50,000 revel in Ipswich’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities
10 January 2022
More than 50,000 people are estimated to have attended the Christmas in Ipswich program of events and New Year’s Eve festivities delivered by council and a range of community groups across the city.
Christmas in Ipswich featured 32 free and low-cost events for residents to come together in goodwill and joy, before farewelling 2021 with spectacular fireworks launched into the night at Ripley, Rosewood, Ipswich Central and Springfield Central.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the festive celebrations saw family-friendly events and activities pop up across the region, from Marburg to Springfield and every community in between.
“Residents and visitors to our city revelled in suburban light wonderlands, sensational community carols and finished with New Year’s Eve fireworks lighting up the skies in four locations across Ipswich,” Mayor Harding said.
“I think everyone would agree the highlight of Christmas in Ipswich was our city’s revitalised urban heart, the Nicholas Street Precinct, that was merrily transformed into the inaugural St Nicholas Precinct.
“The free 10-night experience included plenty of live entertainment, Christmas movies on the Tulmur Place big screen, yummy festive food and almost 250 metres of wondrous lights that created a magical walk-through experience for all.
“It was also fantastic that most of the community carols events were able to go back to a live event format, after the need for online Christmas concerts in 2020.”
The City of Ipswich Christmas Lights Competition saw 85 unmissable displays across the city, thousands raised their voices at community carols, 45 suburbs were visited by the cruising Santa On Tour fleet and 38,000 experienced the incredible St Nicholas Precinct.
Earlier in the Christmas in Ipswich program, Mayor Harding officially lit 8,600 fairy lights adorning the city’s magnificent nine-metre-tall Christmas tree and 1,412 Letters to Santa were posted to the North Pole by Ipswich Libraries elves.
“Santa and his helpers were very impressed by how kind and thoughtful the children of Ipswich were in their Letters to Santa. He particularly loved the request from 8-year-old Petal for a ‘prickle proof pool’,” Mayor Harding said.
More than 10,800 people attended the New Year’s Eve events and community fireworks that saw the skies above Ipswich alight with amazing bursts of colour, specially designed to visible to as many residents as possible.
The Christmas In Ipswich Program was delivered by Ipswich City Council and supported by the following partners: Ripley Town Centre, Slater and Gordon Lawyers, Energex, Stockland Providence, River 94.9, 9News Queensland, NGU Real Estate Ipswich, Event Cinemas Springfield, Choices Flooring by Mallets, Ipswich, Harvey Norman Booval, Premier Queensland and Pocket Retreats.
To find fun things to do and events happening in Ipswich, visit www.discoveripswich.com.au