Sudbury’s Party in the Park cancelled after attempt to relocate to alternative host venue falls through

Sudbury’s signature summer family event will be missing from the calendar this year – and people are being asked to have their say on what form it takes when it returns.

The 2024 edition of Party in the Park – a long-running event typically held each summer – will not go ahead, after Sudbury Town Council was unable to move it to another venue.

Organisers had been looking to relocate the event to Market Hill, because its usual host site, Belle Vue Park, will be out of use, as construction on a new café and toilet block begins.

A ‘Party on the Hill’ concept was one of several events planned to take place, during a trial scheme to partially pedestrianise Market Hill between mid-May and September.

But, Sudbury Town Council confirmed on Thursday that the idea fell through, after Suffolk Highways withdrew permission for the Market Hill pilot a month before it was due to start.

A town council statement read: “Earlier in the year, Sudbury Town Council was informed by Babergh District Council that building work was due to commence in the summer.

“With this in mind, our members made the decision to change the venue to Market Hill and host Party on The Hill, to make use of the planned pedestrianised space over the summer.

“However, in April, Suffolk County Council decided not to commence with the planned experimental traffic order for Market Hill, meaning many of the plans for summer events also had to be cancelled.

“Unfortunately, this means that Party in the Park will not be taking place in 2024.”

With the enforced break, Sudbury Town Council is now encouraging people to give their views on the future of Party in the Park.

The council stated that this feedback will help shape the event for its anticipated return in 2025.

“During this break, we are rethinking how we can reshape the event going forward,” added the statement.

“We’d really like to hear from residents about what they’d like to see at Party in the Park.”

To submit your comments, go online to www.sudbury-tc.gov.uk/partyinthepark.