Downpours fail to dampen spirits at music festival

A mixture of rain, sun and more rain failed to quash the spirits of revellers and performers, as Ipswich Music Day celebrated its 35th anniversary.

The free festival regularly sees thousands of people descend on Christchurch Park to see mostly local acts perform, though on Sunday the crowd was forced to dodge a number of heavy showers.

"There's no denying there was a lot of rain at the start of the day, but by about 14:30 the sun was blazing and the crowds really turned out," said Wayne Bavin, who was compering the BBC Suffolk stage.

Mark Whiting, head of vibrant town services at Ipswich Borough Council, added that despite the unfavourable weather, "as usual it was a great, free day out".

"I've now been part of this event for well over 20 years and it keeps drawing in people every single year," he said.

Its unique selling point was its "quality music" provided by local acts, he added.

The council managed to keep the event free by working with as many stakeholders as possible, he said, holding commercial events earlier in the year and raising income through concessions, such as bars.

Local band Afterdrive spoke of their excitement to be performing, ahead of their support slot for Suffolk star Ed Sheeran at Portman Road next Sunday.

Vocalist Ben Watts said despite the "iffy" weather, they were "all super blown away". Other band members added it was great preparation for next week's stadium date.

Norman Atkins, 78, and Bernadette Atkins, 77, said they had come to the event every year for many years.

Bernadette said Ipswich Music Day could usually be "quite wet", with Norman adding "it's brilliant".

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.