolk that receives glowing testimonials from participants. Our work in local schools is praised by Ofsted. We’re a creative industry partner with Suffolk New College and work with Suffolk Rural College, Farlingaye High School, all local primary schools and SEND and additional education providers across Suffolk. We deliver our art, music and eco educational programmes to these organisations for free. We’ve donated art and music equipment to six local primary schools.

Woodbridge Festival has hosted acts from Canada, Czechia, France, Ghana, Italy, Norway, USA and more. Highlights have included headliners such as Aswad, Jazzie B/ Soul II Soul, Orbital, Leee John (of Imagination/ Gorillaz), Mercury Prize jazz act Polar Bear, Coldcut, Mark Moore/ S Express, Horse Meat Disco DJs, Red Snapper, electronic pioneer David Vorhaus (White Noise) and UK hip hop pioneer Ty - to name a few. We’ve had themes, such as a focus on Scotland, Czech republic and France, Windrush Day 75, Woodbridge Ambient Music Event in 2016, Winter Light Festival (est. 2021), summer schools on the environment, Beatles book launches, Fish Friendly Fireworks, Rendlesham Incident UFO sculptures in the Library (2014) and turning the 700 year old Tide Mill into a techno instrument (2021).

The festival is inclusive, accessible and sustainable, fun and alternative. We have supported 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 festival events.

:Events

Unmissable music & art in the heart of Woodbridge

As well as our annual flagship festival week and monthly music events, we hold annual Fish Friendly Fireworks and Projections for Peace -mass participation art projects projecting over 1000 contributions from the local residents, schoo;ls, colleges, professional artists and Woodbridge and Chelsea Arts Clubs onto the Tide Mill and other places in Suffolk.

:Eco Zone

Activities, fun and ideas

Running a sustainable event is central to what we're trying to achieve and eco activities have always been a huge part of the festival. We've co-created exciting live and online activities and events, including 2025’s Spin project, our Incredible Oceans Live, Forest School and Eco Toy Workshops in Summer Schools, online, in school classes and dedicated eco days.

 :News

Check in here for news from the festival’s year round programme of events

Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music’s annual flagship event takes place in Elmhurst Park and venues across town.

We also do live music and DJ events, art exhibitions, work shops led by practicing artists/ creatives, literature events and other activities in the region throughout the year.

Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music is not-for-profit and supports local culture, venues, education and community projects.

We're extremely grateful to The Co-Op national Community Fund, East Suffolk District Council ECB Fund, MSC, Scops, Arts Council England and the National Lottery funded Let's Create initiative, Woodbridge Town Council, Dedham Vale AONB/Suffolk Coast and Heaths' AONB's Sustainable Development Fund, Ipswich Borough Council, HM Government DLUHC Windrush Day Grant Scheme and UK Shared Prosperity Fund in East Suffolk, Suffolk County Council and the people of Woodbridge for generously supporting our mission to promote culture, creative participation and creative education in our area and to promote inclusivity and encourage sustainability and eco practices.