We don’t think we’ve been any prouder of our city than during last year’s Commonwealth Games. From art exhibitions to joining sports clubs, we all found ways to get involved and come together as a community. (Somehow we all fell in love with a mechanical bull along the way.) Birmingham Festival 2023 will let Brummies relive the sporting fever this summer with one-year celebrations.
Birmingham City Council has unveiled plans for Birmingham Festival 23 to mark the one year anniversary of the Commonwealth Games. Taking place in Centenary Square, with a 10 day programme of free events, the festival will celebrate the city’s creativity ‘as a sign of its ongoing commitment to funding culture.’
“The Festival is going to be wonderful,” said Cllr Jayne Francis, cabinet member for digital, culture, heritage and tourism. “10 days of brilliant, free entertainment celebrating all that is great about the city and region, showcasing the creativity across our communities. The Commonwealth Games showed Birmingham – the city and people – at its absolute best and we want to see a lasting legacy for all our residents, businesses and visitors. We’re going to show everyone, once again, how brilliant Brum is!”
The full line-up events won’t be announced until June, but the outdoor free-to-access festival will echo the city-centre experience of the Commonwealth Games. Across 10 days (Friday, July 26 to Sunday, August 6) Birmingham Festival 23 will reflect the diversity of Birmingham with live music and performance, creative and participatory activities, and big-screen content.
The festival programme is committed to showcasing diversity, inclusion and homegrown talent. Birmingham Festival 2023 has also launched Made in Brum, an open call to creative community groups and artists in the city to feature. To learn more about getting involved head here.
Steven Knight CBE said: “I’m proud to be a Patron for Birmingham Festival 23 and proud that Birmingham City Council truly values culture. The Games are still very fresh in people’s minds, it was such a joyful period in the city’s history. And now, with a great team pulling out all the stops to make this year’s events a celebration of the anniversary, people will again have something to look forward to that everyone can enjoy, and it’s all FREE. I can’t wait to see what the programme has in store.”
Birmingham Festival 2o23 is being delivered by the same team behind the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Festival.