Friday 30th August - Sunday 1st September. Elmhurst Park and Various Venues
The festival, which is in its 12th year, has announced a bumper line-up of acts and a new theme that sees famous artists showcase their 'alternative' hidden talents. This includes TV stars playing DJ sets, DJs exhibiting artworks and best-selling authors performing live music.
After a pre-party on Saturday 17 August, at Ye Olde Bell and Steelyard, featuring special guest Simon Lee aka Faze Action, the festival weekend opens at The Riverside on Friday 30 August with Les Spaine, a pioneer of club DJing. The former head of Motown Records in the UK is considered the godfather of UK funk DJs. Les has worked with everyone from Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to David Bowie.
Saturday’s event in Elmhurst Park will welcome Louis de Berniers, the best-selling author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. He makes a rare appearance wearing his singer-songwriter hat and performing songs from his new LP.
Live electronic duo Sons of Slough also appear in the park. Iconic producer and DJ Andrew Weatherall was a huge fan - and not just because his brother Ian Weatherall and collaborator Duncan Gray are in the band. Like previous Woodbridge Festival headliners Orbital, Sons of Slough brought live electronic music into clubs and helped shape the sound of dance music. This will be one of only two UK festival appearances this year by the duo.
Cult TV and Radio presenter Katie Puckrik (The Word, BBC6Music) launches her new compilation album ‘Yacht Rock Odyssey’ (released over the festival weekend) with a DJ set overlooking the sailing masts on the River Deben.
TV and film actor Ben Miles (Huge Disco/ Plasticons) returns to his pre-thespian roots to play a DJ set. Ben is best known for starring roles including Patrick Maitland in the television comedy Coupling, Montague Dartie in The Forsyte Saga, Roger Dascombe in 2005 film V for Vendetta and Peter Townsend in The Crown. Plasticons - his DJ duo with The Detectorist’s Toby Jones - makes regular pop up appearances in central London.
DJ Justin Robertson, the celebrated Haceinda resident who inspired the Chemical Brothers to make dance music, will exhibit his abstract paintings, as will DJ and Mi Soul presenter Abi Clark, who creates art as Super Natural Thing.
Dave Jarvis, of Faith, has just celebrated 25 years of the club night he started with Terry Farley and Stuart Patterson, with a massive event at Koko in London. Jarvis is also celebrating the 50th release of the Moton records, the label he started with Diesel and DJ Harvey.
Rob Mello, who pioneered UK deep house music under his aliases as House of Whacks and Black Science Orchestra, is joined by the Heavenly Social’s Carl Gosling, aka Heavenly Jukebox, and Sophie Green. Both DJ alongside Woodbridge Festival founder Ben Osborne (White Trash/ Noise of Art). ICR favourite Daddy Turbo will unleash his trademark b-lines. Transient radio head boy, Bobby Bucys, is joined by North London’s Itchy Soul crew and everybody’s favourite purveyor of seven inch vinyl DJ sets, Sid Le Sarge, will return to Woodbridge with his on point mixes of rare 45s.
Local live act JS & The Lockerbillies bring their popular re-workings of classic rock-a-billy, r ’n’ b and rock ’n’ roll - with more regional acts yet to be announced
The festival will host an Arts Area with art trails, games and make and do sessions. There will also be a Kids Zone, Eco Zone, Wellness Area, drum workshops plus a spoken word stage hosted by Raph of Scripted Development. The Food Village will feature high-quality, locally sourced street food with the likes of Delroy’s Caribbean Grill, Korean Kitchen , The Riverside/ Table/ Duck pop-up bar, Honey Beer and Saltpeter Wines. There will also be pizza, ice cream and bars selling ales, lagers, craft beers, wines, spirits and cocktails.
The popular all ages Make & Do sessions return with new and much loved activities, including print a one-of-a-kind festival souvenir, badge making, clay monsters (and fairies), recycled crafts and more, led by cross platform artist Alice Stallard and textiles artist Claire Hardaker. Enjoy Family Yoga with Emmakyoga, Glitter Tattoos with Abbie, GIANT games with 5th Woodbridge Sea Scouts and take time to chill in the Family Read and Chill zone with story time sponsored by Suffolk Building Society. Look out for the Choose Love heart trail around the festival site and take your insta selfies surrounded by love…. Discover more about local community initiatives and doodle your eco message to the world.
This year’s Word Lit area will include an open mic run by Scripted Development and the Wellness area includes plants from Katie’s Garden, free massages plus Yoga and Qi gong classes. There will also be complimentary Chinese herbal tea to sample and herbal tincture medicines for sale - along with a session on how to make Kombucha.
The festival has been supported by public bodies and private enterprises, these include Mediterranean Shipping Company, Suffolk Building Society, East Suffolk Council, Woodbridge Town Council, Suffolk Digital, Grove Court and The Natural Health Centre. Tickets are on sale now - see www.woodbridgefestival.com
Festival dates at a glance
Saturday 17 August Festival Pre-Party Ye Olde Bell And Steelyard with UK Disco don Simon Lee (Faze Action) and Ben Osborne from 5pm
Friday 30 August Festival Weekend Opening Night at The Riverside with UK Funk legend Les Spaine from 9pm
Saturday 31 August Main Event in Elmhurst Park from Midday plus night time venues from 8pm
Sunday 1 September All Day After Party Whisstocks Place From 1pm
Tickets
Tickets to venues available separately.
Ye Old Bell and Steelyard - From £10
The Riverside - From £10
Elmhurst Park - From £10
More about the festival
The not-for-profit community run festival has pioneered place-based music and art events in Suffolk since 2012. Recent art projects have seen over a thousand local residents contribute artwork for public performances and exhibitions. It works with all the schools in its immediate area and has donated music and art equipment to six primary schools.
The festival regularly brings high quality international artists, Grammy and Mercury Award winners and pioneering acts into the region to perform at accessible ticket prices. Previous acts brought into Suffolk by festival founder DJ Ben Osborne have included Aswad, A Man Called Adam, Aluna (Aluna George), Coldcut, Danny Rampling, Daniel Avery, Faze Action, Horse Meat Disco DJs, Jazzie B (Soul II Soul), Justin Robertson, Kavinsky, Leee John / Imagination, Martyn Ware / Heaven 17, Mark Moore/ S Express, Mental Overdrive, Orbital, Polar Bear, Red Snapper, Rocky and Diesel, Sebastian (Ed Banger), The Reflex, The Woodentops, White Noise and many more.
