Ipswich Illumination features interactive art installations, live music, poetry, projections, bonfires, and more along the Ipswich River. Each evening, Bonfires will blaze on the Ipswich River, which runs through the heart of our downtown & community. Enjoy installations and performances on the Ipswich Riverwalk Mural. Special thanks to our musician friends, content creators, performers, bonfire tenders, and the Town & people of Ipswich, Massachusetts.
2026 Ipswich Season of Illumination
The 2026 annual Ipswich Illumination will be held on the following dates:
- Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Oct. 9, 10, & 11 at Meeting House Green at the top of Town Hill
- Friday, October 16 & Saturday, October 17 at the downtown Ipswich River Walk, 4 Union Street
- Closing ceremonies will be held on Sunday, October 18 at Pavilion Beach.
Pre & Post-Season: Friday, Sept 25 & Oct 23, 2026 GemJam
GemJam is a free public outdoor drum, dance & DJ event held on the 4th Friday of each month at the Ipswich Riverwalk Mural behind 4 Union Street.
- Time and place: 6 to 8 pm at the Riverwalk Mural, 4 Union Street.
Oct. 2,3,4, 2026: 40th Annual Ipswich Cultural Council Annual Art Show & Sale
The Ipswich Town Art Show is open to all Ipswich resident artists over the age of 17. The Ipswich Art Show and Sale showcases local artists and raises funds for the Ipswich Cultural Council, which in turn funds Ipswich community arts, humanities, and science grants. The Ipswich Cultural Council is a local, appointed council that works in concert with the Mass Cultural Council to create cultural opportunities for the people of Ipswich. Click here to submit
Dates & times: October 2-4, 2026
Location: Ipswich Town Hall Gym & Stage, 25 Green Street, Ipswich, MA
7:15 pm, Friday, October 2: Weights & Measures
In 1847, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts contracted with Howard & Davis of Boston to manufacture and distribute to every town in Massachusetts a precision equal-arm balance scale with brass standard weights, and a large wooden cabinet. The official unveiling of the recently restored Ipswich Town Scales will occur during the Annual art show & sale, on the first floor of the Ipswich Town Hall.
Illumination Weekend One: October 9, 10 & 11
Meeting House Green at the top of Town Hill, celebrating Civility, Multiculturalism & Color!
ON~GLOWING Installations
- Pieces of Light by Gina Tzizik
- Windows & Doors of Perception
- KaleidoLive, a real-time kaleidoscopic projection, #ProjectProject in collaboration with ICAM.
- TranscenDance
- Aspire
- High Spirits Robin Eggs, Crystals & Rainbows
- StereoOptics, Truth is Multi~Faceted: See in 3D; 19th-century dual-lens stereoscopic cards captured three-dimensional views of New England, turning flat landscapes into deep, tangible views. Dan Lovy Photography
Food: Humble Kitchen, Thai chili & dumplings (Saturday night only)
Spirits: True North, 1634 Meadery, and Ipswich Ale
Friday, October 9, 2026
5:45–6:14 pm: Poetry by Pete McDade on the Ipswich Public Library front steps, 25 N. Main Street
6:14: Sunset Ringing of the Bells at North Green at the top of Town Hill
6:15 – 7:00 pm: Nada Brahma Kirtan (Indian traditional call & response chanting meditation)
7: 00 pm: The Orchestra On the Hill presents “American Tapestry: The Cambodian Spirit,” a collaboration with Angkor Dance Troupe at the Ipswich Community House / Living Faith United Methodist Church on Meeting House Green. The Cambodian music is inspired by Arn Chorn-Pond.
Ravi Sound Bath: Ravi Sirois is a local yogi and sound bath practitioner who leads GEM (Gong Enhanced Meditation) sound bath sessions and Kundalini yoga.
23MICROCINE at the TakeOut Terrace & Stage, 4 Union Street
8:00 – 10:30 pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey, presented by 23 Microcine, which is dedicated to bringing people together through thoughtfully curated cinema. We invite you to share an evening of film with us during Ipswich Illumination.
Saturday, October 10, 2026
1:00-3: 00 pm: Craft Supply Swap at the Ipswich Public Library, 25 N. Main Street. Give your used supplies a new home and pick up materials to try a new hobby for free.
2:00-3:45 pm: Ipswich Public Library Archives Open House with Heidi Horner
2:00-4:30 pm: The Light Between: Self-guided viewing of stained glass windows at Ascension Memorial Church at 31 County Street. Guided Tours (40 minutes) at 2 pm & 3:30 pm for an in-depth look at their history, artists, symbolism, and significance to Ascension. This remarkable collection is associated with some of the most important names in American stained-glass art, including John La Farge, Harry Eldredge Goodhue, Heaton, Butler & Bayne of London, and the Burnham studios. Created as works of art, faith, and remembrance, the windows also tell fascinating stories of the Ipswich families who commissioned them and the artists who helped shape the American stained-glass movement. Come discover the beauty and the stories hidden in plain sight inside one of Ipswich’s historic churches.
4:00-5:00 pm: Sound Bath with Ravi Sarois at the Ipswich Meeting House
5:00- 6:10 pm: Circles, Lines & Squares Family-Friendly Folk Dance
6:20 pm: Sunset Ringing of the Bells at North Green at the top of Town Hill
6:25 – 7:30 pm: Cables & Lines is a trio of dynamic musicians crafting emotionally resonant music that blends rich harmonies with intricate guitar playing.
7:30- 9:00 pm: Music by Jah Spirit: The group blends an African-Reggae beat with elements of calypso jazz, blues, and rock. “Together we Aspire, Together we Achieve.”
Sunday, October 11: Bizarre Bazaar
1:00 pm- 4:00 pm:
- Labor & Vain Band
- Neighborhood Yard Sale, Meeting House Green, North Main, High, East, & Summer Streets
- Brown Paper Grab Bags: 50¢ Curiosity Bag, $1 Mystery Artifact, $5 Treasure Trove
- Health, Wellness, & Recovery Information Station
4:00-6:00 pm: Objects & ArtiFacts
- Location: Ipswich Public Library lawn
- Master Of Ceremonies: Kerry Zagorella with Show & Tell
6:06 pm: Sunset Ringing of the Bells at North Green at the top of Town Hill
6:10 pm: Choose your adventure:
- Ipswich History through the Darkness of the Night, an Evening Lantern Walking Tour. The Town of Ipswich Planner Director Alan Manoian will be your Local Heritage Lantern Tour Guide. Stroll together by the light of the lantern to look, hear, and walk through local architecture, legends, tales, stories, and curiosities of Ipswich at Night! Meet at the Devil’s Footprint on the rocks beside First Church on the Meeting House Green.
- CozyUp Story Time at the Ipswich Public Library front lawn: Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. Recording by Merril Streep with music by George Winston.
- Ravi SoundBath at the Meeting House. Deep Rest.
- Lantern Walk, led by Ipswich . Meet at the Devil’s Footprint on the rocks by the Congregational Church.
Illumination Weekend Two, October 16 & 17
Downtown at the Ipswich River, 4 Union Street
OnGlowing Installations along the Downtown Riverwalk
- Hall-Haskell House Artist in Residence: Brett Gamache, a plein air landscape painter from Ipswich. He holds a MFA from UNH and a BFA from MassArt.
- A Flock of Seagulls
- Ipsy the Dragon
- ShadowDance
- KalidoLive
Friday, October 16
- 5:25 pm – 5:55 pm: Ipswich Community Band performing “Summer Stars” at the Alan Pearsall’s Ipswich History Mural on the Riverwalk
- 5:56 pm: Herald by Julian Jnorogi
- 5:59 pm: Evening SunSet Illumination Archers Carlos, Kara & Junko
- 6:00 – 9:00 pm: Orville Giddings Band on the Ipswich Illumination Main Stage
Saturday October 17
- 4:00 pm -5:50 pm: Chuck & the Players on the Ipswich Illumination Main Stage
- 5:55 pm: Herald by Julian Jnorogi
- 5:57 pm: Sunset Illumination with Archers Carlos & Kara Junko
- 6:00 – 9:00 pm: Bottles & Cans on the Ipswich Illumination Main Stage
- IHS Robotics Team 5459 will demonstrate their robots in the EBSCO parking lot adjoining the Take-Out Terrace.
Sunday, October 18
The Labor-In-Vain Challenge
Put in at Town Wharf and paddle against the incoming tide in time to arrive at Pavilion Beach by 4:00 pm for Ipswich Illumination Closing Ceremonies.
Closing Ceremonies
4:00 – 6:00 pm at Pavilion Beach
- Beach BonFire
- OmDrum Circle
- Ocean Plunge
- ColorBlast
- Let’s Sauna Barrel Sauna
23MICROCINE Presents The Thomas Crown Affair
- 8:00 pm at the Take Out Terrace Truss & Stage, 4 Union Street
23MICROCINE is dedicated to bringing people together through thoughtfully curated cinema. We invite you to share an evening of film with us during Ipswich Illumination.
Friday, October 23
GemJam is a free public outdoor drum, dance, and DJ event held on the 4th Friday of each month at the Ipswich Riverwalk Mural located at 4 Union Street.
- Time and place: 6 to 8 pm at the Take Out Terrace Truss & Stage, 4 Union Street
Scenes from Bygone Illuminations
Historic Ipswich 
Thanks to Kerrie Bates for all the hard work she does putting together the annual Illumination.
Planning on coming to the November 1 event. A couple questions:
1. Where can we park if the Town Wharf lot is full?
2. Where is the best place to see the archers and bonfire boats?
Thanks!
The archers will be shooting from the Pedestrian Bridge by the dam on the first weekend.
The second weekend will be at the wharf. If there is any parking there, it will be limited. You can park at the Town Hall on Green St. If that is full, there is also the Elm Street parking lot, and walk on Water St. to the Town Wharf.