A little bit of the wonder and excitement of the Ipswich Show will come to homes across the city this Friday when the Festival of 4 Walls begins.
Festival of 4 Walls is an online festival that will allow audiences to experience, from the safety and comfort of their own home, elements of festivals and events that would have been if not for COVID-19.
It will use technology including augmented reality, live streams, pre-recorded videos and web content to bring key parts of festivals and events direct into people’s homes.
It kicks off with Front Yard Friday on the Ipswich Show Public Holiday on 15 May, for which households are being asked to decorate their front yards to show their community spirit.
Residents can bring a touch of the Ipswich Show to their home.
The fun doesn’t stop there though, with an exciting augmented reality experience celebrating the Ipswich Show available for download.
Anyone with a smartphone or tablet will be able to bring a fun, mini show experience to their home complete with sideshow alley clowns, sheep dogs and a circus tent.
Capture and share the moment online by stepping into the picture and taking a photo at the virtual Ipswich Show.
Participants will be rewarded for their interaction through competitions and giveaways including passes to next year’s Ipswich Show and show bags delivered to the door.
A series of festival attractions will rollout in the coming weeks via the Ipswich Festivals Facebook page.
Ipswich performers, like Wild Eyed Wonder, will be live streamed into people’s home.
More details about festival events will be released in coming weeks but the community can expect:
- Bagpipes in your lounge room: Participants may need to warn the neighbours when a virtual piper visits their lounge rooms in honour of The Gathering (Celtic) festival. There will also be Haggis inspired recipes.
- Live streamed shows: Ipswich musicians will take centre stage when community music venue Studio 188’s popular Live! at the Baptist becomes Live Streamed! at the Baptist.
- Pavement Art: Local artists and the community will be encouraged to get their chalk out and participate in Pavement Art’s Alive to brighten up the region as a warm up to Brisbane Street Art Festival that has been rescheduled to later in the year.
- Tour a great house of Ipswich: In honour of Great Houses of Ipswich, the doors to one of the region’s most majestic homes will be swung open virtually for a unique tour.
- Backyard fun with the Broncos: Brisbane Broncos captain Alex Glenn will put Ipswich kids through their paces encouraging them to get active in their backyard. Kids will also enjoy virtual storytime and cooking sessions.
- A focus on food: Any festival worth its salt needs good food and the Festival of 4 Walls is no different. Ipswich’s very own Ungermann Brothers will teach festival goers how to put a spin on vanilla ice cream.
Mayor Teresa Harding said the Festival of 4 Walls was a great way for the community to have fun while maintaining social distancing and adhering to COVID-19 restrictions still in place.
Pavement art will be a part of the Festival of 4 Walls.
“The beauty of this festival is that anyone with a smartphone or tablet device will be able to take part and it is all happening right in the safety and comfort of your own home,” she said.
“We had an exciting lineup of events and festivals planned for 2020, most of which have been cancelled through to July, for public safety reasons.
“Council’s events team were quick to think outside the box and I’m delighted the community will now have the opportunity to experience a unique online festival.”
Festival of 4 Walls is part of the council’s Ipswich Together initiative which was launched to help our community as it responds to and recovers from COVID-19.
“It will not only bring fun into many homes across Ipswich but also provide important support and opportunities for our city’s artists to continue to connect with the community,” Mayor Harding said.
To join in the fun of Festival of 4 Walls follow Ipswich Festivals on Facebook.
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