If Music Be the Food of Love - You'll Love Aldeburgh!
Aldeburgh Music, Arts & Culture
Historic Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast is synonymous with the Arts and intrinsically linked to the world-famous Snape Maltings concert hall just a few miles up river. The Aldeburgh Music Festival was founded in 1948 by local residents Sir Benjamin Britten and his partner, singer Peter Pears. Expanded over the decades and now known as ‘The Aldeburgh Festival of Music & The Arts’, it is just one of the wide array prestigious arts festivals hosted in the town and local venues.
Simply Iconic
A creative place – where everywhere is a creative space
A giant seashell on the beach. The whimsical, little ‘Dolls House’ cottage on Crag Path. Sundials, crenelated gables and ornate iron railings on heritage verandas.
Galleries to graze on. Clever food creations to savour. Live music by Moot Hall, or wafting down to the waves from much-loved Jubilee Hall. Poetic words penned on pebbles, lined up on a windowsill. Family fun and a colourful carnival.
Aldeburgh is one rich, colourful and creative tapestry. Go explore and enjoy the detail.
Inspiring & Inspired
Naturally – and on so many levels.
The sea, the light, the graceful river bends or curlew cries on the mudflats; the enveloping seabreeze, the crunch of shingle underfoot, the tide that waits for no man and willful waves… There’s something raw, magnetic and compelling about a place where the elements have held landscapes and communities to ransom for more than just centuries.
Discover how creative minds have crafted their responses not just in music, words and paintings, but in physical projects too, like Newson Garrett’s hilltop Aldeburgh ‘New Town’, Ogilvie’s pleasure lake at Thorpeness, or the new wildlife habitats nurtured since 2013’s river wall breach of Hazlewood Marshes.
Check Out Aldeburgh’s Latest Arts Offerings
Snape Maltings
BrittenPears Arts own and run the world-famous concert hall, learning, arts and leisure complex at Snape Bridge. Home of the long-standing and prestigious Aldeburgh Festival of Music & The Arts, both are the legacy of 20th century composer, Sir Benjamin Britten and his life partner, the world-renowned tenor, Peter Pears.
Snape Maltings and Aldeburgh go hand in glove, even though the venue is not actually located in the town. But then, technically it’s not in Snape either – it’s in the parish of Tunstall!
A Summer Full of Fun
Aldeburgh Festival Extra music day, Aldeburgh Carnival, regattas, races and relaxed short breaks or holidays…
Aldeburgh is a place that feels ‘en fête’ the entire summer long and beyond!
Get an overview of annual goings-on, or catch up with the latest events in Aldeburgh.
Annual events What's onYear-round Creative Communities
From regular book club get-togethers to knit-and-natter sessions, lunch, photography and history clubs, and early years fun in the library, there are always activities going on in Aldeburgh and something for everyone to join in with.
As well as festivals for every season, look out for courses and workshop days; discussion, choral and drama opportunities; concerts on Moot Hall Green and the regularly changing exhibitions in the town’s independent galleries.
Inspirations, Love Stories & Legacies
The one name forever connected with Aldeburgh and Snape is Benjamin Britten. For the 20th century composer, the town became home; his daily beach walks, the meditative landscape to fine-tune his work. It also gifted him peace and togetherness with Peter Pears.
Both shared their love of the place with creative friends, including artists John Nash and John Piper, writer E.M. Forester and Gustav Holst’s daughter, Imogen, who supported them as Director of their developing legacy – The Aldeburgh Festival.
About Ben About Peter Sailors' Path to Snape
Enjoy life at your own Aldeburgh pace
Relax, re-energise, recognise what moves you … Find connections and family time, me-time, breathe-in space…
