A Year in Bury St Edmunds – The 2024 Round-Up

From prestigious awards to exciting events, there’s much to celebrate. Join us as we take a look back at the highlights that made this year truly special in our town.

To coincide with the launch of the Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg-produced Apple TV+ series Masters of The Air in January, our tourism brand Bury St Edmunds and Beyond invited tourists to explore the history of the Bomber Boys of the Mighty 8th Air Force who were stationed in Bury St Edmunds at Rougham during WWII in our winter 2024 marketing campaign. Later in the month, the businesses of Bury St Edmunds were offered Neurodiversity training workshops as part of a collaboration between Our Bury St Edmunds BID and Three Eggs Training. This workshop aimed to enhance understanding of neurodivergent conditions and is part of over 10 training courses offered by the BID, including first aid, fire marshalling, customer service, digital marketing, and many others. If you’re a BID Member and would like to find out more, please get in touch with our Business Support Manager, Mike.

Through early spring, we celebrated our first paper trail, aimed at children and encouraging visits to independent and unique businesses around Bury St Edmunds. The trail consisted of hidden dino eggs in participating shop windows. More than 43 businesses took part, some of which included Ada Baby, Bay Tree Cafe, Crumbs, Howden Insurance, Marimba, The Parsely Pot, Starlings Toys, The Apex, Buy the Light and many others. Those who completed the trail and submitted their forms were entered into a prize draw to win 1 of 3 Easter hampers.

In May, the ‘Free from 3’ parking initiative turned 11! Originally started by the BID in partnership with West Suffolk Council, the initiative made free parking available for visitors every Tuesday after 3 pm in the short-stay and on-street car parks. During the last decade, more than 1 million free parking spaces have been available for those looking to visit the town centre. Also this month, after 150 successful deliveries since its start, the EcoCarries pedal-powered Shop & Drop scheme extended its service to include the Wednesday Market.  And we can’t forget the pay-per-go fair rides, Punch & Judy and the arrival of Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus at the Spring Fayre. Check out the highlights from this year’s event and the dates for Spring Fayre 2025 here.

This July, the businesses of Bury St Edmunds voted to extend the Our Bury St Edmund’s Business Improvement District (BID) for its 4th term in the ballot. Since its first term in 2010, the BID has provided services and support to over 400 businesses. Shortly after the ballot, during Independents’ Day Weekend, the BID launched a new campaign highlighting Bury St Edmunds’ independent businesses and finding out more about the owners, what brought them to Bury St Edmunds, and what they most love about the town. We created stickers for indie businesses to display in their windows to make it even easier for residents and visitors to spot, along with some social media videos and press releases published in local media. Find out more about our campaign here.

In August, we celebrated our biggest event of the year, the Food & Drink Festival, which took place over the Bank Holiday weekend. Everyone enjoyed live food and drink demonstrations from our local chefs, eateries and wine and cocktail specialists, including a special appearance on Monday by Michelin star chef Galton Blackiston. Getting excited about next year’s event already? Take a look at all the details for our 2025 Food and Drink Festival here.

In September, our autumn 2024 and winter 2024 tourism marketing campaign, Spooky Bury St Edmunds, got underway and continues until the end of March 2025 and invites visitors to explore the horrible and spooky histories of the town, ghosts, witch trials and terrible tales.

In October, we saw the arrival of Paddington. As part of the nationwide campaign ‘Paddington Vists,’ over 20 statues were installed across the UK. Each statue was meticulously crafted and handpainted, featuring the bear’s red hat, blue duffle coat and, of course, a marmalade sandwich. Our very own Paddington sits proudly on a bench at arc shopping centre, and you can follow his adventures on the Ordnance Survey Trail in collaboration with StudioCanal. Have you spotted Paddington in Bury St Edmunds?

Around 100 people also met US author Donald L. Miller, PhD, whose book Masters of the Air inspired the Apple TV+ series of the same name, when he visited Bury St Edmunds at an event organised by Our Bury St Edmunds BID in October at Bury St Edmunds Guildhall. He was joined by Kirk Saduski, producer of the popular TV series. They were officially welcomed to Bury St Edmunds by Town Mayor Cllr Diane Hind, and the event was in collaboration with the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, which brings tours to the town 4 times a year.

November was a great month for our town, as Bury St Edmunds was crowned the UK’s most Dog-Friendly town. After coming in second last year, the DogFriendly Awards recognised Bury St Edmunds and Jon Kay, from Camp Tails Doggy Daycare, who founded the town’s dog-
friendly scheme. This award recognises the 140 businesses in Bury St Edmunds that go the extra mile to cater to the dogs and their owners in town.

The Christmas Lights Event was enjoyed this month; it included a variety of charity, craft, and gift stalls, as well as FREE street entertainment and performances by local schools and artists. And let’s not forget the magical Snow Lion, who stole the show. Check out the event page for the 2025 Christmas Lights Event to see what festivities we have lined up!

Also, we saw the Bury St Edmunds E-Gift Card launch in November. With over £150,000 worth of sales on physical gift cards since the launch four years ago, this e-card version is set to generate much more for over 75 businesses in the town centre that accept it as payment. It’s the perfect gift for family, friends, teachers, employees and anyone who deserves a thank you. Find out more here.

In December, Moyses Hall also got an iconic upgrade, becoming the home to the ‘2nd Ranger battalion’ costume worn by Tom Hanks as Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan. The costume is from the WWII-based film directed by Steven Spielberg. It has been available to see since October and will continue to be available for public viewing until February.

Also this month, Starlings Toys won the Best Independent Toy Retailer award at the Progressive Pre-School Awards; more than 400 retailers attended the 12th annual awards. In this year’s Christmas window competition, we had more than 1050 votes, which saw Edit Clinic of Risbygate Street take first place for the second year, followed by Baileys 2 and Nightjars. Everyone who voted in the competition was entered into a prize draw to win a festive hamper worth £150; this year, Rebecca M was the lucky recipient.

As the Foodie Capital of Suffolk, Bury St Edmunds’ Food and Drink businesses won many fantastic awards and recognitions throughout 2024. Bay Tree Cafe won a Good Food Blue Ribbon in the Cafe category and a Tripadvisor Travels Choice award. The Michelin Guide Great
Britain & Ireland 2024 awarded Pea Porridge their Michelin star for the 4th year! Lark won the Good Food Guide Award and was featured in their ‘Top 100 Best Reatusarants in the UK of 2024’ list. They also picked up the Menu of the Year at The Cateys 2024, where Mowglis Street
Food became Restaurant of The Year (Group).

Many businesses were recognised throughout the year for their hard work. Amigos became a finalist for Mexican of the Year (Midlands) for the third year in a row, while Theatre Royal, Verve, Bay Tree Cafe, Lark and Vino Gusto were all finalists in their respective categories for
Suffolk at the Muddy Stilettos Awards.

This year, we also said a very sad goodbye to some businesses with a rich history in the town centre. After 150 years of trading, Sneezums closed its doors. The business was originally founded in 1874 by the current owner’s great-grandfather, and the sister duo has now decided to retire and follow other ventures. As part of the Bury St Edmunds community for over a decade, Gastrono-Me also announced its closure, which served delicious and creative dishes and hosted one of the best bottomless brunches in town. Family-ran art supply store Denny Bros, of St Andrews Street, also closed after 80 years and will be greatly missed.

Throughout 2024, we also welcomed several new and vibrant businesses to Bury St Edmunds. Stores such as Oliver Bonas, which sells bright and colourful clothing, accessories, jewellery, and imaginative gift ideas, opened their doors in the arc. Lisa Angel, founded in Norwich, is an independent store well-known for its personal and hand-crafted gifts, and it opened up its second Suffolk store on Abbeygate Street. Primark opened its doors to Bury St Edmunds in 2024 at the arc, and just around the corner is the Everyman Cinema – which is redefining cinema, swapping popcorn and fizzy drinks for a slice of pizza and a glass of wine – delivered directly to your seat.

For the food lovers, we welcomed several new restaurants and cafes to the town centre. Blue Fig, of Abbeygate Street, offers Mediterranean-inspired small plates paired with the perfect wine. Also, on Abbeygate Street, Pommodoro began serving traditional pasta and pizza dishes, using local and fresh ingredients. WaffleChino started a business at the Buttermarket for those with a sweet tooth, serving bubble and stick waffles to enjoy.

As we wrap up another incredible year, we have much to be proud of in Bury St Edmunds, and there is so much to look forward to in 2025. Keep your eyes peeled on our What’s On section and our social media channels for all the latest news and updates.