This year, 'Celebrate Ipswich' which incorporates the fabulous Maritime Festival is set to be better than ever.
Running from 19th to 26th August it will include a range of exciting town centre activities and culminates in the annual Maritime Festival.
Following on from the success of the past two years, Ipswich Central and Ipswich Borough Council will again be working in partnership to deliver an event and promotion worthy of East Anglia's premier waterfront town centre.
The weeklong celebration will be 'All About Ipswich' and the best it has to offer with a series of events in the town centre - the full line up of these events and special offers will be revealed soon.
Over the August bank holiday weekend (23rd - 26th August) the Ipswich Waterfront will be a hive of activity as Ipswich celebrates its rich and colourful maritime history.
This year's Maritime festival ties in with the 200th anniversary of Captain Broke who was born just outside Ipswich and lived at Broke Hall, Nacton. During the war against America which started in 1812, he commanded the HMS Shannon. Broke introduced training for his crew, especially gunnery, that led to a decisive victory. A fantastic display, full of information about Broke's victory can be found in the Ipswich Maritime Trust window on the Ipswich Waterfront and is a must visit for all history lovers over the maritime weekend.
The festival also sees the return of the annual Ipswich Beer Festival which will be in full flow from the Thursday afternoon right through until Monday. There will also be live music, food stalls, a craft market and much more, all adding to the sense of occasion. There will also be a chance for visitors to learn more about Ipswich's maritime history with historical re-enactments happening across the weekend.
Bryony Rudkin, Ipswich Borough Council's Culture portfolio-holder, said: "The Ipswich Maritime Festival is the latest in a fantastic year of entertainment in the town. We are putting on a programme of entertainment for all the family. Hot on the heels of Ip-art and Pulse, we are getting ready to welcome tens of thousands more visitors to the Waterfront."
Paul Clement, Chief Executive of Ipswich Central, said: "With Maritime Ipswich going from strength to strength last year, we are delighted to support this fantastic celebration of everything that is great about East Anglia's waterfront town centre. With the celebration set to include fantastic events, I would encourage everyone to come along to as many of the events as possible and join us in celebrating Ipswich."
Photo: Warren Page Left to right: Paul Clement, Chief Executive Ipswich Central, Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Ipswich Borough Council Culture portfolio-holder and Cathy Frost, LoveOne pictured with the picture of HMS Shannon.
