Schedule
9 AM: Sunrise Stretch: Yoga Class with Manoj
10.30 AM: Perry’s Playtime Disco
12 PM: B:Music Presents Celebrating Sanctuary - Muntu Valdo and Amadou Diagne
4.30 PM: Screen Spotlight: The Migration Blanket - Climate Solidarity by Salma Zulfiqar
5 PM: Amplify Sounds Presents The Reset
7.15 PM: B:Music and We Don’t Settle present Poetry Jam
Throughout the day: Games action on screen, Piing, Screen Spotlights, food & drink
Our rich Thursday programme at Victoria Square encompasses young voices from across the region as well as sport, music and art from around the world. Manoj is back for one of his signature Yoga classes - you can expect a short meditation, simple breathing techniques, warm ups, movement, stretching and relaxation, with some giggles on the way! If you have never stepped on the mat before, that’s ok - all will be welcomed and an inclusive atmosphere will be created for all levels and abilities. Then, get the kids down for Perry’s Playtime Disco - your opportunity to have a boogie with the Commonwealth Games’ official mascot!
At lunchtime, Celebrating Sanctuary are bringing African melodies courtesy of their incredible roster of refugee and migrant artists. Amadou Diagne comes from a Griot line of percussionists in Senegal, and has performed with Senegal National Orchestra and some of West Africa's top artists. Establishing himself as singer, songwriter, and multi instrumentalist, his music delights with rhythmic and melodic excellence. Muntu Valdo is an engaging, unique performer from Cameroon. Muntu Valdo’s music is rooted in the blues, mixing African traditions with striking modernity and technical mastery. His mesmerising set juxtaposes his raw, passionate voice, emotive melodies, intricate African guitar with ingenious use of loops and effects, to create sun-kissed, groove-heavy Sawa Blues. Presented by B:Music and generously funded by Colmore BID and Central BID.
In the afternoon, witness an extraordinary collaboration between girls and women in Birmingham and Commonwealth nations calling attention to themes of sustainability and migration. The Migration Blanket - Climate Solidarity by Salma Zulfiqar is a film which features over 400 pieces of unique artwork and gives a voice to migrant and refugee women and girls.
Later on, female-led music platform Amplify Sounds will ease you into the weekend with The Reset, featuring dreamy sounds and poetic flows from an incredible lineup of young artists. Amplify Sounds began in the heart of lockdown and 2020 as a way of enabling original artists from the West Midlands to perform live when venues were closed. Since then, they have supported over 100 original and emerging artists from the Midlands through live performance events, live online broadcasts and wider digital content production and promotion.
Aayushi is a singer songwriter from the Midlands who creates the most delicate songs, which conjure up a world of wonder and magic. Expect to be enchanted by soft lofi ambiance wrapped in delicious poetry.
Hali Ray is an old soul with a modern twist. Her sound is a blend of Jazz, Soul & RnB, a nod to the wide range of music that sound tracked her upbringing. She aims to create a feeling of nostalgia in her music, tying different generations together with the same musical connection.
NEONE The Wonderer is a singer and songwriter dedicated to self-exploration through a fusion of genres yet encompassing an overall signature sound. His music aims to challenge your perception of normality, traversing through dreams, nightmares, myth, and reality.
Casey Bailey is Birmingham's Poet Laureate, originally from Nechells. . From putting poetry in Peaky Blinders to repping his roots in theatre pieces like the recent Grime Boy, this city wordsmith is truly capturing and elevating what it means to be from Birmingham. When not educating future generations in his full time roles as a deputy headmaster, and devoted family man, Casey is also known for causing heat on the streets. A former clash MC, Casey now uses his music to reflect on actions of the past and using lessons learnt to build a stronger, brighter future.
Kyra is an 18 year old singer, songwriter and producer from West Bromwich who experiments with different genres creating original pieces for everyone to enjoy. Currently making sophisticated sounding house music, Kyra is a talented young performer with a bright future ahead of her!
In the evening, We Don’t Settle’s monthly Poetry Jam takes to the Fountain Stage to showcase some of the city’s best up-and-coming spoken word artists. A diverse and inclusive range of voices get the opportunity to creatively express themselves in the heart of the city, through poetry and performance. Presented by B:Music and generously funded by Colmore BID and Retail BID.
At various times during the day, challenge your friends, family and other audience members to a game of Piing. Piing is a virtual game that brings people together, inviting them to play an immersive high-speed game, using their phones as controllers, with the action happening on our big screen. Piing is super simple, uniquely challenging and seriously fun. Presented by Comic Relief - donations are encouraged as part of gameplay. Comic Relief intends to split all proceeds equally between Comic Relief and registered charities United by Birmingham 2022 Legacy Charity and Commonwealth Sport Foundation.
The Festival Food and Drink Eatery, a pop up catering unit, will offer a range of tasty breakfast, lunch and dinner treats daily from 8am to 10pm. From lunchtime, the square will also be licensed for people to enjoy drinks from the bar, including a choice of social enterprise prosecco and cocktails for those looking to support a worthy cause as they enjoy the Games atmosphere.
The menus will change across the two weeks, giving return visitors something different to look forward to and showcasing some of the finest Colmore eateries and bars in the city. For early risers, who want a healthy treat on the way into the city, perhaps after enjoying the Sunrise Stretch sessions, there will be granola yoghurt pots, overnight oats, kombucha and coffee. From lunchtime you can pick up salads, deli bakes, vegan cakes, muffins and pastries plus appetising ciabatta and focaccia sandwiches. There will also be biriyani, vegetarian papdi chaat, spicy chicken noodles and veggie stir fry to enjoy whilst listening to the Fountain Stage Music programme plus kebab wraps, shawarmas with selections of salads, pickles, and sauces and vegan options including crispy tofu. Games and Festival site visitors will be spoiled for choice!
Throughout the day visitors and passers by are also invited to watch sporting highlights from the Games on our big screen, enjoy food and drinks from Colmore BID cafes, bars and restaurants, and take a look at digital commissions and projects from the Birmingham 2022 Festival at our Screen Spotlights.
