Over 5 days in July the City of Ipswich will be taken over by music, comedy, arts, exhibitions, projection, culture, collaboration and hands-on fun. SPARK Ipswich Art Festival celebrates the people, places, arts and culture of Ipswich from July 8-12. While there are some ticketed events, there are also a lot of low or no-cost things you can do – so bring the family and get ready to have some fun!
Little Day Out
Little Day Out is Ipswich’s signature children’s music and arts festival. With a focus on sustainability, Little Day Out is bursting with music, hands-on art experiences, food and roving entertainment. From building a cardboard box village to grooving at the Jumbo Funk Disco or adding your hand printing to the pledge wall there’s plenty to explore. Don’t miss the three-piece Aussie band The Gumboots playing high-energy songs that get kids and adults dancing together. Entry is $5 and includes a bucket hat.
Date and time: 11 July, 9am-3.00pm
Cost: $5 – bookings essential
Silent disco tours
Silent Disco Walking Tours are a hilarious dancing, walking adventure for all ages. Wearing supplied headsets we groove our way through local streets, engaging passers by with our spontaneous flash-mob style dancing and antics. Upbeat music from your favourite decades are played by our vibrant disco hosts, quickly washing away your inhibitions and leaving you smiling from ear to ear.
Date and time: 8-12 July with sessions at 5.30pm, 6pm, 6.30pm and 7pm.
Cost: $5
Leaves from d’Arcy Doyle Place
Chalk and cheese
Think paint-and-sip… with a creative twist! Each night during the festival from Thursday 9 July you can join a relaxed, guided Chalk Play experience, where you’ll contribute to a shared canvas while learning to create bright, bold botanical art inspired by native Ipswich flora. This social, hands-on session is all about connection, creativity, and colour in the medium of chalk. Your ticket includes your choice of red or white wine, or a soft drink on arrival, along with an individual cheese plate. This is an 18+ event.
Date and time: 9-12 July with sessions at 5.30pm-6.30pm.
Cost: $25
WOMI – World of Music Ipswich
World of Music Ipswich (WOMI) stars a jam packed lineup with music from across the globe. This one-day music festival, held on Main St at Orion Springfield Central, showcases and celebrates the vibrancy of Ipswich and South East Queensland’s culturally and linguistically diverse community. It is bursting with life, light and colour – featuring multicultural food, interactive workshops and variety of market stalls.
Date and time: 12 July, 9am-4pm
Cost: Free
Jimmy Rees
After his sold-out 2025 tour In Reel Life, Australia’s much-loved entertainer, Jimmy Rees is returning to Queensland in 2026, performing in Ipswich for the first time in a long time as part of SPARK.
Thanks to his on-point social observations and razor sharp satire, Jimmy has become a bonafide comedic viral sensation, with 4.5 million social media followers. Book now!
Date and time: 11 July, 7.30pm
Cost: Adults $74.90
SPARK After Party
Keep the SPARK Ipswich vibes alive after dark with a late-night trail of venues serving up music, art and great eats. Sip cocktails and share tapas at The Rusty Nail, open until midnight with exclusive SPARK specials, or soak up the creative high energy at Banshees Bar & Artspace. For a more relaxed pace, enjoy craft beer and hearty bites at Stony Creek Brewing uplate, or unwind at Monte Lane with cosy atmosphere and wood-fired pizza until 11.30pm. Find the trail here.
Date and Time: 10-11 July
Cost: Free
Creative Hub
Discover a bursting program of art and performance every day and night of the festival. By day, Nicholas Street Precinct is alive with creative play, mind-blowing street theatre and live music. There is an abundance of family-friendly fun to be had and plenty for adults too!
By night, the Creative Hub lights up with activities stretching from Tulmur Place to d’Arcy Doyle Place and spilling into local venues. Explore music, performance, interactive installations, workshops, projections, markets and more.
Date and time: 8-10 July: 10am-2pm, 5pm-8pm, 11 July: 9am-1pm, 5pm-8.30pm, 12 July: 10am-2pm, 5pm-8.30pm.
Cost: Free
Fever: Candleight Concerts
Fever’s Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Ipswich. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Hans Zimmer (8pm) and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (6pm) at St Mary’s Catholic Church, Ipswich under the gentle glow of candlelight.
Date and time: 10 July, 6pm and 8pm.
Cost: From $35 – bookings essential
Saplings
After premiering at The Rebel Theatre for the Sydney Festival in 2024 and winning Sydney Theatre Awards’ Best Production for Young People, Yuwaalaray playwright Hannah Belanszky and Kalkadoon director Abbie-lee Lewis bring Saplings to the stage once again. Four talented young actors take on multiple roles in this collection of hilarious and heartbreaking stories born from workshops with young people experiencing the youth justice system, from Marrickville to Moree.
Date and time: 9 July, 7.30pm-9.30pm.
Cost: $20 Adults ($10 Mob Tix, $15 student/ concession) bookings essential
IAG X Mono
Ipswich Art Gallery collides with the Institute Of Modern Art for a special expanded presentation of MONO. It will be a night of boundary pushing sound, evocative movement and durational performance that invites audiences to lean into sense and sensation.
MONO is the Institute Of Modern Art’s experimental sound program curated by Lawrence English. Since 2006, MONO has brought sonic experimentation and boundary-pushing performance to Brisbane/Meanjin and now Ipswich/Tulmur!
Date and time: 11 July, 5pm-9pm
Cost: Free
Flood Fest
Flood Fest 2026 is a two day event featuring Flood Dance collectives from around the country, with performances, sessions, workshops, and dance battles. Featuring international guest artists from the USA, interstate talent, and local dancers, it’s set to be a huge weekend.
Come witness Ipswich’s very own homegrown style and experience the incredible talent growing right here in our backyard. All ages open to anybody, even if you don’t dance you’ll still see something new and may get inspired.
Date and time: 11 July: 5.30pm-9pm, 12 July 11am-6pm.
Cost: From $30.
Trombone World Record attempt
How better to start a festival Sunday than with a buoyant set by the Ipswich City Big Band – and witnessing an attempt to beat the world record of 368 trombones playing together! Lead by local legend Matthew Chambers, hundreds of Trombones will fill Tulmur Place. Must be seen to be believed!
Date and time: 12 July, 11.30am
Cost: Free
From music and performance, workshops and discussions and art exhibits galore there is so much to see and do! Check out the SPARK Ipswich website to see all that’s on!
Why not team your evening up with an incredible restaurant booking or even stay overnight! Check out all the dining and accommodation options available here in Ipswich too.
