There are cities that wait for summer to become interesting.
Birmingham isn’t one of them.
Across the year, its calendar moves through music, theatre, food, art, cultural celebrations, Christmas events, family entertainment and sport, giving residents a very good excuse to keep checking what is happening next.
That makes a festival diary one of the most useful things a Birmingham resident can maintain.
Rather than concentrating exclusively on one-off events, think seasonally.
Spring is when the city begins to emerge outdoors again. Parks, squares and public spaces become part of Birmingham’s entertainment landscape and the calendar starts filling with cultural and community events.
Summer turns the volume up.
Outdoor performances, food events, music and family activities make it one of the easiest times to rediscover parts of Birmingham you usually rush through.
Then autumn arrives and culture moves indoors.
Theatres begin major seasons, concert programmes gather pace and galleries and museums become particularly attractive on darker weekends.
And then Birmingham does Christmas.
The city centre’s festive period has become a major part of the annual calendar, drawing visitors from across the region and beyond.
The trick is not to wait until everybody else starts posting photographs before deciding you wanted to go.
Plan ahead.
The official Birmingham events guide allows visitors to browse theatre, family events, food and drink, concerts, exhibitions and sport.
For The Birmingham Edit, we’d suggest treating the city’s events calendar almost like a menu.
Pick one major event each season. Add a smaller local festival you’ve never attended. Include something free. Finally, choose one event that falls completely outside your normal interests.
That last one matters.
Cities become boring when we use them the same way repeatedly.
If your Birmingham consists exclusively of the Bullring, try a gallery. If you only visit for football, book theatre tickets. If you normally head home when the shops close, see the city at night.
What’s on in Birmingham isn’t merely a question for visitors.
It should be a question residents ask too.
Because somewhere in this city, somebody is almost always opening a curtain, tuning an instrument, hanging an exhibition, setting up a market or preparing a stage.
The difficult part isn’t finding something to do.
It’s deciding which one to choose.
