Plenty of excitement went down in Birmingham in July, but the summer fun doesn’t stop there. The sunny (hopefully) month of August has got plenty in store to keep you entertained. From sporting fever and music festivals to ‘great value’ deals at incredible restaurants, Birmingham isn’t short of things to do this August!
1. Bounce on over to the world’s largest inflatable course
Head into the belly of the inflatable beast at this Monster obstacle course in Coventry. The 300 metres of inflatable madness will be popping up in Coventry Building Society Arena from August 1 to September 1 for a dose of childhood nostalgia or a wholesome day of family fun, plus street food, drinks and live DJs. The epic course has over 40 obstacles – including the 18-metre ‘Mega Slide’, ‘The Exterminator’ and the ‘House of Hell’. To get your tickets to The Monster head here.
2. Scale Selfridges’ 30ft climbing wall
Throughout August, Selfridges is transforming into the sports venue, Sportopia. You’ll find weekly run clubs, a bespoke Team Selfridges sports kit, a sports-themed party for kids and an unmissable 30ft climbing wall. For six weeks (from Thursday, July 25), you can scale the walls of the Selfridges atrium. It’s bookable for groups of up to six at a time, managed by professional climbers, with a range of challenges during 45-minute sessions.
3. Tuck into Michelin star-quality food at ‘great value’ prices
Birmingham Restaurant Festival returns for the whole month of August to make eating out more accessible for all. 42 Birmingham restaurants restaurant have created an exclusive, great value, dinner menu – with some big names signed up, including The Yummy Brummie’s Purnell’s and Plates By Purnell’s – meaning Michelin quality food at a money-saving cost – 670 Grams, Rosa’s Thai, Bundobust, Chapter, Chung Ying, Dishoom, Lasan and Tattu. To learn more about Birmingham Restaurant Festival and participating restaurants head here.
4. Enjoy an atmospheric Candlelight concert
Can you picture this? A four-string quartet with a stunning performance of your favourite music in one of Birmingham’s most beautiful buildings. Oh, and all under the gentle glow of candlelight. That sounds pretty special, right? Plus, there’s something for every type of music fan too! On August 17, discover the best of Bollywood and Tollywood, or how about a tribute to 70s rockers Queen? And ABBA fans cannot miss out on the candlelight performance at Birmingham Cathedral on August 31.
5. Head to a colourful free festival
The team-up between Birmingham Hippodrome and Bullring & Grand Central returns August Bank Holiday weekend with colourful installations, pop-up performances, interactive games and plenty of unique experiences. This four-day festival (August 23 – 26) is free to attend with highlights like a large-scale spectacular in the skies including hair-hanging artists, dance trapeze and high wire walks; the large-scale, inflatable installation, Luminarium; and an epic festival finale featuring Island of Foam by Stephanie Luning – which will see multicoloured foam fill St Martins Square creating an island of colour. Learn more about Birmingham Weekender here.
6. Witness this Titanic exhibition
This massive Titanic Exhibition will soon tell the tragic story of the unsinkable ship like you’ve seen never before. Sailing into the NEC Birmingham from July 27 to August 25, it traces the ocean liner’s journey from its construction at a shipyard in Belfast, through its fateful voyage, to its rediscovery at the bottom of the ocean – using imagery, audio and real objects from the Titanic to convey life onboard the ship. You’ll be able to see everything from interactive exhibits to footage of the wreckage, as well as props from the 1997 blockbuster film.
7. Catch Moseley’s family-friendly folk music festival
Inviting the very best of contemporary folk music to Birmingham’s intimate 11-acre woodland glade in the heart of Moseley Village. Moseley Folk & Arts Festival (August 30 – September 1) returns once again with a stellar line-up. This year, playing at the family-friendly festival are the likes of Belle & Sebastian, Levellers, Dexys, Kate Rusby, Flogging Molly and many more. A world away from city life, it’s not all about the music either – with plenty of focus on arts and crafts too! To learn more head here.
8. Watch Centenary Square’s inaugural four-day music concert
Setting up in Centenary Square – across the Bank Holiday weekend (August 23 to 26) – a new four-day outdoor concert series will see ‘high-profile bands and musicians’ performing in Birmingham this summer. The inaugural Centenary Square Summer Series will mirror similar shows at London’s Somerset House – with the likes of The Streets, Jungle, Cian Ducrot and Ocean Colour Scene all set to headline. The 4,999-capacity outdoor concert series also aims to be “one of the greenest events on the summer calendar”, powered solely by the national grid and be single-use plastic-free. You can learn more here.
9. Grab a drink at this blood-curdling cocktail bar
Do you wish it could be Halloween every day? Well, soon it can be with a trip to Merlin’s this August, which is inspired by a splattering of iconic horror film classics. The new restaurant/cafe/cocktail bar will deliver an immersive experience across two floors – from creepy animatronics to blood-curdling cocktails – for all ages. Located at Martineau Place on Corporation Street, the ground floor café and restaurant will serve unique dishes from Hell’s Kitchen, while upstairs is a strictly over-18s cocktail bar filled with foggy atmospherics, devilish theatrics and live music until 2am on weekends.
10. Check out Birmingham’s cheapest pubs
Everyone’s on the lookout for a bargain these days. Luckily, this handy map is providing us with a guide to some of Birmingham’s cheapest pubs. Most are right bang in the centre, with a few found further afield, but all are good, friendly and within walking distance of each other. Highlights include The Tap & Spile, with its Cask Tuesday dropping all casks to the price of £3.25, and another traditional pub Sacks of Potatoes. But it’s not all old-man pubs either with O’Neill’s, Subside and The Dragon Inn also featuring. To see the map of Birmingham’s budget pubs head here.
11. Cheer on the Birmingham Phoenix
Birmingham has always been cricket-mad, but The Hundred has only increased its popularity. Launched in 2021, the 100-ball cricket tournament kicks off on Tuesday, July 23, when Birmingham Phoenix will head to South London to play Oval Invincibles. But Birmingham’s first game at home will take place on Saturday, August 3, with both the men’s and women’s teams playing against Southern Brave – at one of the best cricket grounds in the country, Edgbaston Stadium. Birmingham Phoenix will also host Northern Superchargers on August 6, Trent Rockets on August 12, and Manchester Originals on August 15. To learn more about The Hundred head here.
12. Spot all the lovely dogs at this adorable Dalmatian Cafe
After last year’s super-successful Golden Retriever cafe, POP+BARK bring the ultimate Dalmatian Cafe to Birmingham next on Saturday, August 31. Open to all dog lovers, it will welcome up to 40 Dalmatians to the world’s only Pupuccino Bar and a bubble party.
13. Celebrate the 10th anniversary of MADE Festival
After years away, MADE Festival returned to Birmingham last summer. This year (August 3 & 4), it’s celebrating its 10th anniversary in Digbeth as the biggest music festival in the West Midlands. MADE Festival returns to its original inner-city site of The Digbeth Triangle and will showcase the biggest names in drum & bass, bass, UK rap, garage, house and disco, alongside up-and-coming artists from the region. As an anniversary treat, MADE brings back two artists who previously delivered some pretty memorable shows – Bru-C and Dizzee Rascal.
14. Go on a day trip to one of these fantastic flower farms
We’re so lucky in England to have such varied landscapes, from meadows to forests, and rolling hills to sandy beaches. This varied terrain provides the perfect place for so many different kinds of flowers and foliage to grow and bloom, and there’s nothing more relaxing than sitting by a stunning field of flowers. With so many of us opting to holiday in the UK this year, there’s no better time to visit these gorgeous flower fields, so we’ve compiled a list of our favourite flowery spots in the UK at which you can take some time out and enjoy the natural world.