Why the Birmingham 2022 Festival should be on your radar
21.07.2023 - 08:07
/ roughguides.com
2022 is Birmingham’s year. The UK’s second city has the honour of hosting the Commonwealth Games for the first time. Plus, there’s a six-month-long celebration of the region bubbling away for those who visit the Birmingham 2022 Festival.
Running until the end of September, the festival is dubbed “the biggest celebration of creativity” ever seen in the region. It aims to bring both locals and visitors together for a programme of more than 200 free-of-charge events and exhibitions. It’s led by Birmingham’s diverse local people and available for the entire Commonwealth.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery © Birmingham Museums
The Birmingham 2022 Festival is a six-month-long celebration of West Midlands creativity. It’s tied to the arrival of the Commonwealth Games between July 28 — August 8, and is fresh off the back of Coventry’s year-long stint as 2021 UK City of Culture.
The Birmingham 2022 Festival aims to reignite the West Midlands region as a whole with a series of inclusive events and exhibitions solely led by artists.
“We aim to stimulate new collaborations between artists from Birmingham and the West Midlands, and artists from other nations and territories of the Commonwealth,” says Louisa Davies, Senior Producer at Birmingham 2022 Festival.
“We also aim to create a platform and space for honest conversations about the Commonwealth.”
Visitors have been unearthing secret spots around Birmingham with their very own Key to The City, as well as Vanley Burke’s eye-opening Blood & Fire black history photography exhibition, and unique LGBTQIA+ arts installations with the Healing Gardens of Bab.
“Across the six-month period we look to engage 2.5 million people as audiences, alongside more than 100,000 participants and 1,000 artists and creatives,” Louisa continues.
«For local audiences,» she continues, «we hope they feel the festival is made with and for them, that they recognise their home but also see it transformed and disrupted in a positive way.
“For audiences from further afield, I hope they discover something of this place through what they encounter – hear some of the stories from here, and witness some of the region’s characteristic originality and creativity.”
Visitors to Birmingham are treated to their very own Key to the City © Paul Ramirez Jonas
Birmingham 2022 Festival highlights stretch far and wide. More than 200 events and projects span the six-month festival period including hidden spaces, hyperlocal exhibitions, groundbreaking performances and world class music.
Festival Sites are located in Victoria Square and Smithfield as well as across Birmingham neighbourhoods, the West Midlands and beyond, presenting free activities including live performances, entertainment and special events.
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