New music festival announced for Ipswich in partnership between Ipswich Central and Brighten The Corners

A new music festival will give visitors the chance to rock out in Ipswich town centre as part of plans to turn it into a ‘vibrant cultural destination’.

Ipswich Central Business Improvement District (BID), which runs the All About Ipswich website, has announced a partnership with the Brighten The Corners festival.

The festival recently announced the first wave of acts for its main event in June, with south London band Dry Cleaning set to headline.

In addition to the main festival, held annually, a new event is being planned for October, set to take place in bars and pubs across the town centre.

Joe Bailey, chief executive of Brighten The Corners, expressed his hope for the new event.

He said: “This partnership not only allows us to take the June festival to the next level this year, but also to bring something new to Ipswich’s cultural calendar in the autumn.

“By expanding our reach with All About Ipswich and introducing a new free town centre event in October, we will do even more this year to showcase music and the arts, whilst helping the local economy.

“We’re excited to be working with Ipswich Central and other local stakeholders to make this a success.”

Brighten The Corners’ summer festival takes place at its three venues – The Baths, in St Matthew’s Street; The Smokehouse, in South Street, and St Stephen’s Church, in Arras Square – as well as The Corn Exchange and the Cornhill.

As part of the partnership, Ipswich Central will sponsor Brighten The Corners’ summer festival and the All About Ipswich website will help raise its profile.

In addition, it is hoped town centre businesses would be supported by the BID offering bounce-back offers and hotel ‘staycation’ packages for festival-goers.

The October event will take place solely in bars and pubs.

Venues in Ipswich known for live music include The Plough, in Dog’s Head Street; The Shamrock, in Tacket Street; The Swan & Hedgehog, in King Street and the Crafty Fox, in Thoroughfare.

Lee Walker, chief executive of Ipswich Central, described Ipswich as a ‘vibrant cultural destination’.

He added: “Our partnership with Brighten the Corners is a fantastic opportunity to enhance the festival this year using the All About Ipswich website and social media channels to draw more people to enjoy both the music festivals and our local businesses.”