The award-winning Holt Festival features an eclectic mix of international music, drama, comedy, visual art, street theatre, workshops and more.
Holt Festival is one of the most anticipated summer events in North Norfolk and visitors from near and far flock to enjoy all that our week-long Festival has to offer. Performances take place in a variety of venues across the town and include a combination of free and paid events.
Holt Festival highlights are announced in late March and the full programme of events is revealed in May. For updates on Holt Festival please visit www.holtfestival.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
The 9th annual INK Live Arts Festival (24-27 Apr 2025) in rural Suffolk featured over 70 short new plays for stage and radio, and poetry, stand-up comedy, music, short films.
We aim to improve community pride, increased diversity, inspiration, and footfall. We also aim to provide great opportunities for writers and theatre practitioners UK wide.
The festival engulfs Halesworth with live, original, and diverse events in different exciting venues such as a garage and a museum. There are huge opportunities to take part for volunteers and the programme is designed to appeal to all ages at a reasonable cost—free to some.
Since INK's inception, demand has continued to increase and the festival has kept growing apace. This is the local theatre and town’s biggest event and is unique to the area. New short play submissions drew from 15 in 2015 to over 2000 in 2022. Careers have been launched and a creative community arisen. Everyone wants to return. The original plays that are put on are accessible, under 30 minutes long, and while some take on challenging topics, audiences embrace them. The town of Halesworth is increasingly involved, with many businesses offering free venues and services. Audiences and the commercial footfall is growing. We know, from previous youth targeted projects, that there is an appreciation and appetite for more, especially from students who have never experienced live theatre.
8 New Cut
Halesworth
Suffolk
IP19 8BY
The humble book has the power to inspire, challenge and connect. Ipswich Book Festival celebrates the ever-changing nature of books with fresh voices, new ideas and engaging experiences.
Our vision is to establish Ipswich as a thriving literary hub, and create a lasting legacy that inspires future generations to write, read or illustrate.
Ipswich Book Festival is a not-for-profit CIC that launched in 2025, to run various events across multiple venues over the first weekend in October each year.
Ipswich Borough Council Events Team hold several internally organised outdoor events on parks and open spaces within the borough including Ipswich Music Day, Holi Festival, Mela, Windrush, One Big Multicultural Festival, Family Fun Days and Christmas Lights Switch On.
Our events range from small-scale community events to nationally recognised events that attract up to 30,000 people. Most events are free to attend, however we do hold a number of ticketed events including Adventure Cinema, Fireworks, Oktoberfest, and Open-Air Theatres.
As well as our own events, we facilitate and administer a range of externally organised events taking place on Ipswich Borough Council owned land ranging from charity runs/walks, music concerts, beer festivals and fun fairs.
Grafton House,
15-17 Russell Road,
Ipswich,
IP1 2DE
Looking for activities to keep the children entertained during the summer holidays? Look no further, Family Fun Days are back!
Entertain the little ones for free at one of Ipswich’s scenic parks this summer. We guarantee there is something for everyone to enjoy. Tire the kids out on the rock-climbing wall, educate them at our wildlife exhibit, have a roar some dinosaur experience, get your face painted, or get footloose at the fun fair. Miss one, no fear! We aim to keep the format of each event the same, travelling across Ipswich to ensure everyone has an opportunity to join in the fun.
