Felixstowe Loves Art Festival drew thousands to Suffolk town

Felixstowe Loves Art Festival was held on September 6 and 7 and attracted people from across the UK and abroad, including guests from cities such as Glasgow, London, Birmingham and Marseille.

The event featured a sold-out headline set by reggae band Aswad and a busy line-up of live music, DJ sets, art exhibitions, workshops and family activities.

Fans gathered to see Aswad perform in Felixstowe (Image: Supplied) Ben Osborne, festival programmer, said: “Felixstowe’s Town Mayor, Corrine Franklin, said our Felixstowe Loves event in August was helping to put ‘Felixstowe on the map’, by attracting visitors from across the UK.

“The September festival is our more art-focused event, and we’re delighted by the range of people that visited and got involved.

“We’re proud to be part of the town’s burgeoning creative community, which is helping to raise Felixstowe’s profile nationally.”

The festival is organised by Noise of Art for Felixstowe BID and aims to complement the long-standing Sunday event, Art on the Prom.

Aswad headlined the event (Image: Supplied) Activities included live music, DJs, art stalls, craft sessions, fairground rides, food and drink stands, and free skateboard lessons on a pop-up half-pipe.

Performers included Ipswich DJs Bopper Rankin, Daddy Turbo and Nicky Rasta Don, as well as DJ Ben Osborne.

Other acts on the bill were Peter Hepworth, Suffolk ska band The Pangs, JS and The Lockerbillies, JazzVibe, Samboomba Samba Band, and teenage singers Eliza Gold and Zack Ochart.

More than 22 stallholders offered creative activities, from clay modelling to cookie crafts.

Artists and community groups involved included Alice Stallard, Felixstowe Arts Group, The Ark, Rik Saggers and Shaun Hinton.