The Waterfront at Ipswich

A celebration of all things nautical will take place on Ipswich Waterfront in August.

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There will be open-air performances and entertainments set against a backdrop of traditional, classic and working vessels.

From 10am to 6pm on both days, visitors can enjoy a range of activities right along Ipswich Waterfront, from Stoke Bridge to Orwell Quay.

The Ipswich Maritime Festival will have visiting vessels, period and modern 
re-enactments, dance performances, displays and stalls, live music, a food and drink festival, fireworks and much more.

At a launch event on June 9, it was announced that Maritime Ipswich 2011 will incorporate the Ipswich Beer Festival, with open-air seating for up to 300 visitors.

This newly combined free event will bring together Ipswich’s past, present and future of the historic Waterfront, Quayside and Docks. Organisers hope that Maritime Ipswich and the beer festival will evolve into one entity, and become a permanent fixture on the Ipswich events calendar.

Maritime Ipswich is being delivered jointly by Ipswich Borough Council and Ipswich Central, in association with Ipswich Waterfront Action, Associated British Ports, The Old Gaffers’ Association, Ipswich Maritime Trust and Ipswich Camra.

The beer festival will run from Thursday, August 18 until Sunday, August 22, while Maritime Ipswich will take place on Saturday, 21, and Sunday, 22.

Over the course of the weekend there will be period re-enactments, dance performances, displays and stalls, live traditional music, open-air performances and fireworks.

Waterfront businesses are expecting to be busy as traditional, classic and working vessels bring in the crowds.

There will be a food and drink court with more than 20 stalls full of local Suffolk produce and opportunities for visitors to create their own picnics to sit and enjoy while watching the sights and sounds of the maritime entertainment, which will include a musket firing zone, static Spitfire displays, world war two enactments and displays and children’s entertainment in the form of fairground rides and Popblast – a band for kids.

The maritime festivities will draw to a close at 6pm on Saturday, and then there will be street entertainment and fire-eaters on the Waterfront, while the restaurants and bars are filling up. This will be complemented by a 10-minute firework display over the water at 10pm.

Councillor Bryony Rudkin, portfolio holder for Ipswich Borough Council, said: “The change seen at the Waterfront is remarkable from when the last maritime festival was held and we’re hoping to channel the now-vibrant atmosphere into creating a unique and special event.”