7 major Suffolk events to look forward to in December 2023

1. Helmingham Hall Illuminated Light Trail

The light trail at Helmingham Hall is hailed as one of the best in the country (Image: Beckie Egan Photography)

Where: Helmingham Hall

When: November 16 to December 17

Cost: £22 for adults and £11 for children

The Helmingham Hall light trail has launched and is selling out quickly!

Sound and lighting displays will showcase the different areas of the trail and areas of the hall's facade will also feature, including the moat.

As one of the best spots to see a light display in the UK, according to The Times, tickets sell out for the month-long event quickly. 

2. Christmas Day Dip

The Christmas Dip is one of the biggest events on the Suffolk coast on December 25 (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Where: Felixstowe

When: Christmas Day

Cost: £15

St Elizabeth Hospice is returning to Felixstowe with the Christmas Day Dip 2023. 

Join hundreds of other dippers in festive outfits as they plunge into the icy cold North Sea to raise funds through sponsorship. 

Advanced booking is already open for £15 per person and will close at midday on December 21. 

3. Christmas Makers Market

The Bury St Edmund's Christmas market is always very popular (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Where: Bury St Edmunds

When: Sunday, December 3

Cost: Free

There will be plenty of stalls to explore selling clothing, jewellery, personalised goods and homeware.

Festive food stalls and hot drinks will be available to purchase throughout the day. 

The market will be found on Buttermarket and Cornhill from 10am to 4pm.

4. Yule Feast

Traditional Yule festivities will be held at Sutton Hoo this year (Image: Darren Olley/National Trust)

Where: Sutton Hoo

When: December weekends and daily between December 26 and January 1.

Cost: £15 per adult

The days around the winter solstice are believed to have been known as Géol - or Yule – and during the Anglo-Saxon period, this was considered a very important feast. 

Suffolk's Sutton Hoo is celebrating the Christmas season with a month of displays showing how the festival has been marked through the ages.

Visitors will be able to see the High Hall exhibition space decorated for a traditional Yule feast.

5. Festive Garland Workshop

The garland workshop still has some availability left (Image: Southwold Flower Co.)

Where: Southwold Flower Company

When: December 20

Cost: £65

Learn how to create a fresh festive garland that you can either use as a runner to style up the Christmas table or the fireplace in an event slightly different to the classic wreath-making workshops that are popular this time of year.

Each garland will be made on a 3ft rope, with evergreen foliage available alongside the extra ingredients for that detail.

6. Free Ice Rink

The ice rink will be open no matter the weather (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Where: The Apex in Bury St Edmunds

When: December 14 to January 3 

Cost: Free

A synthetic ice skating rink will be taking centre stage on Charter Square and will be open no matter the weather. 

It will be part of the Christmas In Bury St Edmunds Experience with events beginning from mid-November and throughout December. 

The synthetic ice rink will be provided by Odin Events and gives users the closest experience to the real thing. 

7. Aladdin Pantomime

Where: Felixstowe Spa Pavilion

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When: December 22 to January 1

Cost: From £20

Enjoy a magic carpet ride of a pantomime! 

Aladdin dreams of marrying Princess Jasmine who is beautiful and well-connected but the wicked magician Abanazar has tricked Aladdin into helping him find a magic lamp hidden in a secret cavern high in the hills.