B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival: The first pictures of Birmingham’s free annual festival have been released

Birmingham Hippodrome and Bullring & Grand Central have released the first images from the B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival.

The event launched on Saturday, June 11 with the Punch Records Rap Cypher event in Digbeth - and will finish on Sunday, June 19 with with the Break Mission x B-SIDE International Dance Championships Grand Finals.

Last year, the festival took place in Coventry as part of City of Culture 2021, but this year B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival is back and it has become part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival - celebrating the run up to the Commonwealth Games in September.

B-Side is a free annual festival which takes place at the Hippodrome, Bullring & Grand Central, and other venues across the city.

The hip-hop festival brings together extraordinary artists and breath-taking acts from across all four elements of the genre: breakin’, graffiti, DJ’ing and MC’ing.

What events are on as part of the B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival?

Tomorrow (June 14) will see the return of Sadlers Wells’ Breakin’ Convention Emerge and See which gives Hip Hop artists the opportunity to develop a new idea or existing piece for the stage.

This weekend, there area number of workshops taking place; including one with leading Waacking dancer Princess Lockerooo on Sunday, June 19, and another with Menno van Gorp (one of the most accomplished B-Boys on the Breaking Scene) on Friday, June 17.

And on Saturday, June 18, legendary Graffiti artists (including Brim and Gent 4) will paint a large new bespoke mural onto the back of the Hippodrome.

Check out the full schedule here so you don’t miss workshops and performances by Afroflux and Fluxcon; a series of talks; art; DJs; live graffiti; and music performances at the Hippodrome.

What has been said about the B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival?

Graham Callister, Director of Festivals at Birmingham Hippodrome, said: “The festival launched with a bang this weekend, and there is such a brilliant and eclectic mix of performance, workshop and activities to enjoy across the city – it’s great to be back!”

Danielle Bozward, Marketing Manager at Bullring & Grand Central, said: “We are so pleased to be working with the Hippodrome and B-SIDE festival partners again. Our visitors can enjoy world class dance in the centre, alongside pop up graffiti outside on Sunday 19 June, it’s set to be a fantastic way to end the festival.”

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