IPSWICH is preparing to run away with the circus next month, with the city set to host its inaugural Ipswich Circus Festival at the Ipswich Showgrounds on July 10 and 11.
Presented by Circus Ipswich, the two-day festival will bring together acrobatics, aerial performances, cabaret, live music, workshops and community activities in what organisers hope becomes a major annual celebration of contemporary circus arts in the region
Circus Ipswich founder Meg Hooper said the festival had been years in the making and marked a major milestone for the growing community organisation ahead of its 10-year anniversary in 2027.
“This was my dream from the beginning,” Dr Hooper said.
“I dream big and play the long game and we are finally here.”
The festival was made possible through support from Arts Queensland and the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), alongside ongoing backing from the Ipswich Show Society.
“The Ipswich Show Society has been a big supporter of Circus Ipswich from the beginning,” Dr Hooper said.
“The Ipswich Show has a rich history of circus and carnival folk involvement and it seems extra fitting they would be the site of the inaugural festival.”
The festival will open on Friday night with an adults-only Gala Cabaret featuring acrobatics, contortion, juggling and live music in an intimate cabaret-style setting.
Saturday’s Community Day will transform the showgrounds into a colourful circus playground complete with roving performers, workshops, youth showcases, food stalls, live music and interactive activities for all ages.
Visitors will have the opportunity to try skills including tumbling, hula hoops, German wheel, aerial silks, aerial hoop, acro-yoga and juggling, while Circus Ipswich’s popular “bin chicken” stilt walkers will also make an appearance.
“It’s equal parts spectacle and have-a-go. I don’t think people will forget the experience quickly,” Dr Hooper said.
The festival site will also feature accessible spaces and a dedicated low-sensory area to ensure the event is welcoming to all visitors.
Dr Hooper said the festival reflected the growing confidence and maturity of Ipswich’s creative sector and highlighted the important role the arts would continue to play in shaping the city’s future.
“It’s in all our interests that people are working together toward a creative heart of the city and a creative economy,” she said.
For Dr Hooper, success for the inaugural festival will come down to simple moments.
“Smiles. Looks of surprise and delight. People wanting to come back next year,” she said. “You will not forget the first time you fall in love with circus.”
