Celebrate Ipswich returns to showcase East Anglia’s Waterfront town next week, ending with the always popular Maritime Weekend.
Running from August 11-17, it kicks off with the St Tropez car exhibition on the Cornhill featuring a Ferrari F1 Replica, 1973 Jaguar E-Type, a James Bond Aston Martin DB5, an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, an umber of vintage sports cars and some celebrity faces. The show will move to outside Salthouse Harbour Hotel later in the week.
Other attractions include street entertainers, circus performers and buskers; an Urban Free Style Show featuring some of the country’s leading parkour and free-running performance teams, a BMX flatlander and a breakdancer.
Friday sees the whole town centre take part in the maritime fancy dress day and restaurants and retailers will be joining in the fun too with special menus, events and offers throughout the whole week and weekend.
That night, celebrations will shift to the Waterfront. There will be intriguing performances and acts including fire-juggling duos, operatic performances and sculptural entertainment to be revealed on the night.
The first full day of the Maritime weekend features activities, a number of historic sailing barges and yachts, sailing opportunities and historical entertainment. This year, visitors will be taken back to the Saxon and Viking period.
New this year is the Beer and Beverage Festival, found in its old position on Orwell Quay. Featuring a range of local and national brewers like Greene King, Woodfords, Colchester Brewery, The Dove Street Inn, Mauldons, Wibblers and more it runs from Wednesday to Sunday.
Also new is the Saints Farmers Market in St Peters Street on the Sunday where you’ll find more than 20 of the region’s very best, small scale producers. There’ll also be a World Village Market on Orwell Quay and the traditional Waterfront market on Regatta Quay during the weekend.
University Campus Suffolk hosts its annual open day on the Saturday from 10am-2pm and the following day the Regatta programme returns with more than 60 classic yachts, smacks and working boats on Haven Marina. Activities will include a range of sculling and rowing races and the renowned Rubber Flubber football match.
Finishing the celebrations off will be firework display from the Waterfront from 9.30pm.
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