Step back in time for Galvanized festival
12 August 2022
Hands-on blacksmithing workshops, haunting ghost tours, poker and prohibition party, a spectacular miniature scale model of the city and the opportunity to make your own didgeridoo with skilled First Nations craftspeople will be part the immersive program when Galvanized festival returns next month.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said Galvanized – A Festival of Heritage will be a fantastic opportunity for families to immerse themselves in the Ipswich region’s best heritage experiences and events.
“With modern-day Ipswich an advanced manufacturing hub, Galvanized will transport the community and visitors back in time to when our region was Queensland’s centre for heavy industry,” Mayor Harding said.
“From blacksmith workshops and digital blueprint rebuilds to bootleg brew, bushy beards and legendary motorbikes, lose yourself back in time across eleven days and nights packed with hands-on historic activities and yesteryear social outings.
“Whether it is exploring iconic venues, legendary and historic sites, sharing in First Nations cultural experiences, or getting involved in special open days, tours and demonstrations, there is something for everyone at Galvanized.”
Running 1 to 11 September in venues and spaces across Ipswich, the second annual Galvanized festival will bring council and community groups together to showcase the city’s rich history including special open days, tours, demonstrations, workshops and shows.
Economic and Industry Development Committee Chairperson Councillor Nicole Jonic said Galvanized will have immersive activities and events that spans 200 to 20,000 years of local history.
“Running across 11 days and nights, there are more than 30 events and activities part of the festival’s program with many free or low cost for history buffs and families to enjoy,” Cr Jonic said.
“I encourage families and friends to explore the program and step back in time to experience enduring fashion, traditions and buildings that defined past generations that called Ipswich home.
“Council is excited to partner with dozens of community groups across Ipswich to bring Galvanized and our city’s rich history to life.”
Galvanized will open on Thursday 1 September at Ipswich’s Memorial Gardens with a performance from Nunukal Yuggera featuring dance, song and story in a traditional welcome ceremony, before the first didgeridoo workshop for men and boys in Augustine Heights on Saturday 3 September.
Ipswich-Mid Century Chic will kick off the festival’s nostalgic social events on Friday 2 September at 1 Nicholas Street before the roaring twenties take over The Workshops Rail Museum for a raucous Prohibition Party on Saturday 3 September.
Blacksmithing and metalsmithing workshops will heat up The Workshops Rail Museum on the festival’s first weekend, during which forgers can get their hands dirty to make something special to take home.
Bikes, Beards + BBQs in Tulmur Place will be a hub of Father’s Day fun on Sunday 4 September, with a mouth-watering selection of foods, woodworking, heritage motorcycles and car displays plus live music and friendly beard and moustache competition.
There will be plenty of historic exhibitions such a miniature scale model of Ipswich and wonderful quilts made by talented local crafters, as well as open days at some of the city’s oldest buildings.
Back in time at Cooneana on 11 September will allow visitors to experience the daily lives of ancestors with old-fashioned games, crafts, weaving, blacksmithing and tutorials on how to search family history, before churning their own butter to enjoy with handcrafted damper.
The heritage festival has several opportunities for children to bring history to life including the Digital Blueprint Builds at Springfield Central Library and becoming an online curator with Picture Ipswich.
There will also be a special Vintage Postcard Series to collect from key festival venues that pays honour to one of the city’s most important architects, George Brockwell Gill.
Walking tours that showcase iconic locations across the city will run most days during the festival, and there are living history and spooky tours of the Ipswich Cemetery – if you dare!
Galvanized – A Festival of Heritage delivers a wide variety of events across 11 days. The full festival program and ticketing information is available at Galvanizedipswich.com.au
Galvanized is delivered through the support of the following partners:
Presenting Partners: Ipswich City Council, McNamara Law
Festival Partners: Cooneana Heritage Centre, Historical Motor Cycle Club of Queensland, Ipswich Genealogical Society, Ipswich Historical Society, Ipswich Libraries, Ipswich Mini Crafters, Ipswich RSL Sub Branch, Ipswich Visitors Information Centre, Lost Ipswich, Nicholas Street Precinct, Picture Ipswich, Queensland Metal Artisans Collective, Queensland Museum Network, The Workshops Rail Museum, Didgeridoo Festivals, Elliott Bledsoe, Ghost Tours Australia, Ipswich Catholic Community , Nunukal Yuggera Aboriginal Dance Troupe, Queensland Colonial Association Inc. Spinners, Weavers and Fibre Artisans of Ipswich Inc. St Paul’s Anglican Church, The Pumpyard Brewery.