The headline music stars including Sir Tom Jones, Bryan Adams, JLS, Sting, Busted and Pete Tong set to grace Forest Live in Thetford and Newmarket Nights

Suffolk’s season of headline music shows is just days away, as some of the biggest stars in the industry are set to grace two of our stages.

Bryan Adams will kick off the series of Forest Live gigs at Thetford Forest next Thursday, while Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics, alongside a 65-piece orchestra, will open the Newmarket Nights calendar for the summer the next day.

The Canadian hitmaker’s career has spanned over 40 years and is known for tracks including ‘Everything I Do (I Do It For You), ‘Summer of ‘69’, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Run To You’.

Meanwhile, following a sold out show in 2022, Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong will bring a new vibe to the July Course, colliding the worlds of classical and club with reimagined versions of house tracks including Rhythm Is A Dancer and Feel The Love, alongside fan favourites such as Insomnia and Cafe Del Mar.

And these two acts are just teasers of what’s to come. Rock legend Sting will take to the High Lodge stage two days after Adams with his My Songs tour.

Following him will be ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ songstress Paloma Faith on June 27 before Welsh icon Sir Tom Jones will serenade the Thetford Forest crowd with his epic catalogue of hits spanning six decades on June 28.

Closing out the Forest Live fun will be East Anglian star and former The Voice coach Olly Murs, marking his return to the venue after a sold out show in 2017.

Newmarket Nights will intersperse this with a duo of noughties boyband throwbacks, as JLS and Busted take to the July Course stage on June 28 and July 19 respectively.

Attendees can expect to hear hits including ‘Beat Again’ and ‘Everybody In Love’ from the X-Factor alums while fans of the Charlie Simpson fronted three-piece can expect classics including ‘Year 3000’ and ‘Air Hostess’.

The X-Factor theme continues with Newmarket Nights next headliner as 2012 victor James Arthur comes to the racing on August 2.

The gig will mark 10 years since the ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ hitmaker appeared at the racecourse and will follow the release of his latest album ‘Bitter Sweet Love’.

A week later, on August 9, two-time Brit Award winner Becky Hill will make her Newmarket Nights debut.

However, Hill is no stranger to the racecourse having been a special guest vocalist with Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics in 2019.

And finally, closing out the Newmarket Nights season will be Scottish pop-rockers Deacon Blue, who will take to the July Course stage on August 16.

The show forms part of the group’s ‘All The Old 45s - The Very Best of Deacon Blue’ tour.