If you’ve never been to SPARK Ipswich Arts Festival what are you waiting for?  It’s 5 days of art, culture, theatre and performance just waiting to be discovered…  Read on to find out how to spend a weekend at SPARK Ipswich Arts Festival (8-12 July)!Start your weekend on Friday night…When you’ve finished work Friday, jump in the car and head out to Ipswich.First of all you’re staying at a cute apartment with Urban Getaway.  It is set inside a restored heritage home, perfect for couples and has an infrared sauna! If you’ve got the whole family, book one of their entire houses to stay out.

This month there’s a packed program full of live entertainment, culture, festivals, mouth-watering food events, bustling markets, hands-on workshops and more…Ipswich to shine as SPARK Arts Festival returns for five spectacular daysGet ready to see Ipswich in a whole new light as the city transforms into a vibrant playground of colour, music, movement and illumination for the hugely popular SPARK Ipswich Arts Festival. Running over five spectacular days from July 8-12, the much-loved festival will deliver an exciting program designed to inspire, entertain and delight visitors of all ages.Highlights include dazzling animated artwork projections, silent disco tours, a bustling artist night market, an enchanting candlelight concert, street theatre, dance workshops and the ever-popular Little Day Out.

Gift vouchers make great presents for Valentine's Day, Christmas, birthdays, Mother's and Father's Days and even just to show the ones you love that you care.Check out this list of great gift vouchers to help you celebrate special occasions this year.Arttime Gallery and Fine Art SuppliesArttime Gallery and Fine Art Supplies and Rare and Pretty Dolls also offer gift vouchers, for the art and doll lovers in your life!  Gift vouchers can also be used to buy new or vintage toys and for any of their Dollightful Makeover classes.

If you’ve never explored the city, you’re in for a treat. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of photo spots in Ipswich to take some Instagram-worthy snaps! Here are 10 of our favourites (this week!) from some incredibly talented photographers.Queensland Museum Rail WorkshopIpswich gets some exceptional sunrises and sunsets. This one was taken through a fence behind Queensland Museum Rail Workshops in North Ipswich by @getoutandwalk.WillowbankSpeaking of sunrises, this phenomenal snap above was an early morning labour of love from Ian Barnes out at Willowbank. There’s plenty of air force action and wildlife snaps to get around the city, @nicksteelephoto captured both simultaneously at Willowbank.

Among the eclectic range of businesses that call the Old Flour Mill home is one called Soul Cauldron.People travel from far and wide to explore the shelves of quite magical stock here – but what’s it all about?Well, Paul Knox and his wife Marina opened Soul Cauldron for people wanting to explore the world of spirituality.

If you have a day off this Ekka Show Day holiday (Wednesday August 13) – but don't want to face crowds, come out to Ipswich and see what’s on offer around the heritage city and its country surrounds...Taste local delicaciesStart your day with a coffee fix by visiting Ipswich Coffee Roasters – to try the city’s own locally roasted coffee in a warehouse at 7 Clay Street West Ipswich. Pick up a bag of beans or just enjoy a cup.  Follow up with a stop into Rafter & Rose, a popular breakfast/brunch and lunch destination where they whip up some beautiful flower adorned cakes and slices - that you can taste!Cuddle a lambYou can get your farm yard animal fix in Ipswich with a visit to Haigslea EWE Nique Hobby Farm where you can cuddle a baby lamb, pet a goat and feed a fluffy alpaca.