Ipswich has turned pink with several fans lining up for Ed Sheeran

People travelled from not only different corners of the United Kingdom but also across the pond from places like New York and Minnesota in USA, with some even starting to line up outside the Ipswich Town stadium from 5am on the opening night. 

Meanwhile, several businesses across the town have been painting themselves pink, in a campaign launched by Ipswich Central, called "Welcome Home Ed". 

Waiting for the gates to open at Portman Road ahead of the first homecoming gig in Ipswich. Jemma and Amber Gooch- Boags and Maya and Maria List from Beccles, Maya is hoping to hear Castle on the Hill (Image: Lucy Taylor) Sheeran's performances are set to see 90,000 people descend on Portman Road across three nights.

The county has been showing their support for the Framlingham-raised singer, with Ipswich turning pink for Sheeran's new album Play and to celebrate his homecoming.

Fans began lining up at 5am (Image: Oli Picton)

Sara Ptacek from Minnesota in the USA, travelling over 6500km (Image: Oli Picton) A Cornhill stage was set up ahead of the concert (Image: Lucy Taylor) Amongst those fans is Sara Ptacek from Minnesota, who arrived in Ipswich on Thursday. 

She said: "I arrived in Ipswich yesterday but I have been here since about 6.45am.

"I immediately had to buy tickets [when I saw he was performing at Portman Road] I had to come to the home show.

Daniel Baldauf, Jeanie Schlaucher and Tara Gottman have travelled from Germany (Image: Lucy Taylor)

"I have seen him plenty of times but I am so excited, there are so many fans here already.

"I really want him to play some of his new Play songs, I haven't heard any of them live yet, I can't pick just one.

"I really want to hear him bring back Eraser from the Divide album."

Patty Lynch will be attending all three of Sheeran's gigs (Image: Oli Picton) Andrew Marsh and Lesley Cook from Dial Lane Books, where you can get 25% off any Pink books this weekend (Image: Lucy Taylor) Ipswich Mayor Stefan Long pops into the Ed Sheeran Pop Up Shop in the Town Hall. Pictured with Emma Nice-Mcneil (Image: Lucy Taylor) Another superfan, Patty Lynch, made their way across the pond, coming from Nashville, Tennessee, and will be present at all three of the Framlingham popstar's shows. 

She said: "I absolutely love Ed Sheeran, this is the third time I have seen Ed in the UK, I saw him back in 2019 for the ending of the Divide tour at Chantry Park.

"I can't not come to the UK and not see Ed, so I booked on as soon as I saw he would be performing here."

"I also saw him every night when he sold at Wembley, I went to every one of his shows."

Martin Cox linked up outside Portman Road around 5am (Image: Oli Picton) Suffolk Sound have held a broadcast from the Cornhill (Image: Lucy Taylor) Kyra, Piper, Kimberley and Russ Clifft headed to The Thomas Wolsey ahead of the gigs (Image: Lucy Taylor)

Making a much smaller journey was 70-year-old Martin Cox, from Croydon, who also arrived outside Portman Road several hours before Sheeran's homecoming gig. 

Mr Cox has attended more than 200 Ed Sheeran gigs and spoke about how excited he was to be at the first home show.

He said: "I have been here since about 4.30/5am, I have followed Ed's career since the fourth of August 2010.

The Jarrold family are both huge Ed Sheeran fans and Ipswich Town fans (Image: Lucy Taylor)

"I remember when I saw him, particularly the second time, that he deserves to be really well in the UK, and I never for a millisecond thought he would become what he has become.

"He wanted to play Shepard's Bush Empire, that was his goal, so it is amazing how big he has become."

Metal doors at Portman Road could be seen shaking as the soundcheck for the opening night of Ed Sheeran's homecoming concerts this weekend (Image: Oli Picton) Threads For All gave out special Ed Sheeran mugs (Image: Lucy Taylor) Willis Tower Watson has gone pink for Ed Sheeran (Image: Shikhar Talwar) Those who lined up early also had the joy of getting an early glimpse of the Thinking Out Loud singer's set, as a few hours prior to the gates opening, the metal doors of the stadium began shaking with his sound check.  

Fans queued at the official merchandise store by the exit of Planet Blue, the shop at Portman Road by the West Stand, as Sheeran's hit song "Give Me Love" belted through the air. 

Pink plagues were put around town (Image: Lucy Taylor) The pink theme even spread to Framlingham, the singer's home town (Image: Lucy Taylor) Brands like Seven have turned their logo pink (Image: Shikhar Talwar) Ahead of the performances, the Willis Building turned pink, along with other historical Ipswich landmarks, including the Town Hall, the Old Custom House on the Waterfront and Christchurch Park.

Grass verges outside the Novotel have been painted pink, and grass in Christchurch Park has also been painted pink.

Thomas Wolsey has become The Old Phone again (Image: Lucy Taylor) The Thomas Wolsey also changed the Ipswich Town badge to read Edswich Town (Image: Lucy Taylor) There is also a pink square outside Novotel (Image: Lucy Taylor) Pink plaques have also gone up around the town at various points, with a bit of history of Sheeran at those places.

The Town Hall has a plaque stating he played a surprise gig on the steps of the hall in October 2022,The Thomas Wolsey pub, which has become The Old Phone over the weekend, to celebrate his performance at the pub at the start of May and the music shop where he bought his very first guitar.