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
HEAD EAST – Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Last Minute
Discover one of the oldest arts festivals in England. Held annually since 1824 and able to trace its roots back further to 1772.
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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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Visual Arts
HEAD EAST – Exhibitions, Art, Sculpture & Making
New exhibitions are now showcasing works in unique settings which add to their impact. Here are a selection of ideas to stimulate and intrigue
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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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Festivals
HEAD EAST – Festivals and Shows in The East of England
The East of England has a range of festivals taking place across the year that will appeal to all tastes in music, literature, art, and film
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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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History & Heritage
HEAD EAST – History & Heritage The Abbey of St. Edmund 1000th Anniversary Celebrations
Bury St. Edmund’s, Suffolk is the location for a year of celebrations to mark 1000 years since the founding of the abbey of St. Edmund by King Canute.
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Explore
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 to places which are being restored to their glorious, natural state.
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Visual Art
HEAD EAST – Select your Favourites! Share the EXPERIENCE
Share the experience! Over 200 concept designs have now been voted for and can be viewed for each of the locations at the Norfolk way art trail 2022
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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 – Art Fair East with Will Teather and Claire Oxley
Art Fair East, founded in 2015 by leading Norfolk-based artists, is the major art fair for the Eastern region.
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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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Literature
HEAD EAST – Behind the scenes, crime writing with Henry Sutton
Noirwich is the annual crime writing festival which has run for over eight years. Noirwich director, Henry Sutton shares his insights and observations into this year’s festival.
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Theatre & Drama
HEAD EAST – Behind the Scenes, Stephen Crocker About On Before
"The magic of theatre is built on shared experiences; moments that connect us with an endless array of stories and awe-inspiring creativity."
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Performing Arts
HEAD EAST – Behind The Scenes, Out There Arts with Artists Peter Sweet and Leonie Baker
Peter Sweet and Leonie Baker make up the performing arts company, Tiny Colossus, and are artists in residence at the National Centre.
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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
Festival
EA Festival
Hedingham Castle
Sat 10 Jun 2023 00:00
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Festival
First Light Festival 2023
Lowestoft Beach
Sat 17 Jun 2023 12:00
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Exhibition
Sean Scully – Smaller Than The Sky
Houghton Hall, Walled Garden and Sculpture Park
Sun 29 Oct 2023 00:00
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Workshop
Printmaking Art Course
Nicola Slattery RBA
Sat 17 Jun 2023 09:30
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Festival
Norfolk & Norwich Festival
Norwich
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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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