Organisers of Colchester's Anti Loo Roll Festival - created to lift spirits after the pandemic - are delighted after it was named the region's Festival of the Year after a public vote.

Around 5,000 people voted for their favourite out of around 750 festivals held in Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire last year in a vote organised by the East Anglian Festivals Network (EAFN).

Last year's overall winner Weird and Wonderful Wood at Haughley near Stowmarket won the Suffolk title once again and the Anti Loo Roll Festival was Essex winner.

St Neot's Festival beat winner for the past five years Buckfest to take the crown in Cambridgeshire and Yarmageddon – Legends Of Rock scooped the title again in Norfolk.

The Anti Loo Roll Festival - now in its third year and organised by a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) headed up by Peter Dutch - won the overall title by some margin said EAFN founder Mike Wilson. The headline act last year was Lemar, who was joined by Rick Parfitt Jr.

East Anglian Daily Times: Overall votes for the various festivals rose by about 50% this year, said Mike, with some polling particularly tight. In Suffolk, Weird and Wonderful Wood narrowly pipped Frisking the Whiskers weekend in Lowestoft to the post, with about 1,200 votes cast overall in the county.

"It's great all these community groups are winning these things," said Mike. The public voted for a good spread of around 300 festivals in all, he added.

He hopes that festivals will enjoy a good year this year - but has fears for 2025 and beyond as councils tighten their purse-strings. In Suffolk, a 100% cut in arts funding would start to be felt next year, he warned.

"It's going to be a worry for all those community festivals that rely on council funding," he said. 

East Anglian Daily Times: Peter Dutch of the Anti Loo Roll Brigade expressed delight at the win. "It's made my day - I'm really chuffed," he said.

When the event started in 2021 the idea was to have a big party in Colchester to celebrate coming out of the pandemic and the event has gone from strength to strength since.

"We had about 4,000 people last year," he said. "Last year was the first time we spread it out over two days."

The emphasis was on family fun across the generations and on providing a safe event, he said.  "It's the sort of festival you have got people bringing their kids, their mums and dads and grandads," he said. 

Money made from the event goes to work the Brigade does in the community, he added. 

East Anglian Daily Times:

Here's the list of overall and county winners in order of polling:

1 Anti Loo Roll Festival (Essex and overall East Anglian Festival of the Year 2023)

2 St Neots Festival (Cambridgeshire Festival of the Year 2023)

3 Secret Island Festival

4 Buckfest Music Festival

5 Weird and Wonderful Wood (Suffolk Festival of the Year 2023)

6 Frisking the Whiskers

7 Yarmageddon – Legends Of Rock (Norfolk Festival of the Year 2023)

8= Bring the House Down Fiestaval

8= Thaxted Festival

10 Southend Jazz Festival