This Friday sees the launch of Ipswich’s first “Weekender” of the year, a whole series of events in the town centre spread over three days.

There is a big emphasis on family-friendly entertainment.

Following on from the success of the dinosaurs on the Cornhill at half term, there will be a climbing wall and cave experience on Saturday and Sunday. The wall is suitable for both adults and children with different climbing challenges across four climbing routes, suiting complete beginners to experienced climbers.

The cave is billed as “the most realistic artificial caving experience you will get above ground”. Explorers are provided with a helmet, head torch’ and a quick briefing before going off to explore. There is over 90 ft of tunnelling with full internal CCTV for spectators to watch from the outside.

Get Ipswich Dancing! is a series of dance workshops and performances by Ipswich School of Dance on Saturday afternoon in many different styles targeted at a wide age range of participants.

Rock Paper Scissors’ Art Bike will be travelling to different locations in the town centre and Waterfront on Saturday and Sunday delivering pop-up family art workshops. All children will have an art project to take home.

Saturday will also see SPILL festival hold a special ‘open house’ event at their Think Tank venue on High Street with a series of drop-in family activities and a sneak preview of some of the events coming up in their 2023 festival in October.

Fresh Start & Coffee in Carr Street is offering children’s art and craft sessions along with free friendship lunches for pensioners throughout the weekend.

There will be tours of Christchurch Mansion on Saturday and Sunday with guides in full period costume talking about domestic life at the mansion in past times.

On Sunday there will be a party at the Community Hub in St Nicholas Street to celebrate their first birthday.

Ipswich’s growing music scene will also be on display over the weekend.

Brighten The Corners will be holding two great evenings of live music from local and national artists at The Baths on Friday and Saturday evenings.

On Saturday from 5pm to 9pm Three Wise Monkeys will be providing an outside stage on Lloyds Avenue showcasing a great line-up of local artists along with a pop-up bar. Live music will continue into the evening in their ground-floor bar.

Following on from SPILL’s open house during the day, from 7pm they will be hosting an evening of “record spinning and vinyl culture” with SPILL’s artistic director and other local DJs.

The Hive in Norwich Road will be hosting No Borders Media Lab on Saturday and Sunday, a pop-up radio station collecting stories from across the community and using these to produce a special radio show.

Following on from the success of the independents’ market in the Ancient House at the Welcome Back Ipswich Weekend last year, this weekend will again see 30 of the best local independent makers and traders take up residence again along with food and a licensed bar.

King Street Cinema will be showing “Right of Way” on Saturday afternoon, a new feature-length programme that mixes new commissions with historical archive films themed around access and inclusion in the UK countryside.

Rounding this off, Saturday will also see the opening of the St Elizabeth Hospice’s new Moments Coffee Shop in the Town Hall which will also be hosting a pop-up library.

Whether it’s music, dance, food, shopping or just having a drink with friends there really will be something for everyone in Ipswich this weekend and the town centre is sure to be buzzing.

Most of the events are free of charge and don’t require booking.

The programme has been organised by Ipswich Borough Council and Ipswich Central with funding provided by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Full details are available at: www.ipswichentertains.co.uk/ipswich-weekender