HEAD EAST – celebrating culture and arts in the East of England
Welcome to Head East. We’ve gathered our creative and cultural partners together to celebrate arts, culture, and heritage in and around Norfolk and Suffolk. There’s an abundance of places, spaces and events to explore close to home, for a day, an overnight stay or for longer. With something for everyone, you can search the latest event listings over on our What’s On page. And below, we’ll feature news, interviews, inspirational itineraries and event highlights to ensure you make the most of what the East has to offer. Enjoy exploring, discovering something new and spending quality time with friends and family.
NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS
Festival

A two-day trip to SPILL Festival 2023
The biannual SPILL Festival is always an exciting time in Ipswich. New work and international artists rub shoulders with family performance and community productions to create a diverse programme.
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Modern Art

HEAD EAST – Urban Frame: Mutiny In Colour
West Suffolk presents one of the country’s biggest modern art exhibitions of 2023 featuring several artworks by controversial artist Banksy
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Literature

HEAD EAST – Norwich UNESCO City of Literature
National Centre for Writing celebrates the tenth anniversary of Norwich becoming England’s first UNESCO City of Literature
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Nature & Wildlife

HEAD EAST – Experience and Explore
Head east to experience a range of outdoor wonder walks, nature trails and art-led curated walks.
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Outdoors

HEAD EAST – Explore and Experience Rewilding in Coastal West Norfolk
If you haven’t experienced rewilding yet, these walking tours serve as a great introduction.
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Welcome

Introducing HEAD EAST and thank you to our partners
Head East is a new year-long campaign celebrating the rich diversity of arts, culture, and heritage in and around Norfolk and Suffolk.
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Theatre

HEAD EAST – Behind the Scenes, with Douglas Rintoul
Douglas Rintoul is an award-winning theatre director, who's directed a wide range of productions across different genres and styles
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Nature & Wildlife

HEAD EAST – Behind the scenes with Dominic Buscall at Wild Ken Hill
Discover Wild Ken Hill, where we principally farm and seek to restore nature through a variety of conservation tools.
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Traditional Visual Arts

HEAD EAST – Behind The Scenes –Mark Bills & Gainsborough’s House
My name is Mark Bills, director of Gainsborough’s House. My love of art has been the motivation throughout my career.
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Arts & Culture

HEAD EAST – Behind The Scenes – Mary Muir, a fond farewell
A fond farewell from Mary Muir, Arts Development Manager at Norfolk County Council, after 22 years working and living in Norfolk.
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Festival

HEAD EAST – Behind the Scenes, Catherine Riley on Primadonna
100+ writers, publishers, musicians, influencers, and creatives of all kinds who offer their insight, experience, and expertise.
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Event Highlights
Visual Art

The Stuff of Life / The Life of Stuff
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
Sun 10 Sep 2023 09:30
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Visual Art

Maggi Hambling: ORIGINS
Gainsborough’s House
Tue 26 Sep 2023 10:00
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Festival

Lowestoft Film Festival
Royal Plain, Lowestoft
Fri 20 Oct 2023 18:00
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Dance

Northern Ballet Beauty and the Beast
Norwich Theatre
Tue 21 Nov 2023 19:30
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Plan your visit
Itinerary

Norwich
Lose yourself in the City of Stories
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Itinerary

Ipswich
Immerse yourself in Suffolk's cultural capital
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Itinerary

Bury St Edmunds
Lose your head in Bury's cultural offering
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Itinerary

North Norfolk
Big sky, big sea, big culture
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Itinerary

Lowestoft
A fine mix of culture at the UK's most easterly point
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Itinerary

Suffolk Coast
Head to the sunrise coast of the best in landscape and culture
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Itinerary

Great Yarmouth
A surprisingly cultured seaside gem
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Itinerary

King’s Lynn
Shakespeare endorsed post town with a long history of culture
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