The Ipswich Maritime Festival is an annual event, a celebration of our heritage and history, an event which brings together people from all walks of live, to celebrate Ipswich as a town, and all it has to offer.
Records show that as far back as the 7th century Ipswich was a trading settlement. Back then the town was known as Gippa’s Wic or Gip’s Wic, where ‘Gip’ is a corner, and refers to the town’s location on the River Orwell, and ‘Wic’ which translates as port. So we can be sure that Ipswich was already established as a trading port.
Ipswich Maritime Festival 2014 takes place between 15th and 17th August, within the final weekend as part of ‘Celebrate Ipswich’, a week long programme of activities, organised by Ipswich Central, the Business Improvement District (BID) Company for Ipswich - see their main website for more details.
Celebrate Ipswich is an opportunity to showcase great local events, businesses and venues. From the 11th August you can access a great range of activities and events, many of which are completely free of charge. The event kicks off which a display of cars on the Cornhill in Ipswich, along with and outdoor Urban Free Style Show. There are a number of markets, including the World Village Market at Ipswich Waterfront, as well as at the Craft and Gift Fair at St Peter’s by the Waterfront, and this year there is the new addition of the Saints Farmers’ Market.
Last year we saw live military re-enactments outside the Old Custom House, with characters in full costume, and audience participation. We love the smiles of the faces of the children as they join in with the action.
This year we’re in for a treat again this year when the Vikings descend upon the quayside. Another great opportunity to learn more about the history of Ipswich, in an engaging and interactive way.
For those of you who are wanting to get out on to the waters there are a number of sailing trips, and for the food lovers out there a number of local restaurants and bars have put together themed menus for the weekend. And of course, we couldn’t write a piece about the Maritime Ipswich weekend without mentioning the Beer Festival. A hugely popular event, the Ipswich Beer Festival once again returns to Ipswich Waterfront during the Maritime Festival weekend. For more information check out our feature on the Ipswich Beer Festival 2014.
Music is key to Ipswich life, and following on from the success of Ip-Art 2014 there’s a packed programme of music and arts during the Celebrate Ipswich 2014 week. There are events at DanceEast, including Swing Night and Tango Night - for the adults, and Family Fun - Under the Sea - for the children, as well as live music at Isaacs, and Grapevine will have a live music stand down at the waterfront throughout the Maritime Weekend.
The weekend brings together a great number of activities. Popular for many will be the Regatta, where the quay will come alive with a number of boast races throughout the day, and the big finale will once again be the magnificent firework display. Your chance to see the boast in the marina light up under a rainbow of colours blazen across the night sky.
Whatever your passion, whatever your choice in entertainment, we hope that Ipswich will bring together from across the town, and further afield, and that together we can all celebrate Ipswich.
19th July 2014
