Birmingham 2022 Festival continues to the end of September
The Commonwealth Games might be over but, like the Raging Bull, which remains in Centenary Square until the end of September, the Birmingham 2022 Festival continues to showcase homegrown creativity for, with and by people from the West Midlands.
Birmingham 2022’s opening and closing ceremonies celebrated the thriving creativity and talent in the West Midlands. When speaking about the festival post Games, our Executive Producer Raidene Carter said:
With the spotlight of the Games behind us but still reeling from the buzz of the last two weeks, audiences can relax into more Festival experiences with pride and confidence in what we’ve achieved so far, and hopefully, excitement for the future.
Be a part of Birmingham 2022 Festival’s final chapter and check out some festival highlights coming up over the next few weeks:
To The Streets! | China Plate & Birmingham Hippodrome
A brand new outdoor musical theatre concert by Roy Williams and composer and lyricist, Tim Sutton. Telling the lesser-known story of the UK’s own civil rights movement, centring on the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963, performances are all outdoors in parks across the West Midlands. Expect irresistible ska, calypso and rock n’ roll at Handsworth Park on 19 and 20 August; Windmill Hill, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry on 24 and 25 August and West Park, Wolverhampton on 28 August.
Waswasa – Whispers in Prayer | Soul City Arts
In the final chapter of the festival, some of the programme is more introspective, and includes projects that focus on the quieter Commonwealth stories and marginalised perspectives.
From August 25 - 30, Soul City Arts - the company of award-winning Brummie street artist, - will present Waswasa at Birmingham Hippodrome a project creatively exploring the act of Islamic prayer; where and how people pray and what it means in a modern secular society. Audiences can expect an immersive experience combining performance, street art and projection, as well as a rare opportunity to get close to the official replica of the famous Birmingham Qur’an, the oldest recorded copy in the world. Waswasa is Mohammed’s largest project to date
Victoria Square will be transformed into a biodiverse paradise of colour, beauty and nature. Enjoy Trigger’s oasis from 2-18 September alongside a free programme of poetry, live music and a momentous ballistic seed party.
Time Travel Tram | Surfing light Beams and Crossover Labs
Experience a free 360 mobile phone experience that invites people to discover the people and places that moulded Birmingham and the Black Country into the vibrant and industrious place it is today – is available on the West Midlands Metro until October.
Birmingham’s biggest ever Pride will be led by a group of performers who came through MOBILISE, a series of sober queer dance parties
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby | Rambert
And it all ends with the world premiere of Rambert's Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby,a section of which featured in the closing ceremony. Audiences can see the dance piece in full at Birmingham Hippodrome, 27 September - 2 October.
There is so much more to see, check out all other festival events, performances and exhibitions via birmingham2022.com/festival where you can also join the mailing list to stay up to date as more events are announced.
