A showcase in East Anglia for creative leaders in literature, media, art, environment and music
Back at Hedingham Castle on 13-14 September 2025
Join us in Albania in September 2024!
EA Festival 2024 Sponsor
Founded in 2015, Bishop & Miller is one of the fastest-growing auction houses in the East of England and has locations in Stowmarket and Holt. Its main focus is specialist and themed auctions of carefully vetted objects and collectibles.
2024 Forthcoming Events
Saturday, 27 April, 2 pm, Overcoming the Yuck Factor: Edible Insects with Nick Rousseau and Perez Ochieng, Food Museum
Tuesday, 30 April, 12 pm, The Fall and Rise of the Stately Home with Peter Mandler & Ben Cowell, The Jockey Club Rooms, Newmarket
Wednesday, 15 May, 12 pm, The Unlikely Duke with Harry Beaufort, The Jockey Club Rooms, Newmarket
Sunday, 30 June, 4 pm, EA Festival x Essex Book Festival: Sing As We Go with Simon Heffer, Layer Marney Tower
“EA Festival was the most magical weekend I can ever remember, for so many, many reasons - and I suspect life-changing for a significant number of people.”
— John Lloyd, EA Festival 2021 speaker & creator of Black Adder, Spitting Image and QI
EA Festival 2023 Speakers & Performers
Tristram Hunt, Mark Hedges, Louise Gray, Dipo Faloyin, Luke Harding, Marianna Spring, Justin Webb, Shunta Morimoto and more.
DISCOVERY & ENCHANTMENT AT HEDINGHAM CASTLE
The 2023 Festival will be held on the grounds of Hedingham Castle, one of the most beautiful and historic destinations in East Anglia, conveniently located on the border of Essex and Suffolk (and a 90-minute drive from London) in the charming village of Castle Hedingham.
FREE Concerts at The Keep
MORE KUDOS FOR EA FESTIVAL
It was the most memorable and uplifting day imaginable. The setting was magical, the weather perfect and, above all, the speakers were terrific.
-- Polly C.
I wanted to say how brilliant it has been for me to watch the whole festival live streamed as I was not able to attend in person. Food for the soul and the beginning of something very special. Go EA!
-- Claudia G.
I think EA Festival will transform the cultural life of this part of the country.
-- Will D.
Congratulations on a triumph of a weekend. I look forward to hearing about the festival going from strength to strength, taking its place among other major art and culture festivals of the UK.
-- Dr. Gavin Francis, EA Festival 2021 speaker
How it started
Instead of sitting around, feeling helpless and gloomy during lockdown, I thought, why not parlay adversity into opportunity and give the community where we live a shot in the arm by creating something they can look forward to - this year - and beyond.
By bringing together world-class leaders in performing arts, literature, poetry, moving image and the visual arts, my aim was not only to entertain and stimulate but to foster the creative eco-system in the region. Thus, many of the performers and speakers in the 2021 Festival hailed from Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.
— Joanne Ooi, EA Festival Founder