Now in its fourth year, SPARK Ipswich has become a must-do of the regional events calendar.
The annual festival boasts an eclectic programme of arts, music and cultural experiences that champions the rich diversity of the greater Ipswich region and the creativity of the people who live there.Angie Dunbavan is the Lead Producer for SPARK Ipswich and has played a key role in developing the festival's creative vision since its early concept stages. "I work for Red Chair, which is an arts production and touring company," Angie says.
"Our work is very much around event and festival programming, touring local works around Queensland and we do a lot of community arts engagement work.
"The vision for SPARK was really about shining the spotlight on local arts and culture, on the people and places that make Ipswich, Ipswich, and all the wonderful creative people that live in the region.
"It was very much about not only creating a festival that had wide appeal to a tourist market and people outside the region, but very much celebrating what is actually in Ipswich in terms of the people and the places, and drawing attention to the wonderful creatives that are there."
In 2024, SPARK Ipswich presents a carefully curated programme that showcases local creative talent as well as activating various civic spaces around the city and surrounding areas.
"Fourth year, we feel like we're getting into a bit of a stride around the festival and there are favourites that have emerged within the programme over the past three iterations, which we have continued to build on," Angie says.
Returning favourites include deLight, a large-scale light exhibit projecting original artworks onto city buildings, world music festival WOMI at Springfield Orion, and the beloved Little Day Out.
Teddy Bears' Picnic, held in conjunction with Queensland Museum Rail Workshops, is a new addition to the roster that Angie is sure will be a hit with the early childhood crowd.
SPARK Ipswich is again soundtracked by performances from local musical acts, including an evening of country-folk songwriting with JB Paterson, Tom Harrison and Serena Stranger, SPARK Electronic featuring Bri & Is, Kairos Kin and DAMIEN, The Disgruntled Variety Show, Banshees Karaoke and many more.
Live music event Circuit brings the shows to the people across 15 venues across the city over two weekends. "It's all about transforming spaces around the city into music venues," Angie says.
"We've got artists performing in traditional spaces, but we've also got them performing in barbershops, gelaterias, Indian restaurants, coffee shops, pizza and art supply places. [Circuit] happens over two weekends and it's very much about showcasing local contemporary music and musicians."
Angie and her team at Red Chair have found great success in managing the SPARK festival as a coordinated community endeavour, working closely with her counterparts at Ipswich City Council to create a signature homegrown cultural event for the region.
"Particularly this year, there is growth of businesses and the community itself embracing SPARK as an opportunity to showcase the artists they connect with or the things they're interested in, in terms of arts and culture," she says.
"Everything comes down to relationships, and building those strong relationships within the community allows the community to feel part of it. It's not just brought to them. . . they actually feel connected to the content and the spaces and the people that are in the programme."
SPARK Ipswich takes place at various locations throughout Ipswich from 4-14 July. Click to explore the programme in more detail.
