Why it matters: The festival attracts 5,000 spectators and an estimated 137,000 livestream viewers, with 75% of attendees travelling from outside the area and contributing an estimated £82,900 to the local economy.
The details: The weekend begins on Friday, 17 October with the U15s Rugby Festival, featuring teams from maintained and independent schools travelling from as far as Scotland and the West Country. The U15 category was introduced last year.
The main event takes place on Saturday, 18 October and Sunday, 19 October, with 16 teams competing for the festival crown. Teams include St Joseph's College, RGS High Wycombe, Berkhamsted, Strathallan School, Kirkham Grammar, Millfield, Hampton School, Cheltenham College, QEGS Wakefield, Wellington College, Whitchurch High School, Seaford College, Denstone College, Marlborough College, Hurstpierpoint, and Brighton College.
What they're saying: Fred Wenham, director of sport at St Joseph's College, said: "There is no denying that the St Joseph's College Rugby Festival, now in its 39th year, has cemented itself as one of the most prestigious sporting events in the school sport calendar. The calibre of school, standard of play and scale of event is certainly unrivalled across the country. It is occasions like this that remind us of how fortunate we are to have such a rich, illustrious history of sporting success at St Jo's."
The bigger picture: The festival is described by the school as one of Britain's most watched live school sports events. According to school figures, the event attracts 2.2 million views across social media and is broadcast globally via livestream. Former participants include England internationals Marcus Smith and Mako Vunipola.
Ipswich-based digital business lender Fleximize is the main sponsor.
For context: Standard entry and parking tickets are available to pre-book via the festival website at https://www.stjos.co.uk/rugby-festival/. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for Sunday, 19 October, which include food, allocated seating and a private bar.
The bottom line: The 39th National Schools Rugby Festival showcases youth rugby talent while bringing thousands of spectators and significant economic activity to Ipswich over the weekend.
