Now entering its fourth year, SPARK Ipswich is an annual celebration of live music, theatre, arts, and hands-on cultural experiences that will light up Ipswich next month from 4-14 July.
Located just 30 minutes from Brisbane's CBD, Ipswich is home to an array of world-class artists, musicians and performers who are spotlighted by the SPARK Ipswich 2024 programme.Each night throughout SPARK Ipswich, d'Arcy Doyle Place will be a central hub hosting free live music alongside illuminated artworks and artist talks offering the perfect gathering location before you explore the one of many live shows or performances on the programme.
This year's festival artist Renee Yates – who was commissioned to design 'Home', a mixed-media artwork using coloured pencil drawings and cut paper collage depicting four different landscapes of Ipswich – will collaborate with students at SAE Creative Media Institute for the nightly Pixel (Metro B Building and 1 Nicholas Street Building), an animation and lighting display inspired by 'Home'.
Continuing the digital theme will be deLight, staged nightly throughout the festival at St Paul's Anglican Church and 143 Brisbane Street where local artists will have their works brought to life through a collaboration with projection artist James Muller (Earth Base Productions).
Circuit is two live music events staged on each Saturday of the festival (6, 13 July) taking over 15 venues (from pubs, barbershops, art-filled spaces and restaurants) scattered throughout the city centre for a symphony of sound.
Other live music performances include JB Paterson, Tom Harrison and Serena Stranger hosting a night of country-folk songwriting, SPARK Electronic (featuring Bri & Is, Kairos Kin and DAMIEN), The Disgruntled Variety Show, Big Band Spectacular, Banshees Karaoke, and Open Mic at Banshees.
"It's time to ignite your passion for the City of Ipswich," declares Mayor Teresa Harding. "The fourth annual SPARK Ipswich festival is set to light up the city once more with a diverse medley of music, art, culture and unique new experiences.
"Ipswich's people and places will remain at the heart of the 2024 festival with another 11-day programme full of arts and cultural events, activations and performances.
"A Teddy Bears' Picnic is new to the packed programme, with children and their families set to enjoy brunch on a picnic blanket alongside their favourite teddy.
"Crowd favourite events Little Day Out and WOMI will return, while deLight will feature the works of 17 local artists projected across 143 Brisbane Street and St Paul's Anglican Church in spectacular light works.
"An Ipswich team will again don sequins and spandex to take on other areas of South East Queensland in the Common People Dance Project and this will be the ultimate finisher for the SPARK Ipswich festival this year.
"There will be plenty of hands-on workshops, live performance and visual SPARK-taculars to ignite the creativity of you, your friends and family, right across the region. Join us as we celebrate all that our great city has to offer and discover your SPARK in 2024."
On the performance side of things will be a diverse range of productions: 'The Beryls Present The Pageant', 'Ipswich Has Comic Talent', 'A Taste Of Ireland', 'Fry Up', 'Divas' and the Common People Dance Eisteddfod.
SPARK Ipswich's signature world music event, WOMI returns to Springfield Central (7 July) for a day of workshops, food stalls and crafts featuring performances from Paco Lara Flamenco, Haystack Mountain Hermits, Mzaza, Mango Matic, Run Rabbit and a host more.
There'll also be a host of exhibitions and workshops staged like 'Articulation', 'In A World Of My Own', 'Back To The Futurism', 'Circus Skills Drop In', 'Sink The Ink' and 'Grow Up And Me Crochet'.
For the kids and young at heart, SPARK Ipswich offers Teddy Bears' Picnic (6 July) at Queensland Museum Rail Workshops, while Burger Joint bring their Junior Burger Rock Show to Little Day Out (14 July) that will also feature hands-on art experiences, food trucks and roving entertainment.
SPARK Ipswich runs 4-14 July at various locations throughout Ipswich. Click to explore the programme in more detail.
