Birmingham Weekender is making an eagerly anticipated return this August Bank Holiday. Taking place from Saturday the 23rd to Monday the 25th, the free-to-attend, family-friendly festival will be much in evidence across the city centre and feature colourful outdoor installations, exhilarating performances and engaging experiences for all. 
Produced by Birmingham Hippodrome in partnership with Bullring, this year’s programme celebrates the very best local, national and international artists. The festival is supported by Arts Council England, Without Walls, Global Streets, Network Rail and United By 2022.

Check out some of the event’s highlights across this special feature...  

WEEKENDER CARNIVAL BY ACE DANCE AND MUSIC 
Across Bullring - Sat 23 Aug, 12pm 2.30pm & 5pm
This colourful music & dance extravaganza’s vibrant procession will entice you to move throughout Bullring - from Edgbaston Street to Rotunda Square - as you experience the pulsating rhythms and sounds of the Caribbean. The celebration of vibrant Caribbean coral reefs not only highlights their beauty but also provides an excellent opportunity to learn about sustainability and the importance of protecting vital ecosystems.
Carnival enthusiasts are invited to join community craft workshops (at 1.30pm and 4pm in Chaophraya Square) and create unique items to wear during the carnival processions (at 2.30pm & 5pm).

BIRMINGHAM IS WAITING FOR…  BY AYAN ADEN                                              
New Street Station Concourse - Sat 23 - Mon 25 Aug, 3pm & 5.30pm
Weekender poet-in-residence and Birmingham’s poet laureate, Ayan Aden, will each day transform community responses to What Are You Waiting For?, a public-art project which will transform New Street Station and feature powerful spoken-word performances. Ayan will weave the hopes, dreams and reflections shared by members of the general public into a moving narrative, celebrating collective inspiration and offering a poetic call to action.

RO-TES–រទេះ BY STOPGAP DANCE COMPANY
Lower Mall West - Bullring (Outside M&S) - Mon 25 Aug, 1pm & 3.45pm
British Cambodian Disabled artist Nadenh Poan leads Stopgap’s latest production. Nadenh’s wheelchair will be adapted for the piece, the adaptation being inspired and influenced by wagons in the Cambodian jungle. Cast members will be added to the contraption, balancing, pushing, guiding and pulling the RO-TES (Khmer for wagon).

POSSE BY SOUND DE SECA 
Across Bullring - Sun 24 & Mon 25 Aug - 12pm, 2.30pm & 5pm
Join Sound De Seca to reclaim Bullring’s public space through a fusion of percussion, dance, theatre and song. Posse invites you to join in - part game, part procession - and follow Sound De Seca from Rotunda Square to St Martins Square for a shared experience that will be full of energy and positivity.

THE HIDE BY TILLY INGRAM THEATRE
Edgbaston Street - Sat 23 - Mon 25 Aug, 12.30pm 1.45pm & 3.30pm
Step into The Hide and discover the joy of birdwatching with amateur birder Tilly.
Tilly uses The Hide to talk about her journey of hidden disability, invisibility, and hard-to-spot birds. The story draws parallels between an eagle, Tilly’s love of birdwatching, and the world of hidden disabilities, framed by the structure of The Hide.

L’ATELIER BY TOC DE FUSTA 
Edgbaston Street - Sat 23 - Mon 25 Aug, 12pm - 6pm
L’Atelier is a participatory experience that gives you the opportunity to discover, play, and use tools within a peculiar carpenter’s workshop, where the machines work by themselves and there are hidden drawers, nooks and crannies to explore. Part interactive experience, part game, the workshop area encourages play and tells the story of a castaway and his isolation.

ESHU AT THE CROSSROADS BY THEATRE-RITES                                                  
Lower Mall West – Bullring (Outisde M&S) - Mon 25 Aug, 2.45pm & 5.15pm
What happens when we reach a crossroads in life? Which path do we choose? Inspired by rarely seen characters from the Yorubic culture, by roosters and the traditional red & black of Eshu, the show mixes contemporary dance with music and life-sized puppetry. The performance represents a journey of discovery that’s reflective of traditional Eshu outdoor performances.

SQUAWKABOUT BY CREATURE ENCOUNTERS                                
Across Bullring - Sat 23 & Sun 25 Aug, 12.45pm, 3.15pm & 5.30pm
Squawkabout is a rumbustious, romping walkabout featuring giant tropical birds of paradise in a vibrant rainbow of colour. Once you overcome your initial curiosity, you will become firm friends as you help the birds explore the surroundings. All are welcome to make their friendship felt by stepping forward for a bright and brilliant photo.

WAITING SONG BY MISH WEAVER
New Street Station Concourse - Sat 23 - Mon 25 Aug, 12.45pm, 2.45pm & 4.45pm
Waiting Song asks you to consider what you hope for. A crescent-shaped rig provides a striking, sculptural installation, with 15-minute circus performances taking place throughout the day. In the show, two trapeze artists perform powerful choreography while singing - their song being a conversation about what they are waiting for.

Birmingham Weekender takes over the city between Sat 23 to Mon 25 2025. Follow the Birmingham Hippodrome social pages for updates facebook.com/birminghamhippodrome