1 - 10 | The Sunday Times 1 Show all 1 - 10 Neither city slicker nor country bumpkin? The third part of our guide picks 50 towns, villages and suburbs that give you the best of both The Sunday Times Published: 15 March 2015 Gorgeous Bradford on Avon 1 Aldeburgh, Suffolk While Punch and Judy serves as a cultural highlight in many coastal outposts, Aldeburgh, with its shingle beach and fisherman’s huts, is more than merely a sideshow. The pastel-hued town attracts some of the biggest names on the classical scene to its annual music festival, hosted largely at Snape Maltings, the malthouse turned concert hall/arts centre just outside the town. Once an important port and centre for shipbuilding (the Golden Hind, Francis Drake’s galleon, was built here), the town’s fortunes declined as the River Alde silted up. The longtime resident Benjamin Britten helped to reclaim some of that lost glory when he founded the festival in 1948. The town has since added annual poetry, documentary and food-and-drink celebrations.

There are also several good restaurants in town and an acclaimed fish-and-chip shop. An eye-catching seafront statue of two interlocking scallop shells, by Maggi Hambling, serves as an emblem Subscribe now Suffolk Festivals Suffolk Festivals in date order, just click on each one for information 2016 FESTIVALS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first Aldeburgh & Suffolk Coastal Young People’s Film Festival, 5th-19th February 2016, venues across Suffolk The Aldeburgh Cinema Trust has initiated and organised the first Aldeburgh and Coastal Young People’s Film Festival as part of an ongoing project to develop the provision of high quality film and creative activity offers for children, young people and their families in the Suffolk Coastal area. The festival takes place between 5th and 19th February at a variety of venues in the region. All ages are catered for from three years upwards with a programme specially designed to be entertaining, fun and inspirational. Programme highlights include: • SHORTS FOR WEE ONES: 45 minutes of magical tales. Age 3+ • SHORTS FOR MIDDLE ONES: an hour of beautiful dialogue-free short films.

Age 8+ • THE BIG KNIGHTS: witty and charming tale from the makers of Peppa Pig. Age 3+ • ANTBOY - REVENGE OF THE RED FURY: smart and very funny tale about a short superhero. Age 8+ • WINDSTORM: teenage girls and horses. Age 10+ • LANDFILLHARMONIC: the true story of young musicians playing instruments made from garbage. Age 10+ • SPEED SISTERS: the true story of the first ever female Middle Eastern car racing team. Shown in the presence of MARAH ZAHALQA, 24-year old Palestinian racing champion. Age 12+ • EAST ANGLIAN STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL ‘Best of the Fest’. Age 12+ • ICONIC STORIES RETOLD IN FIVE MINUTES ‘Short Film Competition’. Age 12+ Full details including specific dates and venues can be found in the festival’s printed programme which is available from Aldeburgh Cinema. A digital version is online at Aldeburgh Cinema Call 01728 454884 or email info@aldeburghcinema.co.uk for more information.

The 15th Aldeburgh Literary Festival, Thursday 3rd to Sunday 6th March 2016, Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh The Aldeburgh Literary Festival was started in 2002 by the John and Mary James of The Aldeburgh Bookshop. This years festival features 4 days of events. 16 talks from a range of writers and personalities including leading cultural historian and broadcaster Sir Christopher Frayling, Author Frances Wilson, BBC Radio 4's Jonathan Dimbleby and screenwriter, actor and novelist David Nicholls, all at the Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh. There are also 3 art exhibitions held at the Aldeburgh Cinema Gallery, the Aldeburgh Gallery and the Thompson’s Gallery. Plus the book launch and signing of local pastry chef Henrietta Inman’s Clean Cakes (Saturday 5th March). Many events are already sold out so please call to book your tickets as soon as possible. Tel: 01728 452587 Venue Address: Jubilee Hall, Crabbe Street, Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

IP15 5BN For more information visit 17th Hundon Plough Beer Festival, Thursday 24th to Monday 28th March 2016, The Plough In Hundon 12pm until at least 11pm all days 30+ ales and craft beers and 12 ciders. Festival theme "World Hop Tour". Open all day throughout the festival and food available all day, children welcome until 9pm. 8 live bands over 5 days, please see our website for full listings. Festival organiser- Kate Wood Half day ticket £9/Full day £18 Concessions (Under 25) £5 half day/£9 full day Box Office opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday 11.00am- 2.00pm Visit for further information. Tel: 0845 6732 12 Weird and Wonderful Wood, Saturday 14 to Sunday 15 May, 10.30am- 5.00pm, Haughley Park "Wood is man's oldest natural resource... he has no older or deeper debt" Hugh Johnson.

A celebration of many aspects of woodwork, showcasing the talents of specialist woodworkers, and described as "the most magical day ever, it was so inspiring and so much fun" Anna Morrell, Kent. There are always new things to see and at this year's event our site will play host to a replica 46ft Saxon Ship, a Shepherds Hut and we are fortunate to welcome some fascinating musical instrument makers, a horse logger and a wood carver from Nigeria. As well as regular favourites, which makes it one of the most exciting wood fairs of the year. Over 120 artists and crafts people come from all over the country. Demonstrations include carving and sculpture, fine furniture making, displays by traditional fletchers and bowyers, chainsaw carving, hurdle making, wood turning, pole lathe turning, labyrinth making, as well as traditional gypsy caravan displays. Wonderful workshops for all ages, adults and children, are free and include many exciting activities such as archery, den building, willow weaving, papermaking, pole lathe turning, gypsy flower making, withy work, scrap wood, jewellery making, clay, puppet making and tree climbing in nets.

If you have not been before, you will find it has a friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere, fully enhanced by every ones passion for woodcrafts in all its forms, with something surprising for all the family. Also allow time to enjoy a wealth of excellent local food and drink (including local beers and cider) which you can enjoy while listening to music. Haughley Park, Nr Wetherden, Stowmarket, IP14 3JY Ticket Prices: Adults: £8, Concessions: £6, Children under 12: £4, Under 3: Free. Email: tarby@tarbydavenport.com Telephone: 01359 240 724 The Suffolk Walking Festival - A programme of 77 guided walks across Suffolk between 14th May and 5th June 2016 There are three lots of Challenge Walks: for those with sturdy legs and strong hearts, The Mega Challenge from Lowestoft to Felixstowe covers 60 miles in 24 hours(!); The Classic Challenge covers a similar route at a more sedate pace over five days; and The Mini Challenge is a series of three walks of about nine miles each, over three days.

Other walks include two stress-busting mindfulness walks; a 'prambling' walk for parents with prams; photography, birdwatching and Pilates walks; a speed-dating ramble; the ever-popular 'Horrible History For Families' in Ipswich and many more. Some include a cream tea or other refreshments and all are an informal and sociable way to explore the county. This year is Suffolk's Year of Walking, so go along and join in the fun, meet like-minded people and indulge in a leisure activity which benefits both body and soul. To find out more and book your tickets visit Suffolk Walking Festival The 2016 Bury Festival, 20th-29th May, Locations across Bury St Edmunds The Bury Festival offers ten days of great music, theatre, film & exhibitions in venues and spaces all around the town of Bury St Edmunds.

It showcases artists of international renown alongside home-grown talent, so as well as highly anticipated performances from violinist Nigel Kennedy, film director Lord Puttnam, Irish Country star Nathan Carter, and the winners of BBC2’s Naked Choir competition, The Sons of Pitches, you will also be able to enjoy the Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra, the West Suffolk Youth Jazz Orchestra and students from Guildhall Feoffment Primary School appearing alongside the National Youth Music Theatre. For a full list of events, dates, venues and to book tickets, please visit The 2016 Bury Festival East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival 2016, 22nd May, Nicholas Everitt Park, Lowestoft 10.00am-5.30pm Dragon Boat racing is an ancient Chinese tradition and the fastest growing water activity in Britain today- as well as the most fun! Up to 10 people paddle each 30'' boat with a drummer at the front beating in time and a helm at the tail steering a straight course. No previous experience required, just plenty of team spirit!

Gable Events is proud to have once again joined with Festival charity, East Coast Hospice, to bring you the 10th East Anglian Charity Dragon Boat Festival. The Festival is open to everyone and over 40 crews are expected to battle it out over the 200m race course, watched by several thousand spectators. Nicholas Everitt Park, Oulton Broad offers a superb venue for racing and a fabulous day is guaranteed with plenty of bank-side family entertainment including funfair activities, inflatables and children's rides plus a variety of food stalls and bar. Team entry fee applies, entry free to spectators Tel: 01780 470718 Email: info@gableevents.co.uk Find out how to enter: Dragon Boat Festivals - East Anglia Venue Address: Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk. NR33 9JR Pulse Festival, New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich Thursday 26 May – Saturday 4 June 2016 A 10 day Festival of inspirational contemporary theatre in Ipswich.

This years Pulse Festival, held at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, features 27 finished shows, 20 new works in development, and returning work from Caroline Horton, John Osborne, Two Destination Language, Figs In Wigs and Made In China. The 'Suitcase Prize Day' returns with a prize for the best environmentally sustainable show that can be toured on public transport. Jamal Harewood’s Word announced as 2016 Spring Festivals commission plus a new day dedicated to emerging work that see companies take new directions in how they make theatre. There will also be productions and partnerships with local arts organisations: Eastern Angles, Gecko and DanceEast. The festival finishes with Spymonkey’s production of The Complete Deaths, adapted and directed by Tim Crouch. Venue Address: New Wolsey Theatre, Civic Drive, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2AS. Ticket Prices: All tickets start at £8.50 (£5 under 26s) Suitcase Day is £15 for the whole day – add Police Cops for £5 when booking for the whole day Scratch Day is £5 per session, or £10 when you book all 4 together at once.

Work In Progresses are £5 each, these include Jamal Harewood’s Word, Le Gateau Chocolat’s Duckie and Gecko’s The Wedding See for show dates and times or see New Wolsey Theatre The 2016 LeeStock Festival, 28th to 29th May, Melford Hall Headliners for this years festival include The Feeling, The Hoosiers, New Town Kings and Lucy Spraggan plus lots of other local and national acts. Held in the grounds of Melford Hall, a National Trust property, LeeStock raises money for the Willow Foundation, a national charity who offer special days to seriously ill young adults.

Venue Address: Melford Hall, Long Melford, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 9AA For more information and for your chance to WIN FREE TICKETS - see LeeStock Festival 2016 Red Lodge Festival, Red Lodge Millennium Centre, Bury St Edmunds 28th to 29th May Sat 12 Noon till 01:30 hrs | Sun 12 Moon till 12 Midnight Join us for our fourth annual Beer & Music Festival in aid of local, regional and national good causes which features two full days of live music with an array of ales and ciders from the UK and Ireland for you to enjoy. There is something for everyone and this year we have some amazing acts headlining the event with Kaiser Monkey Killers the UK's No 1 Tribute Act finishing off on the Sunday. There is also two fun packed days of activities for families including a magician, circus skills, balloon modeling, bouncy castle, face painting, crafts and disco with games plus much more.

This event also provides such value for money with Adult Tickets priced at £10 (includes 4 ale/cider tokens) and Family Tickets price at £25 (incudes 8 ale/cider tokens and 8 soft drink tokens base on 2 Adulta and 2 Children). For more information please feel free to contact us on 01638 751148 or enail redlodge_eventsgroup@outlook.com. Venue Address: Red Lodge Millennium Centre, Lavender Close, Red Lodge, Bury St Edmunds, IP28 8TT Alive & V Dubbin, 10th - 12th June 2016, Jimmy's Farm, Ipswich Alive & V-Dubbin a Volkswagen festival held each year at Jimmys Farm in Suffolk. A family friendly event with something for everyone whether you camp for the weekend or visit for a day, own a Volkswagen or not!

Alive & V-Dubbin continues to grow from strength to strength attracting visitors of all ages to enjoy a relaxed, chilled out weekend of live music, loads for the kids to do from craft activities, drumming workshops, music workshops, Bouncy Campervan, Bungee trampoline to practising new skills on the free skate ramp,Lots of traders along with car displays on Saturday and Sunday and loads more. With great food vendors onsite all serving great quality food at an affordable price, you will have a great family weekend away or day out without breaking the bank as many of the activities on offer are free of charge too. You can also visit Jimmys Farm at a significantly reduced cost. Please take a look at for more information. Day Tickets - Adult £10 Child £5 Camping tickets available online Email: suffolkbugrs@hotmail.co.uk The Aldeburgh Festival, 10th - 26th June 2016, Aldeburgh Music Visit Aldeburgh Music for their 2016 17-day celebration of music, with birds, circus and pianos at its heart.

The 2016 Festival opens with the verve of circus artistry as the richly-hued surrealism of Rimbaud’s poetry inspires Illuminations – Struan Leslie’s newly-commissioned staging of music by Britten and others. The centrepiece is the Catalogue d’Oiseaux project, a day that brings Olivier Messiaen’s grand evocation of birdsong to life as never before. Artistic Director Pierre-Laurent Aimard not only performs the whole piece over four concerts set against stunning natural backdrops from sunrise to midnight, but also programmes a final-weekend celebration of piano playing that brings to the stage international performers and brilliant young musicians. Stowblues Festival - Saturday 11 June, Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket A day of fantastic Americana blues music at the Museum of East Anglian Life in partnership with BBC Radio Suffolk. 2pm-10pm. Also onsite, catering from The Osier cafe and a CAMRA bar stocked to the brim with real ales, ciders, lagers and wines.

A Taste of Sudbury Food & Drink Festival 12th June 2016, Market Hill, Sudbury 10.00am-4.00pm Promoting Local Produce & Local Restaurants with over 70 food stalls and cooking demonstrations throughout the day on stage. Market Hill & St. Peter's, Market Hill, Sudbury, CO10 1TL Free admission 10.00am - 17.00pm The Street, Hacheston, IP13 0DW "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" is the theme for this year's Flower Festival. Come and enjoy the medieval church and view the flower arrangements. The village hall, green and playground will also be used for plant sales, raffle, treasure hunt and a cafe will run all weekend with scrummy food and drink. Themed competition classes can be entered before the day. FREE ENTRY Maverick Festival, 1st-3rd July, Easton Farm Park The Maverick Festival is a celebration of Americana and roots music from both sides of the Atlantic, presenting music, film & workshops and featuring over forty different artists, across five stages indoors and out.

This years line up include; AMELIA WHITE, BARBARA NESBITT, DEBBIE BOND, HANNAH ALDRIDGE, HYMN FOR HER, JON LANGFORD, LOS PACAMINOS FEATURING PAUL YOUNG, LUKE WINSLOW KING, ROAMIN' JASMINE, ROBERT VINCENT, ROBYN HITCHCOCK, RYAN COOK, SAM OUTLAW, THE SULTANS OF STRING, THE HACKENSAW BOYS, WIZ JONES plus many more to be announced. On Friday, the music begins at 5pm and runs till around 11.30pm. Saturday's programme begins at 11.00am and runs till 11.30pm and on Sunday, entertainment commences at 10.30am and runs till approximately 2.30pm.

Ticket Information: Ranger £85.00 Weekend ticket with admission to all stages and includes up to TWO nights camping FRIDAY and SATURDAY Wrangler £65.00 Weekend ticket with admission to all stages No Camping Rustler £39.00 Day ticket, Saturday only Nighthawk £25.00 Friday night only Holy Roller £20.00 Sunday only Tenderfoot £15.00 Children 10-15 yrs, under 10's go free Tickets can be purchased over the phone from Ipswich Regent Theatre or visit Maverick Festival for more information. 10am to 5pm Stradbroke Playing Fields,Wilby Road,Stradbroke,IP21 5JN Annual 2 day festival with demonstrations, ponies, dogs, majorettes, magician, bouncy castles, licensed bar, hot and cold food. It's a Knockout/Wipeout on Sunday afternoon £2.50 adults 16 and under free.

Thorpefest, 2nd July 2016, Thorpeness Country Club Thorpefest, an exciting new summer outdoor music festival, will feature a great line-up with nearly a dozen bands performing live. Headline acts will be Coldplace, regarded as the world's leading tribute band to Coldplay, and the Take That tribute band, Rule the World, as well as local bands such as Raindance. Champagne and beer tents plus tempting food and a BBQ will be provided by the Thorpeness Dolphin Inn and White Lion Hotel providing fuel for everyone to get up and dance and enjoy themselves throughout the afternoon and evening. Tickets: £12 per person, £8 under 12s, under 5s free; discounts for Country Club Members Address: Thorpeness Country Club, The Benthills IP16 4NU For details call 01728 451021 or email events@thorpeness.co.uk or visit Bures Music Festival, 6-10 July 2016, Bures The 20th community-led summer music event, the Bures Music Festival, takes place in the picturesque village of Bures on the Essex & Suffolk Border.

The festival sees acts from all genres, from rock to blues, pop to choral, and jazz to ska, with all proceeds going to local charities and has awarded almost £185,000 since 1997. Line-up Sunday: The Counterfeit Beatles, The New Town Kings, LaVendore Rogue, Blue Meteors, D£Ukes, Sound Mirrors and B-fest winner 2016. £The Beatles homage plus local 9-piece ska-reggae collective promise a riotous festival finale. 12.00pm-9.00pm Saturday: Bootleg Blondie, The Secret Police, The Turner Brothers, Ady Johnson, Broken Eyes, Hot Tramp, Vardo and the Boss and The Flat Mountain Family. Authentic Blondie and The Police tribute shows complete a day of the best local acts. 12.00pm-11.00pm Friday: Blues & Rock Night with Dr Feelgood, Alvin Youngblood Hart's Muscle Theory and Stevie Nimmo Trio. Award winning British Rock and Blues legends share Friday's spotlight with a Grammy Award Winning guitarist and his band.

6.30pm-11.00pm Thursday: Jazznights presents Nicolas Meier, Emily Dankworth and Larraine Odell - all with The Jazznights Trio in St. Mary's Church. Doors open 6.30pm Thursday: B-Fest. Showcase for local young musicians in the Big Top. 6.30pm-10.00pm Wednesday: Chorus Iceni, local 40 strong ladies barbershop group from Colchester perform an emotive recital in St. Mary's Church. Doors open 6.30pm Tickets and info: Tickets are priced at £45 in advance for an adult 5 day pass, £25 for teens (aged 12-17 years), and children aged 11 years and under £3. A family ticket is priced at £125. Tickets also available for individual events. Camping Camping is £10 for a pitch which will cover 1 tent, caravan or motorhome. The Bures Music Festival is a not-for-profit event, with all proceeds going to local charities.

Latitude Festival, 14-17th July 2016, Henham Park The 11th edition of Suffolk's most famous music Festival see's the usual eclectic mix of music, theatre, poetry, comedy and much more. From the Obelisk Arena to the Faraway Forest you are never short of variety at Latitude. Headliners this year across the main stages include THE MACCABEES | THE NATIONAL | NEW ORDER | BEIRUT | CHVRCHES | M83 | FATHER JOHN MISTY | JOHN GRANT | THE LUMINEERS| GRIMES | OF MONSTERS AND MEN plus a huge range of other artists.

For more information including ticket prices visit Latitude Festival Take a look at what is in store for the 2016 Festival of Golf - 3 day open competition for the Thorpeness Trophy Golf clinics with Christine Langford (PGA pro) Trick shot show with Kevin Carpenter BBQ on the Meare 3 course dinner on your 2nd night with live music Many prizes to be won Memorial Field, B1119, Saxmundham, IP171EA 5pm-10.30pm Friday, 10am-11pm Saturday FREE EVENT This event is designed for the whole family. Guaranteed to be a fun filled musical package and fun day with Children's arts, fun rides, food stalls and two fully licensed Adnams bars. Music runs from morning until sunset. Friday will comprise of a ''Back to the Roots'' theme with some laidback music including, a bit of a jam from some local ordinary folk, Rabble Chorus Choir, Country music and taking it up to a finale of a live Reggae band to take us through the years. Saturday commences early with our local children taking to the stage showing us what musical talents they have.

Throughout the day we will show you excellent local bands with a ''Showcase Finale'' performance from the fantastic ''JK as Robbie'' a Robbie Williams tribute with full 5 piece band. Though this is a free entry event, please DO NOT bring alcohol of any kind onto the site over the two days. Conditions of our licence means security checks will be conducted and bags checked. Tel: 07771877454 or visit for more details. Jimmys Harvest Festival, 23-24 July, Jimmys Farm Jimmy's Harvest Festival of Sausages & Beer is an annual celebration of great live music, delicious food, and wholesome family fun. We will have top chefs cooking up tasty gourmet dishes on the Cookhouse Stage and lots of great local food & drink producers alongside some great art and craft stalls in our Markets. The Chiplolata Kids Zone will full of activities for children of all ages which, in the past has played host to The Flying Seagulls, a craft camp, Peppa Pig animal petting and den building. Our Main Stage arena will see some truly great artists taking to the stage for your entertainment.

Last year we had CBeebies television stars Justin Fletcher & Mr Bloom as the opening acts each day. The Main Stage has played host to some truly memorable performances over the years from Dodgy, Matt Cardle, Athlete, Toploader, The Shires and even Chas & Dave! 2016 will see a brand new area added to the already jam packed weekend of fun. Our Science & Nature Trail will feature some great educational and seriously fun children's entertainment. Expect lots of flashes, bangs, pops and whizzes! Tickets are on sale now! Westleton Wild Flower Festival, 29th July - 1st August ‘Fifty Years of Wild Flowers’ The Story of Westleton’s Wild Flower Festival. In St Peter's Church plus exhibition in the village hall. 10am-6pm Fri-Sun, 10am-5pm Monday. Free entry but donations welcome. Westleton’s wonderful Wild Flower Festival began 50 years ago. It was inspired by Jim Fisk (of Clematis fame) and Nelly Kemp, who had visited a similar festival in Norfolk. This Festival has continued since 1966 and has become a strong tradition within Westleton village life.

Each year the Festival has had a particular theme and in celebration this year the arrangements mark the many different themes of past Festivals. Great care is taken with the gathering of these wild flowers, and no threatened species are used in the displays. Concurrent with the Wild Flower Festival the Village Hall organises an exhibition of crafts and several stalls displaying and selling hand-made items. Different artisans will be demonstrating their skills each day and examples of their work will be available to purchase or order. Friday: ‘Crafty Mrs Fox’, Nicola Grayson will be demonstrating Needle felting and Jewellery from recycled silver. Saturday: Ragtime Ruggers will be showing us Making rag rugs Sunday: Sharon McMullin will be working with Stained Glass and Chrissie Davies will be displaying Woven Willow Sculpture Monday: David Nicholls will be showing his skills as a Cutler In addition Westleton Gardeners have been working all year to be able to offer a very wide range of garden plants for sale at their display stand in the Village Hall, and all at very reasonable prices. Wonderful home-made refreshments will be on sale throughout each day in the Village Hall.

The GRAND DRAW will take place at 4pm on Monday 1st August, with £100 first prize and many, many others! Sunday 14th August - Mendlesham Summer Festival St Mary's Church, Church Road, Mendlesham IP14 5SF 2.00-4.30pm Come and listen to ''Mambo Chutney'' playing Jazz from around the world in our open air concert in the Churchyard at Mendlesham. This exciting band will get your toes a-tapping and will put a skip in your step. We're told that spontaneous dancing is often seen when Mambo Chutney visit, so put on your dancing shoes. Their music includes a broad range of tunes from around the world, so be prepared for a continental explosion of sound. The Beer Tent will be open selling our special Mendlesham Festival Beer, Cider, Wine and much more. Delicious Cakes and Tea/Coffee will be on sale within the church. Speciality Hotdogs will also be on sale. For Children we have a bouncy castle and games to play and Ice creams will be on sale.

Celebrating our patronal festival of the Assumption, having fun & raising money for our church restoration. Open to all faiths. For more details see Festival website: The 2016 FolkEast Festival, 19th, 20th & 21st August, Glemham Hall 3 day Folk Festival in rural Suffolk, with local and international musical talent plus much more. A family friendly event where children under 11 go FREE! The first acts announced include seven 2016 BBC Folk Awards nominees! Headliners include – Folk Singer of the Year nominee Eliza Carthy (plus her all-star band featuring Sam Sweeney from Bellowhead, David Delarre of Mawkin and Lucy Farrell from the Emily Portman Trio) a rare appearance by seven-piece Blowzabella and an exclusive UK festival performance by Irish supergroup Usher’s Island.

Not just about the music, FolkEast also offers; great food and drink from local producers including real ales from nearby craft breweries, Morris, Mummers & East Anglian Step Dancing, Displays, workshops and dance-outs, Singing, Instrument, dance, poetry and art sessions and workshops, Art Arcade, Small Folk children's activities, Heritage Crafts, Social Knitwork, to name just a few. Visit FolkEast Festival for more information including ticket prices. Beer Festival - The Cherry Tree Inn, Woodbridge, 26th, 27th & 28th August 2016 The Cherry Tree Inn, 73 Cumberland Street, Woodbridge, IP12 4AG The Cherry Tree Inn Woodbridge (opposite Notcutts) will be holding their beer festival on the 26th, 27th and 28th August 2016. There will be at least 25 real ales from all across Great Britain, including Purple Moose of Porthmadog, Bude of Cornwall, Atlas of Argyll, Windsor and Eton of Windsor, Bosuns of Yorkshire and of course, our local Adnams from Southwold.

Hot and cold food will be available 12.00pm - 9.00pm Friday and Saturday and 12.00pm - 8.00pm on Sunday.

Website: Telephone: 01394 384627, Email: info@thecherrytreepub.co.uk Friday 26th Bavarian Night, 7.00pm - 12.00am Saturday 27th Free Family Fun Day, 12.00pm - 5.00pm Saturday 27th Skatonics and Local Acts, 12.00pm - 12.00am Sunday 28th Free Family Fun Day, 12.00pm - 5.00pm Sunday 28th Kenny Thomas and Local Acts, 12.00pm -12.00am Entry: £15 The Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival, 25th & 26th September, Snape Maltings 2016 A weekend celebration of Suffolk's thriving food & drink scene featuring over 90 food and drink producers from Suffolk and 2 cookery demonstration stages hosting visiting and local chefs. Family friendly, under 15's go free and there are free children's activities and hands on cooking workshops.

Woodbridge Shuck Shellfish Festival, 29th September to 2nd October 2016 The Tide Mill, The Tea Hut and other venues in Woodbridge, IP12 1AA Following on from the huge success of previous years, the fifth annual Woodbridge Shuck Shellfish Festival is back. This Festival is a real treat for foodies. This Festival is made up of several component parts from the Shuck Shack Pop Up Restaurant in Woodbridge's famous Tide Mill to the family entertainment, live music, Shuck shellfish inspired menus around the town and this year's 'pick and cook' stalls where you can buy your produce off one stall and get it cooked for you next door! Local Chefs Vernon Blackmore and Stephen David team up with The Crown and Simpers to bring you the 'Eating Plaice' in the grounds of The Tea Hut. Here you can feast on de-constructed moules frites, fish fresh from the Deben (maybe even caught by Award winning Harry Simper!), Bubble, Beer & Squid, Pasta and Paella while enjoying something cold from the bar. There will be ice creams and a menu for the kids, non alcoholic and non fishy options too.

2016 is set to bring you even more to see and do with plans afoot for boat trips and the 'Pub Trawl' up and running around the town with Beer and Bar food on offer. Keep your eye out for Shuck merch so you get a keepsake from this event, which celebrates all that is local and fresh. Free Entry. Selected kids entertainment will be free be sure to book your little ones into a Splay Messy Play session! Enquiries: michaela@thebridgemarketing.co.uk, Tel: 01394 380536 Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm and Sunday 11.30am - 4.00pm St Mary’s Church, Somersham, Church Lane, Lower Somersham, Suffolk, IP8 4PW A wonderful display of Pumpkins, Flowers and all things Autumnal! Refreshments and ploughmans lunches available. Free Admission. Now in its 15th year, Halesworth Arts Festival returns again to the Cut Arts Centre, offering almost 20 different performances over 16 days including film, live music, talks opera and comedy.

For the full line-up and booking information, see Cut Arts Centre Suffolk Libraries BookFest 21st - 30th October 2016, venues across Suffolk Events across Suffolk, Ipswich County Library, Northgate Street, IP1 3DE From 21st - 30th October 2016 Suffolk Libraries will be holding its second Book Festival with events in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Lavenham, Glemsford, Sudbury, Leiston, Southwold, Halesworth, Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Brandon, Haverhill, Great Cornard, Beccles and Stradbroke. Bookfest sees a politician, historian, video game blogger, award-winning children's illustrator, thriller writers, novelists and a survivor from the Holocaust all speaking at events held in libraries and other venues throughout the county.

Ticket prices vary, please visit our website for full details and ticketing information Website: Halesworth Scarecrow Festival, 22nd - 29th October 2016 The Thoroughfare and Market Place, Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19 8AH Come and see the scarecrows at Halesworth's 7th annual Scarecrow Festival. There's also a Treasure Hunt through the town, with the winner getting to turn on the Christmas lights with Santa on 26 November. Entry forms from Edwards Restaurant for £1. Other special festival offers available from shops and eateries throughout the town. SPILL Festival of Performance, Ipswich 26-30 October 2016 SPILL Festival of Performance is an international festival of live art, activism and performance presenting the work of exceptional artists from around the globe. This years theme is EN MASSE, exploring ideas of being together, as a group, all at once and will feature work from Mem Morrison, Mike Challis, Shabnam Shabazi, Shaun Caton, and Martin O’Brien working with Sheree Rose. Events take place in venues across Ipswich.

There will also be special events for children during half term week including games, messy play and a performance. Tickets start at £20 for a day pass, for full line up and ticket prices, see Tickets can be booked through New Wolsey Theatre Lavenham Children's Festival 28-29 October 2016 Introducing the first ever Lavenham Children’s Festival - two days of exciting events held in the village Hall and The Swan Hotel. Storytelling, workshops on drawing, writing and illustrating, a chance to meet some great authors, including the UK Children's Laureate and renowned illustrator, Chris Riddell. There are events from two years old upwards, and some have limited tickets so please book early. Tickets £3-£6, please call 07582 239289 or see Lavenham Children's Literary Festival for full event details. Click here to find out more about Lavenham Ways with Words, Southwold 10-14 November 2016 A 5 day festival of words and ideas held in St Edmunds Hall, Cumberland Road, Southwold IP18 6JW.

From politicians to adventurers, this years festival hosts a range of speakers including; Reverend Richard Coles, Shirley Williams, David Owen, Roy Strong, Maggi Hambling, Ben Fogle and Nicholas Crane amongst others. Penelope Lively will be giving the talk at the literary dinner on Sunday 13 November. Tickets range from £12 - £50 and are available from 20th September, with a second release of some tickets on October 4. If you want to book individual tickets to any events or to stay in one of the Adnams hotels - The Swan or The Crown for a festival package which includes bed and breakfast, evening meal and all the tickets to the full festival phone the box office on 01803 867373. Grand Christmas Tree Festival 1st - 7th December, Ipswich St. Mary-le-Tower, Tower Street, Ipswich, IP1 3BE Join us for the 7th annual tree festival, celebrating the life of Ipswich and its communities. View over 80 decorated trees placed by businesses, charities, community groups, individuals. Relax in the Festival Cafe or join in the children's activities, there's something for everyone.

A variety of concerts will occur throughout the festival, check out the website for more details. Charities that will be supported by this year's festival are Alzheimer's Society (Ipswich), Emmaus, and St. Mary-le-Tower. Entrance is free to view the trees. Contact: Donna Joyce, Tel: 01473 225610, Website: 10.00am to 6.00pm daily, Sunday 11th December, 10.00am to 4.00pm. St Peter’s Church, Market Hill, Sudbury, CO10 2EH 2016 is the 14th year of Sudbury Rotary Club's Christmas Tree Festival. There are over 90 trees decorated by local churches, charities, schools, businesses and a few individuals, resulting in a very varied display. A large Chancel tree is a Tree of Memories, where dedications can be hung. Refreshments are available and a varied program of live musical entertainment runs throughout the Festival. Entry: £1.00 charity donation.

Email: malcolmofford@btinternet.com, Web: Please also send reviews of festivals you have attended to info@suffolktouristguide.com Most Read Articles Suffolk Coastal | district, England, United Kingdom | Britannica.com Suffolk Coastal Suffolk Coastal, district, administrative and historic county of Suffolk , eastern England . It occupies an area that borders the North Sea to the east for about 32 miles (51 km). Woodbridge is the district seat. Fort Green Mill, a former windmill in Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk, Eng. William M. Connolley Suffolk Coastal is a low-lying district containing rolling hills in the interior north and west. The area bordering the sea has sand and gravel beaches, crumbling cliffs, and estuaries frequented by rare bird species. Directly inland the landscape is forested, especially in the south between the towns (parishes) of Woodbridge and Aldeburgh. The north coastal parishes of Walberswick, Dunwich , and Aldeburgh were prosperous local ports several hundred years ago. Erosion of the cliffs by waves, however, has washed away much of those towns.

Artists, bird-watchers, and sailing enthusiasts visit the area, and music lovers attend the annual (since 1948) Aldeburgh Festival, founded by the locally born composer Benjamin Britten . Felixstowe , Suffolk Coastal’s largest town, lies at the district’s southern tip. It developed as a seaside resort in the 19th century. By the late 20th century its amusement park and beaches remained popular, but it had also become one of Great Britain’s most important container ports. Cereals, sugar beets, cattle, and pigs are raised inland. The Sizewell nuclear power station is located in the district. Area 344 square miles (892 square km). Pop. (2001) 115,141; (2011) 124,298.

Learn More in these related articles: Suffolk property - Flats and houses for sale or to rent in Suffolk Digital Map Data ï¿½ Collins Bartholomew Ltd 2008 Suffolk - coastal, country and town life on your doorstep Bordering Cambridgeshire, Essex and Norfolk, Suffolk is a county of wide open skies, stunning coastline and a rolling countryside which has inspired countless artists. With 45 miles of unspoilt coast, Suffolk is home to a string of seaside towns and resorts, along with bustling Ipswich, and historic places like Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and Woodbridge. Lowestoft is the UK's most easterly town, while Felixstowe is its biggest container port. Property in Suffolk across regional hubs, small towns and villages tends to be attractively priced, with good access to quality local facilities. Housing hotspots include Britain's horse-racing capital Newmarket, Stowmarket, Felixstowe, the port town of Lowestoft and Ipswich, the county town. Town life In Stowmarket alone, housing ranges from new builds to detached bungalows, semi-detached cottages, Edwardian houses and barn conversions.

This medium-sized town between Bury and Ipswich has good transport links and amenities, and a number of major employers. The waterfront at Ipswich has been extensively redeveloped and is the town's focal point. Just five miles from the coast, Ipswich offers great shopping, restaurants, two cinemas, theatres and nightclubs. For culture vultures, the Aldeburgh Festival, founded in 1948, is one of the UK's most important classical music festivals. Henham Park, near Blythburgh, has hosted the open-air Latitude festival of music, comedy and poetry since 2006. Much of Suffolk's dramatic coastline is quite remote, and inhabited only by rare species of seabirds, so huge swathes of the Suffolk Heritage Coast are designated nature reserves. Getting around From Ipswich there are four trains an hour to London's Liverpool Street, with a journey time of just over an hour. There are also cross-country rail links via Peterborough to the Midlands and further north. The county's road network provides a link to London and the south east via the M11 or the A12. The A14 is an important east-west route, connecting Cambridge to Suffolk, and the Midlands and the North.

London Stansted and Luton airports are both easily accessible by road. Suffolk's schools Some of the county operates a three-tier system with primary, middle and upper schools. Nearly all of the latter have sixth form provision. The county also has 14 independent schools, the largest being the Royal Hospital School, near Ipswich, which takes boarders. Suffolk also has four further education colleges, and University Campus Suffolk has accepted students since 2007. With so much to enjoy in the way of open coastal and rural spaces, and historic towns and villages, it is easy to understand why nine out of 10 respondents to a MORI poll relating to the county said they loved where they lived! Property for sale in Suffolk Aldeburgh, Suffolk Travel Information Colourful houses on the beach front at Aldeburgh Summary A pretty village on the Suffolk coast, Aldeburgh is most famous for its annual music festival, aunched by composer Benjamin Britten, whose memorial is in the parish church.

The Aldeburgh Festival turns this quiet village into a bustling beehive of music each year, and has helped transform Aldeburgh from a fishing and pleasure-boating centre into a focal-point for arts and cultural events, which now take place throughout the year. What to see The seashore and surrounding areas are a haven for wildlife, and have been designated an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The wetlands around Aldeburgh are home to marsh harrier and bitterns, here an endangered species. There are three major historic buildings in Aldeburgh. The smallest, and arguably the most interesting, is the Moot Hall, located at the northern edge of the seafront. The Moot Hall is a very attractive timber framed building dating to the first half of the 16th century. It was built to serve as a combination council chamber, Market centrepiece, and prison. It now houses a popular museum covering the long history of Aldeburgh. On the exterior of the Hall is a clock, dated 1650.

Aldeburgh Moot Hall The 15th century parish church boasts the tomb of composer Benjamin Britten (see below), as well as a bust of poet George Crabbe, who was born here in 1794. Crabbe provided the inspiration for Britten's celebrated opera Peter Grimes. Britten is buried in the north of the churchyard, as is Imogen Holst, daughter of composer Gustav Holst. The church is worth a visit for its own sake, though rather a hodgepodge of styles. The bulk of the building dates to the 16th century, with a lot of 19th and 20th century work. The striking tower emphasizes the unusually broad nave, lit by Perpendicular windows. The octagonal pulpit is of oak, and dates to 1632. Aldeburgh is blessed with a lovely shingle beach, and fresh seafood can be purchased from fishing boats pulled up to the shingle. The Royal National Lifeboat Station affords an opportunity to view the famous Aldeburgh lifeboats up close. Aldeburgh has been a major RNL station on the Suffolk coast since 1851.

Martello Tower, Aldeburgh If you walk south along the shore, past the old, long-vanished port of Slaughden, you will come to the third historic building, a brick Martello Tower, one of many similar towers erected along the British coastline during the 19th century. The tower was begun in 1806 to guard against an anticipated Napoleonic invasion, but work stopped in 1812 before the construction was complete. It is the only Martello tower to be built in a clover-leaf shape, and the most northerly coastal defense tower to be built. Although perhaps not reason in itself to visit Aldeburgh, the local Fish and Chip Shop was named best in Britain in a poll by the Observer newspaper. The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts The Festival sprang from a desire by founders Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, and Eric Crozier to find a home for their touring opera company, the English Opera Group. In 1948 the trio established a music Festival at Aldeburgh, and the intervening decades have seen Aldeburgh become synonymous with new music.

Each June rising young artists are given the opportunity to showcase their talents and break new ground in musical repertoire and interpretation of old and new works. The festival is now operated by Aldeburgh Productions . Many of the major festival productions now take place, not at Aldeburgh itself, but at Snape Maltings, 5 miles distant. Aldeburgh is a delightful place to visit, though if you like peace and quiet you might be well advised to avoid the Festival period! About Aldeburgh Address: Aldeburgh, East Anglia, Suffolk, England Attraction Type: Town Aldeburgh Festival, Snape Maltings, Suffolk, UK Aldeburgh Festival, Snape Maltings, Suffolk, UK Read next by: Andrew Clark On the road into the Suffolk seaside town where Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears founded a music festival in 1948, the sign announcing Aldeburgh states “Anglia in Bloom Award 1998” – but someone has changed the numerals to make it 1898. It’s an in-joke, designed to acknowledge that not only outsiders see Aldeburgh as a museum piece.

Quaintness is part of Aldeburgh’s charm, but it gives a misleading impression of the festival, which is as sophisticated and up-to-the-minute as the town is endearingly behind the times. That distinction has become black-and-white since Pierre-Laurent Aimard arrived as artistic director two years ago. For much of the past quarter of a century, the festival was run by a coterie of English musicians whose view of the world was almost as insular as Aldeburgh’s. Aimard, a French pianist with a gift for creative programming, has virtually turned the festival on its head. Suddenly Aldeburgh feels less parochial, less precious – and very international. Britten and British artists have not been forgotten, as Saturday’s performance of The Rape of Lucretia underlined. But programme content is now dominated by composer-giants of musical modernism whom Aimard knew intimately, and the performers are an eclectic mix of European musicians who share his intellectually uncompromising ideals. How else to explain the choice of a Messiaen ghetto-blaster to open the festival on Friday, or the award of an Aldeburgh residency to conductor-less ensemble Spira Mirabilis?

Messiaen’s Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum had never been given at Aldeburgh; Simon Rattle, who conducted it, hadn’t appeared there for 20 years. It was an inspired pairing because Rattle, like Aimard, has long flown the flag for Messiaen’s questing aesthetic. Et exspecto, a 30-minute fanfare for winds and percussion, doesn’t offer much musical development, but sonically it shatters the conventional parameters of concert hall listening – thanks to Messiaen’s use of massive gongs, producing not so much a sound, more a physical sensation. In the cavernous Maltings acoustic these precisely calibrated rumblings and roars resembled ritualistic exchanges across Himalayan valleys, like intimations of the earth’s awakening. It wasn’t a question of decibels, though some in the audience did stop their ears. No, it added up to something more primeval, and the Maltings duly rocked.

With Rattle back at the helm of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, this was very much a family reunion – even more so after the interval, when Magdalena Kozená, the conductor’s wife, joined him for Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. It complemented Et exspecto perfectly, for Mahler’s songs, like Messiaen’s gongs, draw on sounds and images of eastern culture to express a vision of eternity. The CBSO was at the top of its game, responding to Rattle’s encouragement with wonderfully diaphanous sounds. Even so, it was Kozená who set the tone. Rattle had warned us before the start that she was far from well – but her determination, allied to the delicacy of Mahler’s scoring and the deep-seated warmth of her timbre, resulted in a performance of exceptional candour. All other sounds – even the bluster of tenor Michael Schade – faded into the background as Kozená, earth spirit-cum-soul singer, communed with the music, squeezing every last gasp of its world-weariness.

Spira Mirabilis, which played Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony on Saturday morning, was formed just three years ago by a handful of young Italians who wanted more from orchestral life than implementing decisions taken by conductors. The 35-strong group now embraces 10 nationalities. Their democratic approach has all the footprints of youthful idealism: working things out for yourself is what you do when you leave the security of the family home, and anything that makes us listen afresh to the familiar repertoire has to be a good thing. The concept is marketable, and the historical pedigree is impeccable – conductor-less performances were the norm in Beethoven’s day. The performance was nicely phrased and drilled, though hardly revelatory. The Rape of Lucretia brought together an excellent cast under Oliver Knussen. The concert format magnified all the opera’s well-known strengths and weaknesses – its instrumental pungency as much as its overweening artiness, the urgency of musical dramatisation as well as the blatant disjuncture between pagan story and Christian symbolism. Most of the words were swallowed by the Maltings acoustic.

What did shine out was the originality of Britten’s narrator parts, sung with tremendous verve by Ian Bostridge and Susan Gritton. Angelika Kirchschlager was a Lucretia of contrasting purity and sensuousness. Christopher Purves impressed as Collatinus, Peter Coleman-Wright less so as Tarquinius. It is reassuring to know that – alongside Aimard’s innovations, of which there will be ample evidence over the next two weeks – Aldeburgh remains a beacon of Britten performance. Maybe the perpetrator of the roadside joke should have been more ambitious: “Festival in bloom 2011” seems more appropriate. Aldeburgh Festival

Question: Which Suffolk town has hosted an annual music festival since 1948?
Answer: Aldeburgh