More Days Out News
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Dirty Dancing Bottomless Brunch comes to Birmingham
Posted on Thu 25 Apr
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Drayton Manor opens highly anticipated ride The Wave
Posted on Thu 25 Apr
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B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival returns to Birmingham
Posted on Thu 25 Apr
Check out our selection of things to do in the Midlands during the next few weeks.
EASTNOR CHILLIFEST
Eastnor ChilliFest is sure to pack a punch when it returns this May Day Bank Holiday weekend.
Daring diners can get stuck into all things chilli related, with a wide variety of food & drink on offer to get their tastebuds tingling. The day’s entertainment also includes a children’s cookery school and Eastnor’s ever-popular chilli-eating competition.
Stilt walkers, fire-show performers, Bhangra dance workshops and live music further add to the fun.
Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire, Sunday 5 & Monday 6 May
RHS MALVERN SPRING FESTIVAL
Taking the theme ‘gardening for change’, the RHS Malvern Spring Festival is this year celebrating evolution in the world of horticulture - and embracing the positive impact which this has on planting, people and wellbeing...
As well as showcasing new attractions, including features promoting the growth of houseplants, the festival also boasts contributions from Alan Titchmarsh and BBC Gardeners’ World regulars Adam Frost, Frances Tophill and Toby Buckland.
RHS Vice President James Alexander-Sinclair takes on hosting duties.
Numerous well-established elements of the festival also make a return, including show & feature gardens, the floral marquee and the Tips & Tricks Theatre.
Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Thursday 9 - Sunday 12 May
DEAFFEST
The UK’s premiere Deaf-led film & arts festival is back for 2024 and celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Marking the special occasion with a music theme, the festival includes subtitled film screenings and numerous accessible events, including an art & photography exhibition, panel discussions, workshops and a stalls fair. The highly anticipated ninth Film & TV Awards Gala & Late-Night Party - offering plenty of excellent networking opportunities - also features.
Various venues across Wolverhampton, Friday 10 - Sunday 12 May
GIFFORDS CIRCUS
Giffords Circus returns to Sudeley Castle with a brand-new ‘extravaganza’ titled Avalon.
Coming complete with ‘lavish costumes, an opulent set’ and a live band, the show brings together acrobats, magicians, musicians and clowns from all over the world to present a colourful medieval world of pageantry and Arthurian legend.
Sudeley Castle & Gardens, Cheltenham, Friday 10 - Monday 20 May
1950S EVENING
Step back in time at Black Country Living Museum this month and immerse yourself in the cultural revolution of the 1950s!
Visitors to the venue will enter a world of rock & roll, skiffle and rhythm & blues, as live performers take to the stage. The line-up includes Rockin’em, The Bitter Lemons, The Washboard Resonators, Lola Lamour, Helen Pearson and Joe James Thomas.
The event also offers the chance to check out some vintage fashions and dance the night away in the museum’s iconic streets.
The Black Country Living Museum, Dudley, Saturday 11 May
UK SLOT FESTIVAL
This Scalextric-sponsored weekend features a wide range of slot cars from major manufacturers, a massive retail area ‘selling everything you need for your next great race’, and a host of fun activities, including family racing competitions and a stunt show.
British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 May
MAKERS CENTRAL
Makers Central - the UK’s largest gathering for inventors, makers and DIY enthusiasts - is this month returning to the NEC for the fifth year running.
The popular family event features hands-on workshops and live demonstrations by some of the country’s most talented makers.
YouTube stars and social-media influencers, including Clin Furze, The Hacksmith and Nick Zammeti, will also be in attendance at the show.
NEC, Birmingham, Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 May
BIRMINGHAM PRIDE
Celebrating the Midlands’ LGBTQIA+ community, Birmingham Pride will once again be getting the city partying this month.
It’s expected that more than 40,000 revellers will attend the event across the weekend, with an impressive 75,000-plus people either participating in or watching the annual Pride parade through the city’s streets.
The festival’s Smithfield site is the centre of the action, featuring a main stage, the Conrad Guest Cabaret Stage and Chic Dance Arena. Headline acts include Loreen, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Beverley Knight.
Birmingham Gay Village & Smithfield, Birmingham, Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 May
BRICK FEST LIVE
The world’s largest hands-on Lego event of its kind makes its UK debut!
Offering a wide range of hands-on building activities, Brick Fest Live provides families with the chance to help build a Guinness World Record-setting floor mosaic, race brick-built cars down derby ramps and play in a brick pit with hundreds of thousands of Lego bricks.
The show also features a marketplace - selling rare collectibles - and a selection of ‘mind‐blowing creations’ from around the world, including life-sized Lego models.
NEC, Birmingham, Saturday 25 - Monday 27 May
BRICK OCEAN AT THE ENGINE HOUSE
Families travelling the Severn Valley Railway during this month’s half-term holiday will get the chance to go ‘under the sea’ and admire a selection of ocean-themed brick-model installations.
Making a pit-stop at The Engine House at Highley, visitors will find 13 impressive installations to check out, including an octopus, a parrot fish, a mako shark and a large squid - each one hand-built using thousands of bricks.
Severn Valley Railway, Bewdley, Nr Kidderminster, Saturday 25 May - Sunday 2 June
MARVELLOUS MATERIALS
The Thinktank team are turning the spotlight on different materials and their properties during this month’s half-term holiday... Families can investigate which materials are conductors of electricity and which are insulators, try their hand at fishing for magnetic fish, and learn about the differences between solids, liquids and gases.
Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum, Monday 27 - Friday 31 May
MIDLANDS AIR FESTIVAL
Returning to Ragley for a sixth year, the Midlands Air Festival sees more than 100 hot-air balloons taking to the sky two times a day, with special-shape balloons such as The Orient Express and Hyla the Frog making their festival debuts.
And the balloons won’t be the only reason for visitors to keep their eyes to the skies; the programme of entertainment also features World War Two Warbirds, World War One air displays, fast jets, helicopters, gyroplanes, aerobatic displays, aerial ballet and flying circus acts as well as parachute and formation display teams.
The festival’s hugely popular Nightfire show also returns, featuring an air display of aircraft fitted with pyrotechnics, fireworks and lighting systems, a set-to-music balloon nightglow, and a sure-to-be-spectacular fireworks finale.
Ragley Hall, Warwickshire, Friday 31 May - Sunday 2 June
BIRMINGHAM CATHEDRAL
Birmingham Cathedral is the oldest building in the city centre still used for its original purpose. The cathedral has four stained-glass windows, designed by Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones, which were fully conserved and returned to their original glory last year.
Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2QB. Free to visit
THE BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM
Get stuck into some good old-fashioned fun at this award-winning venue, as you experience the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the Black Country through rebuilt, replica or recreated shops, houses and industrial workshops.
Tipton Rd, Dudley, DY1 4SQ. Adults £8.95, Children (3-16yrs) £7.95
ROUNDHOUSE BIRMINGHAM
A unique Grade II listed building at the heart of Birmingham’s canal network, The Roundhouse is dedicated to sharing stories of the city’s industrial heritage in new and imaginative ways. Attractions include walks, cycle tours, boat trips and a range of kayak and paddleboarding tours.
1 Sheepcote St, Birmingham, B16 8AE. Activities range in price
THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM MIDLANDS
Telling the story of aviation history and housing one of the largest collections of its kind in the UK, RAF Museum Midlands is home to more than 70 historic aircraft displayed in three wartime hangars on an active airfield.
RAF Museum Midlands, Lysander Avenue, Cosford, TF11 8UP. Free to visit
SUDELEY CASTLE
Walk in the footsteps of notable characters from the mists of time at Sudeley Castle. Boasting a fascinating history stretching back over 1,000 years, the castle is surrounded by 10 award-winning gardens. There’s also an adventure playground and a fun fort for younger visitors to enjoy.
Winchcombe, Cheltenham, GL54 5JD. Adults £22, Children (3-15yrs) £10
THINKTANK BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE MUSEUM
From steam engines and talking robots to gurgling guts and a chocolate-wrapping machine, Thinktank features more than 200 hands-on science & technology displays.
Millennium Point, Curzon St, Birmingham, B4 7XG. Adults from £15.50, Children (3-15yrs) from £7.50
COTSWOLD FARM PARK
Cotswold Farm Park is home to more than 50 flocks and herds of farm animals, provides visitors with the chance to learn about farming past and present, and features an adventure playground, a farm safari, a maze, sandpits, jumping pillows and plenty more.
Guiting Power, Cheltenham, GL54 5FL. Adults £17.50, Children (4-15yrs) £15.50
BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUM
The museum features the world’s greatest collection of classic, vintage and veteran British cars, with over 400 vehicles on display. Free tours and hands-on family activities provide an opportunity to learn about the stories behind the collection.
Banbury Rd, Gaydon, CV35 0BJ. Adults £19, Children £10 (pre-booked online)
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON BUTTERFLY FARM
Set in a large greenhouse landscaped with waterfalls, ponds and tropical plants, Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm is home to hundreds of the world’s most spectacular butterflies.
Swan’s Nest Lane, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7LS. Adults £8.95, Children (3-16yrs) £7.95
WEST MIDLANDS POLICE MUSEUM
Located in a Victorian lock-up, the West Midlands Police Museum showcases an unrivalled collection of police artefacts, explores more than 200 years of policing history and offers visitors the chance to enjoy a selection of hands-on activities.
Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6BJ. Adults £10, Children (3-15yrs) £6
WESTON PARK
Weston Park house is set in 1,000 acres of beautiful Capability Brown-landscaped parkland. The venue is home to a nationally important art collection, with other attractions including a restaurant, a woodland adventure playground, a miniature railway, a deer park and holiday cottages.
Weston-under-Lizard, Shifnal, TF11 8LE. Adults £8.80, Children £5.20 (pre-booked online)