Hands-On Experiences

By day, from 10.00 am – 2.00 pm 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 from 5.00 pm – stretching from Tulmur Place to d’Arcy Doyle Place and spilling into local venues. Explore music, performance, interactive installations, workshops, projections, markets and more.

SEE MORE

8-12 July | 10.00 am – 2.00 pm / 5.00 pm – 8.30 pm| Tulmur Place to d’Arcy Doyle Place| FREE AND TICKETED

Think paint-and-sip… with a creative twist!

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.

Book Now 

9-12 July | 5.30 pm – 6.30 pm | Tulmur Place | TICKETED $25 pp 

It*s Material is an artists’ collective whose contemporary jewellery practices span minimalist form, feminist ethics, and the environment. Visit daily open studio sessions where you can meet the artists and get hands on in exploring their artforms making a small piece of jewellery for yourself.

Additional offerings:

Scrap to Sparkle: Jewellery Workshop – 11 July – Book now

Whacky Wearables: Enamelling Workshop – 12 July – Book now 

8 – 12 July | 12.00 pm – 6.30 pm | Ipswich Art Workshop | FREE |12 years+

Join Nicole Crosswell, scientific illustrator for the Queensland Herbarium, to learn the art of botanical illustration. Drop in for a moment or return day after day to hone your skills.

8-12 July | 12.00 pm – 2.00 pm + 5.00 pm – 7.00 pm | Tulmur Place |FREE

Street dance artists from Elements Collective invite you onto Tulmur Stage for an open workshop combining movement, music and self-expression. All ages and abilities welcome.

8-10 July | 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm | Tulmur Place Stage | FREE

Join QLD Music Award-winning musicians MZAZA for an uplifting singing workshop suitable for all levels. French-born singer Pauline Maudy will quickly have you exploring different languages through song (in harmony!) and you will be invited on stage to perform with the band.

Find the workshop on the Union Place Terrace (near Hello Harry / Zamberos / Bun Bun Bao)

Workshop –  11 July |5.00 pm – 5.45 pm | Nicholas Street Precinct|FREE

Performance -11 July | 7.30 pm |Nicholas Street Precinct |FREE

Tin Can Radio Kids and their families are invited to take over the airways at this fun and playful pop-up radio station for the young and young at heart. From fictional news to random reviews, song requests, love advice, fashion tips, radio rants, interviews and roving reports – all ideas are welcome at Tin Can Radio!

Curious minds who want to explore the world of radio more, can join our ‘make a radio station in a day’ workshop. Supported by Everybody NOW Artist’s participants will write and produce their own radio segments and record custom sound effects before signing up to host as part of the live pop-up broadcast (include Broadcast date/time).

Suitable for: For kids 7+ and their family, grandparent or favourite older person. Limited to 20 participants.

Workshop: 8 July | 10.00 am – 12.00 pm | Union Place Terrace | TICKETED $5 pp | BOOK NOW

Participatory Live Broadcast: 10 July | 10.00 am – 2.00 pm | Union Place Terrace | FREE

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!

Have a trombone? Sign up to join the ensemble!

12 July | 11.30 am | Tulmur Place | FREE

Emily Kate Murray (Inspired Art Studio) will guide you to create a collaborative, evolving artwork inspired by the plants and flowers of Ipswich. Using chalk as a temporary medium, people of all ages and abilities play together on a shared canvas.

8-12 July | 10.00 am – 2.00 pm | Tulmur Place | FREE

Back by popular demand – enter a world of play and laughter as you are guided to dance your way through the festival.

8-12 July | 5.30 pm + 6.00 pm + 6.30 pm + 7.00 pm| d’Arcy Doyle Place| TICKETED | BOOK NOW

Step into our LED hula hoop workshop play space where movement meets glowing creativity. Open to all ages and skill levels, this playful space invites you to get creative while learning fun hoop tricks and dancing to the music.

8-12 July | 6.00 pm – 8.00 pm | Tulmur Place| FREE

Senior Master Rod Ferguson is the National Chief Instructor of the Australian Academy of Tai Chi and Qigong and has been teaching professionally since 1978 in Australia and internationally. He is a highly respected practitioner who has received numerous awards and honours, including being formally awarded the title of ‘Master’ by Grandmaster Gary Khor in recognition of his dedication, skill and contribution to Tai Chi. Despite his extensive experience and international standing, Rod is known for his natural, accessible teaching style that inspires students of all levels.

To bring a decidedly SPARK twist to this Active + Healthy event, Rod the Tai Chi will have live music accompaniment.

9 July | 11.00 am | Tulmur Place Stage |FREE

10 July | 11.00 am | Tulmur Place Stage |FREE

Allan Saunderson teaches the classic artform of caligraphy in separate workshops for adults and young people.

Adult – Book now

Kids – Book now

10 July | KIDS 12.00 pm | ADULTS 6.00 pm | The Book Bouquet|

8 July | 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm | The Book Bouquet | Free event BOOK NOW 

Get ready to turn your creative ideas into wearable art.

Inspired by Katie Bourchier’s residency at the Ipswich Art Gallery, this hands-on workshop invites you to dive into the magic of lost-wax carving. While Katie explores myth, narrative and adornment in her studio, you’ll be learning the skills to create your own personal talisman.

In this relaxed 2-hour session, you will learn how to sculpt, carve and shape jewellers wax into a unique trinket. This workshop is not for rings — we will be focusing on pendants, small objects or charms.

11 July | 1.30 pm – 3.30 pm | Limstone Gallery and Studios | BOOK NOW

Spend the morning learning about and making zines with mid-2000s punk zine creator, Tamara Scheiwe. Now an award winning graphic designer but forever a DIY zine creator and multidisciplinary artist, Tamara will guide you through a short history of zines before you embark on your own zine journey! Zines can cover a multitude of formats such as short stories or visual diaries, across a range of topics such as favourite animals or self-expression. With materials provided, you only need to bring your ideas and good vibes.

Under 18s will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

12 July | 1.30 am – 3.30 pm | Limestone Gallery and Studios | BOOK NOW

The big top energy spills into the streets! Dive into workshops — acrobatics, high-impact tumbling, German wheel, acro-yoga — or just have a go at juggling, hula hoops, and more in our come-and-try spaces. With roving performers and youth circus showcases, there’s something for every age and every level of daring.

The Ipswich Circus Festival is supporting by RADF, Arts Queensland, Ipswich City Council, Ipswich Show Society and TUX Creative Studio

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram – Ipswich Circus Festival

11 July | 10.00 am – 4.00 pm | Ipswich Showgrounds | BOOK NOW

Come and join in the fun at The Handmade Expo Ipswich. The Monthly Market lines up beautifully with SPARK this year to add some extra buzz to our Saturday morning session.

11 July | 9.00 am – 2.00 pm | Nicholas Street Precinct | FREE

Get creative and hone your artistic skills in this hands-on zinemaking workshop. Construct your very own short story employing art, crafts and words, and walk away with your very own zine. Presenter: Mei Jones

Strictly for teens.

BOOK NOW

8 July | 10.00 am – 12.00 pm | Springfield Central Library | FREE |

Step into ‘Musical Mind’ by Amigo & Amigo, an immersive interactive installation that turns sound and light into a playground of creativity. Making its Queensland Premiere, fresh from showings in the UK and Sydney, this artwork allows visitors of all ages to craft unique melodies and vibrant visuals through interactive touch panels. It is a celebration of innate musicality, blending harmonies and rhythms into a personalized experience. Presented by Ipswich Festivals, produced by Amigo & Amigo.

8-12 July | 10.00 am – 2.00 pm + 5.00 pm – 8.30 pm| Tulmur Place |FREE

Kaleidoscope Reflections, created by Triangle House, is a vibrant, shape-shifting installation where light, colour, and perspective collide. By day, it’s a playful playground for curious minds, where children create dazzling patterns through hands-on kaleidoscope exploration. As night falls, the space transforms, inviting deeper reflection on the human experience through light, shifting perspectives, and poetry by Caragh Bradbery. Come back after dark to see it in a whole new light.

8-12 July | 10.00 am – 2.00 pm + 5.00 pm – 8.30 pm | Tulmur Place | FREE

Join Lawrey Goodrick in The Book Bouquet, as he reads from his new novel Half Life: the AA Battery adventure. When the story concludes, learn how he created the characters from the book in a fun and engaging illustrations workshop. Using your new knowledge of illustrating you will then be drawing and colouring your own AA battery family canvas portrait to take home.

This 1 1/2-hour workshop is suitable for children ages 7-12years and all resources are provided. Optional ticket price can include a copy of the book which has been signed by the author.

8 July | 2.00 pm – 3.30 pm | The Book Bouquet| BOOK NOW

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque lobortis pharetra molestie. Mauris id sem ultricies, mattis ex tincidunt, molestie metus. Integer suscipit bibendum sollicitudin. Sed lobortis nulla et nibh aliquam, in feugiat dolor viverra. Morbi a condimentum metus. Suspendisse quis ex eget augue placerat maximus. Quisque laoreet, purus sed posuere dignissim, dui lorem venenatis dui, non semper est magna sit amet sapien.

11 July | 9.00 am – 3.00 pm | Ripley Town Centre | TICKETED

Join other Ipswich writers for an afternoon of conversation, creativity and community.

Your hosts for the event will be Ipswich Writers & Illustrators admins, Caroline Slade and Jacinta Goodsell.

If you have a story to tell but aren’t sure what to do next, this is your opportunity to sit down with other writers, ask questions, share ideas, and connect with people who understand the struggle of getting imaginary friends to behave themselves on the page

12 July | 2.00 pm – 6.00 pm | The Top Shelf (Entry from Nicholas Street Mall) Ipswich | FREE Register now