Birmingham 2022 Festival: details of 200 events over 6 months revealed

The biggest celebration of creativity ever seen in Birmingham is due to begin on March 17 and run for six months until September 30.

The Birmingham 2022 Festival features some of the best artists from the city in dynamic performances in the city centre and throughout Birmingham districts and beyond.

The full programme for the event surrounding the Commonwealth Games has been released today (Monday February 28) and has attracted a wealth of praise. It features 200 events including a spectacular open-air show, a brand-new Birmingham inspired album, an immersive 3D experience on public transport, photography exhibitions across billboards, a city centre forest of magical proportions, a mass tap-dancing extravaganza and much, much more.

The £12 million festival has been generously supported by a range of funders with the aim of animating the entire West Midlands with ambitious creative works, this includes major support dedicated by Arts Council England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Birmingham City Council and Spirit of 2012.

Here are some of the highlights:

Wondrous Stories - free open air dance show in Centenary Square from March 17 to 20

The iconic spectacle opens with a free open-air show in the Centenary Square on March 17 with Wondrous Stories- a spectacular free performance featuring a cast of hundreds combining dance, acrobatics and awe-inspiring aerial displays.

Created by circus dance company Motionhouse, based in leamington Spa, it will run until March 20.

On Record - a new Birmingham-inspired album from June 18

A brand-new album, On Record, featuring eleven original songs about Birmingham offers a sonic love letter to the city. Featuring new songs by Birmingham artists - including SANITY, UB40 and Dapz on the Map - On Record has been created and produced by Jez Collins of Birmingham Music Archive and Grammy-nominated producer Simon Duggal.

The multi-genre work will be available via a limited vinyl release and across all streaming platforms from Saturday 18 June. A new podcast and live event programme, In Conversations, will complement the album.

Time Travel Tram - the world’s first immersive digital art powered by 5G, on a tram from March 21 to September 30

Passengers on board a West Midlands Metro tram between Wolverhampton and Birmingham will be taken back in time while experiencing the world’s first immersive digital art powered by 5G.

Time Travel Tram, created by immersive storytellers Surfing Light Beams and Crossover Labs, launches living history into the 21st century by transforming the view from the tram windows into a 3D visual extravaganza of people and places from the region’s past.

Running throughout the duration of the festival, from 21 March – 30 September, Time Travel Tram will be accompanied by a contemporary soundtrack created by some of the West Midlands’ most exciting musicians and performers.

10 festivals to celebrate sport across the West Midlands from from May 21

As the Commonwealth Games arrive in Birmingham, 10 festival commissions celebrate and explore sport. In Coventry and Leamington Spa a new outdoor theatre show, by the Coventry group of artists Talking Birds, takes a loving and comedic look at the sport of Lawn Bowls.

Come Bowl with Me takes place in the War Memorial Park, Coventry 16 – 17 July and in the Pump Room Gardens, Leamington Spa 23 – 25 July.

Elsewhere Outside the Box, by Untied Artists and The Play House, brings the story of Squash to life on the courts at University of Birmingham from 21 May, with a guest appearance from current Commonwealth Games Gold medallist, James Willstrop.

Artist Jaskirt Boora explores the role of gender and ethnicity in sport through a series of photographic portraits and recorded conversations.

People, Place and Sport - a collaboration with West Bromwich based community arts organisation Multistory - is a celebration of local communities and grassroots sport in the West Midlands and will take place from April to August in leisure centres across the region, as well as outdoors at Sandwell Valley Country Park.

Tappin’ In - the biggest outdoor tap lesson in Birmingham and beyond on June 18

A mass participation tap dancing and storytelling extravaganza will take to the streets of Birmingham on 18 June for the city’s biggest outdoor tap lesson and ‘shim-sham’.

Tappin’ In will bring people together to get the region tap dancing and chatting.

This project will take place right across the region in Birmingham, Coventry, Stoke, Rugby, Cannock, Solihull, Tamworth and Telford.

107 community projects in Druids Heath, Small Heath and other neighbourhoods

Over 100 creative community projects will also take place across Birmingham.

The Creative City Grants, generously supported by Birmingham City Council, have enabled 107 community groups to stage their own festival events.

Highlights include a large-scale mural created by the residents of Druids Heath working with the award-winning Birmingham artist, Mohammed Ali and in Small Heath Muslim teenagers will gather stories from their family histories to create a theatre show.

PoliNations in Victoria Square from September 2 to 18

In the final month of the festival from 2 – 18 September, giant fabricated trees and thousands of plants will take over Birmingham’s Victoria Square in celebration of the cross-pollination which has shaped UK culture.

PoliNations - produced by Trigger Collective and part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK – will see a festival of free events including spoken word, music, and drag take place under the trees’ canopy, culminating in the Ballistic Seed Party - a day exploding with colour and creativity.

The Birmingham 2022 Festival programme will go live at 10am on 28 February, visit birmingham2022.com/festival to find out more.

What have Commonwealth Games organisers said about the Birmingham 2022 Festival

Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games said: “The Birmingham 2022 Festival is one of the biggest cultural festivals ever associated with a Commonwealth Games and it’s absolutely central to Birmingham 2022 as a global event. The festival is an incredible opportunity to showcase the amazingly vivid cultural world that is reflected in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

“The festival brings together diverse artists from across the region who are working in a huge range of art forms and community participation and inclusion is crucial to so many of the events.

“Above all, this is a festival made in the West Midlands for the Commonwealth and everyone is invited.”

Raidene Carter, Executive Producer for the Birmingham 2022 Festival, adds: “This will be a fantastic moment for Birmingham and the West Midlands. The Birmingham 2022 Festival will throw a spotlight on the wonderful creativity of the region across many communities.

“The breadth of open, free and accessible work in the programme is so inspiring and exciting. I think the festival is going to bring so much joy and entertainment to audiences and participants alike.”

John Crabtree OBE, Chair of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, said: “I am delighted to see the hard work of the Birmingham 2022 Festival team come to fruition.

“This amazing programme of events will include something for everyone across the region and well beyond and will provide a unique stage both to present and celebrate our very special creative talents.

“With the Commonwealth Games starting in 150 days’ time and featuring a world-class sporting programme, the festival will further extend the experience of all our visitors - an unforgettable moment in the spotlight for us all.”

Commonwealth Games Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “This festival will showcase the West Midlands’ unique creativity on the world’s stage.

“The six-month programme will give people from all backgrounds unique, free access to exceptional cultural experiences and celebrate the power of the arts to bring people back together. With a bold ambition to engage over 2.5million people, it will build a lasting cultural legacy for Birmingham and the region."

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands said: “Here in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, we are blessed with a vibrant, world-class, and dynamic creative industry.

“And so the exciting programme on offer for the Birmingham 2022 Festival will be a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase this incredible creative sector to the world.

“I have always been clear that the Commonwealth Games should have a wider impact beyond the fantastic 11 days of sporting spectacle, and the creativity of our artists, citizens, and local organisations instilling pride and belonging in our region is a great example of that.

“I know that during this incredible year, when eyes from across the globe turn towards our region, everyone will feel part of something truly special happening on their doorstep.”

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is more than simply 11 days of world class sport.

“The Birmingham 2022 Festival will run from March to September and will offer Birmingham residents the chance to enjoy a wide range of events right across the city.

“Thanks to our city’s bold bid to host the Games, Birmingham has seen £12 million invested in the cultural programme. “This summer is our chance to shine as a city, and one of the things that we should be proudest of is our thriving arts and cultural scene.”

Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: “We’re delighted to support the Birmingham 2022 Festival, as part of the Commonwealth Games, with £3 million of funding.

“This money is from the National Lottery, it’s money that belongs to everyone, and we want as many people as possible to share in its benefits.

“The festival promises to excite and entertain us, welcome new artists to the city and inspire creativity locally, nationally and internationally. We’re proud to welcome the Commonwealth to Birmingham as it takes its rightful place on the world stage.”

Anne Jenkins, Executive Director, Business Delivery, at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “Here at The National Lottery Heritage Fund we are delighted to support the Birmingham 2022 Festival, part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“Thanks to funds raised by National Lottery players, the West Midlands will take centre stage with six months of creative programming from artists and community groups enabling local people and a national audience to engage with the rich cultural heritage of the area.”

Ruth Hollis, Chief Executive, Spirit of 2012 said: "We’re thrilled to be supporting the Birmingham 2022 Festival, and are incredibly proud to fund, among other projects, the ground-breaking Critical Mass.

“Through the cultural programme there is a direct link from the spectacle of the Commonwealth Games to the diverse communities in the West Midlands.

“This is where the real magic happens, giving people from very different backgrounds, with different challenges and needs the chance to be part of something bigger, discover something new, express themselves, and celebrate this fantastic event taking place in their city.”

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.