Summer Festivals in Norfolk and Suffolk: Your 2026 Calendar

Summer festivals in Norfolk and Suffolk bring a fantastic selection to make the most of the season.

It’s just one of the reasons holiday homeowners love the eastern counties. Across all genres, and all over the region, the music and festival scene will be bustling with activity. Check out this festival checklist.

Norfolk and Suffolk together offer one of the most varied summer festival calendars in the country. From live music on the north Norfolk coast to unforgettable performances at Henham Park in the Suffolk countryside, there’s something for every taste. Folk music, street food, visual arts, comedy, theatre, dance, and family activities are all well represented, and many events are free or great value for a full family day out.

First on the Festival Checklist

Before you check venues, tickets, and headliners you need to get festival ready in the practical and sensible sense. Not all festival events are outside, but many are. So be careful. It doesn’t matter if you’re camping for two or three nights, or just making a day of it:

• Factor up with good quality sun protection. Even if it doesn’t feel like a scorcher, the UV can be harmful if you’re not protected.
• Take a hat.
• Take an umbrella (in the heat it’s a parasol. In ‘summer’ it could be… an umbrella.)
• Keep hydrated. That’s with water. You take the point…
• Wear sunglasses. They make sense – and can of course look cool.
• Cover up with appropriate clothing. Sunburn is dangerous – and frankly it’s not a good look either.

Norfolk festivals in July and August

Norfolk’s summer festival season runs the length and breadth of the county, from Norwich city centre out to the north Norfolk coast. Whether you’re based near Great Yarmouth, Wells-next-the-Sea, or King’s Lynn, there is live music, food and drink, and family friendly fun within easy reach all summer long.

King’s Lynn Festival
July 12th – 25th

Featuring jazz, folk, drama, classical concert and fine art exhibitions – the Kings Lynn Festival is now in its 75th year of providing high quality entertainment. Renowned for bringing new compositions and international names to the town, it’s a summer must.

Set in the heart of west Norfolk, the King’s Lynn Festival makes good use of the town’s stunning historic venues. It is one of the region’s most respected celebrations of international music and visual arts.

BIG Wednesdays Fireworks at Gt Yarmouth
July 22nd – August 26th

This weekly firework festival is a Great Yarmouth institution. Every Wednesday from late July through August, there are fireworks on the seafront. Fit it into your festival plans. As a free weekly event it’s hard to beat for summer entertainment.

Norwich Pride
July 25th

Still dedicated to its ethos of being free to attend, Norwich Pride is now in its 18th year. The Norwich Pride march is at the heart of this glorious event but there’s so much else to see. Stalls, shops, the Makers Market and brilliant Pride merch are all part of a super day.

Worstead Festival
July 25th – 26th

Legend has it that Worstead Festival started life 60 years ago as a village fete to raise funds for the church roof. Now it calls itself the biggest village festival in Norfolk. Worstead brings you live music, Lego, cooking demos, live entertainment, flower festivals, art exhibitions and so much more.

It’s one of the best loved music events in west Norfolk. The craft and food stalls, morris dancing, and folk music sit alongside the live entertainment, and the village provides a spectacular setting for it all. A genuinely great day out for families.

Wells Carnival
July 31st – Aug 9th

Wells Carnival will deliver another week of varied and marvellous entertainment this year. Competitions, circus workshops, dog shows, live music and bingo. It’s packed full of activities.

Wells-next-the-Sea is one of the gems of the north Norfolk coast, and the carnival brings the town to life with a traditional procession complete with floats and fancy dress. North Norfolk enjoys very few events as rooted in community spirit as this one, and the local food and drink on offer adds to the occasion!

Suffolk festivals in July and August

Suffolk’s summer festival calendar punches well above its weight. From Henham Park to Glemham Hall, Snape Maltings to the streets of Aldeburgh, the county hosts some of the most loved festivals in East Anglia. There’s live music, food and drink, storytelling, poetry, literature, wellness, comedy, and visual arts, often set against stunning surrounds that make the experience all the more memorable.

Latitude Festival
July 23rd – 26th

Run by Festival Republic, and an annual event since 2006, Latitude Festival has only ever been interrupted by Covid in 2020. It remains one of the most celebrated festivals in the Suffolk countryside. Major names in music have played at the Henham Park event and 2026 will bring more, including David Byrne, Teddy Swims and Lewis Capaldi.

Alongside the headline acts and main stage performances, there are workshops, comedy, theatre, dance, and family activities across the weekend, making it a genuine celebration for all ages. It’s regarded as one of the most family friendly festivals in the UK.

Black Shuck Festival
July 31st – Aug 2nd

Bungay brings you the Black Shuck Festival, celebrating folklore, imagination and storytelling. In the collective imaginations of local writers and artists the Black Shuck legend still influences the works produced here and continually attracts visitors to this unique and wonderful town.

The date is important of course. It was on August 4th 1577 that a wild black dog entered Bungay’s St Mary’s Church during a violent storm. The dog then appeared again at Blythburgh church, where it became trapped. Its claw marks in the door can be seen to this day. Go visit… but be afraid, be very afraid.

Folkeast Festival
August 21st – 23rd

Folkeast Festival is one of the folk scene’s most loved events, and it always manages to bring together vintage acts and bright young stars. The talks, the workshops, the art, the food and, absolutely, the music make this Glemham Hall extravaganza an unmissable part of Suffolk’s summer celebrations spent on the stunning country estate that gives the festival its distinctive character.

The Suffolk Villages Festival
August 28th – 31st

The Suffolk Villages Festival is a delightful experience featuring Renaissance, Baroque and classical music for voices and period instruments. And it happens in some beautiful churches, offering audiences an intimate experience of classical music in genuinely spectacular surroundings. Since its inception in 1988, the festival has built a reputation for mixing performances of major works by its resident ensembles with performances by distinguished visitors.

Maui Festival
August 28th – 30th

Maui is a family-friendly festival based at Elveden Hall near Thetford in Suffolk, offering three days of entertainment across multiple stages and for all ages. Highlights include world-class live music on the Main Stage, circus performances, street food, dance and bass tents, cabaret, comedy, acoustic sets, and roaming street acts. The varied line up make it a strong option for a full family weekend in the Suffolk countryside.

Get Festival Ready This Summer in Norfolk and Suffolk 

A whistle stop tour of Norfolk and Suffolk’s summer festivals proves the point. This is a part of the country where life is rich and varied. This is a part of the country where life is rich and varied. From the First Light Festival on Lowestoft beach (which we’re proudly sponsoring for 2026) and the Aldeburgh Festival at Snape Maltings, to traditional summer carnivals on the north Norfolk coast and folk music in a walled garden, summer here is something worth being present for. 

It’s somewhere that people get to know, and then come to love. As the idea of owning your own UK holiday home becomes an increasingly attractive proposition, people are looking at places like the Norfolk coast, the Suffolk coast, Broadland and the Waveney Valley, and it isn’t hard to see why.

Frequently Asked Questions