Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music has announced the full line-up for 2023’s annual weekend in Elmhurst Park - which has expanded to two days in the park for the first time. The weekend of activities  follows a sold out launch party with pioneering reggae act Aswad playing live. As well as launching the week's activities in Woodbridge, the Aswad show celebrated 40 years since the band recorded their seminal 1983 album, ‘Live and Direct’, at Notting Hill Carnival.

Headlining the Weekend event is Jazzie B OBE, founder of iconic act Soul II Soul. One of the most influential and celebrated pioneers in British black music and winner of two Grammy Awards. His songs, such as Back To Life and Keep On Movin', have topped charts all over the world - as did his iconic Club Classics Vol. 1 album.

Also playing Saturday are influential UK house, disco, chill out and acid jazz act A Man Called Adam, who play a rare DJ set. This is one of only two festival appearances by Sally Adams and Steve Jones this year. The show follows a rapturous reception for their new LP, The Girl With a Hole In Her Heart. Press comments include: “an offbeat gem”(Daily Star), “gorgeous synth pop” ( Crack Magazine ) “masters famed for their blissful, sun dappled sound” (The Guardian) and “dance-floor detonation” (Yorkshire Evening Post) .

Friday night’s headliner is home-grown Woodbridge rising star Caswell, who triumphed in a nationwide competition to support Ed Sheeran. Her single, ‘Dance Sober’, was used on This Morning, with Holly Willoughby declaring it “what we’re loving at the moment”. Caswell also opened for Pixie Geldof,  Lewis Capaldi and Arlissa and was selected by BBC Introducing to play Latitude, where she was listed as a festival highlight on their website.

Also headlining Friday will be Lowestoft born and raised Nathan X, who interrupts a global DJ schedule to return to Suffolk. His remixes of soul legends, such as Alexander O’Neil, have been Top 10 in US and UK dance charts.

Other acts over the weekend include Czech indie dance act Maella, who will appear in between tour dates in London and Southampton, plus former Aswad and Jah Warriors trombone maestro TBoNE and popular local singer songwriter Charlie Law aka Misery Gutz.

Essex's feted troubadour Sun Cutter, aka Kevin Pearce, has been much trumpeted by the likes of Tom Robinson (BBC 6Music) and will appear with his full band. First Light Festival, has selected Chloe Lupton from the acts that played their 2023 New Dawn stage. Jazz funk virtuosos, Latin Heat, comprise some of Suffolk’s most respected jazz players, while London/Suffolk based party starters Head Funk have been making a name for themselves in London’s Soho for their well-honed funk. Local prodigious folk singer/ songwriter, Ellie Tree, will kick proceedings off in the Park on Friday evening.

Notting Hill Carnival's Sancho Panza sound system founder, Jimmy K-Tel, and Woodbridge Festival and Noise of Art founder, Ben Osborne, will bring the park to a close on Saturday, before the party moves to The Community Hall (ticket holders only) for a closing session from 8pm, with a continuous back-to-back vinyl DJ sets from Ben Osborne, Gethin from Itchy Soul, Chris Co Co, Gypsy Soul Radio founder Bobby Bucy and special guests to be announced.

This year’s Art Area Make & Do sessions feature a new ‘Screen-print your own festival t-shirt’ session (bring your own t-shirt or buy one to print on the day). More new options include cyanotype printing, paper construction, screen printing, badge making, sound play and photography walkabouts. Art practitioners include SnapSkool, Jo Chapman, Charly Jolly, Alex Menhams and the festival's Arts Co-ordinator, Alice Stallard.

The Art, Eco, Family area includes improvisation, dancing, heart murals, story telling and the family Read and Chill tent, supported by Woodbridge Library. Plus Khangaroot Yoga and the Anchors Aweigh! interactive trail map.

The new Wellness Area has massages throughout the afternoon, with Indian head massage by Carmen Zahra (WNHC), back and shoulder massage by Lorna Bailey (WNHC), plus wellbeing and counselling sessions. Talks include Mindfulness meditation (Julia McKay), Nutrition (Ginny Hendry WNHC), Herbal medicine (Ed Berger Melton), Qi gong (with the festival's Wellness Area guru Steve Kippax (WHNC), Yoga, with Jane Daly and Abi from heseyayoga. There will be complimentary Chinese herbal tea tastings and plants from Katie’s Garden for sale.

The festival’s much loved food village with local bars returns bigger than ever, including Delroy's Caribbean Kitchen, Korean Kitchen, Wygyu Burgers, Fellows Farm, E5 Bakery, local Ice Cream, Vegan Cafe, Mr Bees Craft Beer, Saltpeter Wines, Bubble Crew Prosecco Bar, The Table’s Gin Bar and Suffolk Coffee Pod.

The Aswad show also featured three DJs (Bopper Ranking, Daddy Turbo and Nicky Rastayard), from Suffolk’s sound system culture

Jazzie B returns to Suffolk having played Woodbridge Festival in 2021. “I was DJing with Jazzie in London,” explains festival founder Ben Osborne, “and he mentioned he’d enjoyed playing last time. So I asked him back before he could change his mind. His set last time was a high point in the festival’s 11-year story.”

The expansion into two days has been made possible by funding from East Suffolk Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The festival is also grateful for funding from Woodbridge Town Council, Arts Council England and Suffolk Building Society..

“We’re hugely grateful to have been given funding to expand the festival,” says festival chair Naomi Drown. “We are a not-for-profit community festival, set-up to put on high quality acts and promote creativity in our local area. Over the last 11 years the festival has invited chart toppers, Glastonbury headliners, Grammy winners and internationally celebrated artists, from electronic music to soul, indie, hip hop, Brit Pop and classical music genres. This funding makes it possible for us to expand into what looks like being our best year yet.”

For more information and tickets see www.woodbridgefestival.com