FESTIVALS in Birmingham you should visit in 2016

Whether it’s dance, music or art that floats your boat there’s certainly more festivals to choose from than our poor wallets can cope with. If spending a day travelling and then sleeping in a muddy field isn’t your idea of heaven – then check out these gems taking place right on your doorstep this year.

COMA’S CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FOR ALL FESTIVAL
5-6 March
University of Wolverhampton, Walsall Campus, CBSO Centre, Birmingham
Weekend ticket: £15 full price / £10 concession
Fancy something a little more participative? Well this is the festival for you. A celebration of COMA’s innovative open-score project – this festival features contemporary music with a participative approach. Join musicians from Birmingham’s Contemporary Music Group, the CoMA East Midlands and CoMA West Midlands ensembles, and contemporary choir Via Nova to rehearse, workshop and perform pieces by composers with strong CoMA associations.
Anyone aged 18+ is invited to play or sing – all participants must be able to confidently read music; experience in a choir or band/orchestra is desirable but certainly not essential to join in the fun.

WHISKEY FESTIVAL
12 March, 12-5pm
The Bond, Digbeth
Tickets: £35 general admission & £75 VIP admission
Now in its fourth year – expect hundreds of whiskeys to choose from for your sampling pleasure – please pace yourself (responsible drinking of course). The organisers promise the most ‘creative masterclasses at any festival’, street food and lots of entertainment to shake your whiskey filled glass in the air along to.
Birmingham Whisky Club members can also score VIP tickets for £31.50 (plus booking), so if you’re partial to a dram or two it might be worth investing in a year long membership.

INSOMNIA 57 – GAMING FESTIVAL
25-28 March
NEC, Birmingham
Tickets: Day visitor £27, Weekend Visitor: £57, Bring Your Own Console (BYOC): £99
Obsessed with Call of Duty, giddy about Battlefront or spend your work breaks searching Youtube for gaming hints and tips to bust out out when you get home? Well you better pencil this date in your diary. As the UK’s biggest gaming festival it features a hitlist of special guests plus LAN gaming areas, Q&A sessions, esports tournaments and an exhibition hall to spend all your hard earned cash.
With a BYOC ticket you’ll be granted access to the event for the whole weekend, 24 hours a day; with a guaranteed seat in the LAN halls to plug your gaming device into, plus access to all other areas of the event.

FLATPACK FILM FESTIVAL
19-24 April
Various venues, Birmingham
Pictured top> A real highlight in the festival calendar (pictured) and this year marks its tenth anniversary. Having carved itself a respected place in the UK’s film scene over the last decade you’ll see an eclectic lineup of new features and shorts, with a sprinkling of special guests. There’s also an array of installations, walking tours and pop-up screenings o’plenty taking place throughout the city.

BIRMINGHAM COMIC FESTIVAL
23 April
Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham
Tickets: £10 standard entry ticket
A brand new event with over 100 exhibitors showcasing a range of publications, books, original art and of course – convention exclusives. There’ll be panels, cosplay and rare appearances from creators of DC, Marvel, 200AD and Beano.. A great excuse to order a costume from amazon, dust off your workwear and take on the persona of your favourite superhero for the day.

INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL (IDFB)
1-22 May
Birmingham
Tickets: various £££ depending on venue, also free performances
Produced by DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome IFDB is a major biennial festival that will provide a rare opportunity to watch world-class performances: from ballet to neoclassical, contemporary to physical theatre, hip hop to flamenco and circus all taking place in theatres and public spaces across Birmingham and the West Midlands.
A festival of UK and World exclusives, one being the world premiere of The Machine Show (Centenary Square, 11-14 May) a brand new dance and circus spectacular, with dancer and choreographer Melanie Lomoff (France) and hip-hop dance icon Salah (France), headlined with live music by the French band Rinôçérôse.

SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL
29 May
NEC, Birmingham
Tickets: General admission £46.20, including afterparty £51.70
Another festival celebrating its tenth birthday in 2016 and this year promises to be its biggest yet. With over 50 artists across 7 stages including: Panic at the Disco, New Found Glory and Four Year Strong, the organisers have this year incorporated the Genting Arena, Forum Live, Pavilions 1 & 2, plus outdoor stages.
Guest DJ’s, exclusive singings from your favourite acts, and what will promise to be a memorable afterparty.

BIRMINGHAM BEER BASH
21-23 July
Bond Co. Digbeth, Birmingham
If like us you enjoy a craft beer or two then you’ll raise your glass in appreciation of this festival. This year sees the introduction of the first Birmingham Beer Week with the Beer Bash as the pinnacle of the event. Interestingly the focus has shifted to keg beers and there’ll be a smaller number of breweries showcased at it’s 2016 event – pushing for quality over quantity. Don’t fret there’ll definitely be a beer there to tickle your tastebuds – with five sessions over three days even the biggest hopheads amongst you will rejoice.
Masterclasses, fringe events and entertainment are all part of the bash, not forgetting a range of street food to ensure you line your stomach!

Words: Kimberley Owen

Heart and Soul at The Irish Centre, Digbeth – 20 June

Fans of soul take note: June will see the ever-popular Heart & Soul return to Digbeth’s Irish Centre for an all-out summer special.

After losing his son Ethan, aged three, following a corrective operation for TGA (transposition of the great arteries) in 2009, South Birmingham Scooter Club’s Andrew Marshall set up the event in the hope of making money for UK based charity, Heart Research UK.

Levitate: Birmingham Music Week – 23 February – 1 March

Aiming to put Birmingham’s diverse musical offerings on the map (literally) Levitate has been conceived to showcase the city’s thriving sector. Live, academic and industry led events will take place across the city highlighted across three distinct areas; a music map, a summit and live events.

NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL A MILLION – COMPETITION

NOW That’s What I Call A Million features 61 tracks from the NOW compilation series of the best million selling hits. Featuring tracks from Queen, Wings, Take That & Boney M, through to digital success from Pharrell, Gotye and Passenger and we’ve got 3 x copies to giveaway.

#BsideBrum LAUNCHES FREE DEBATE AND MUSIC EVENT

Visit Birmingham’s B-side campaign has been going strong across social networks over the last few weeks with music industry professionals, invited luminaries (see editor of Fused: David (below) alongside Jez from BCU and Marcus from the Glee Club) and the public having a say on which songs should make up an ultimate top 20 ‘virtual album’ of tracks by West Midland artists.

Fabulous Forties at Black Country Living Museum

The sights and sounds of wartime Britain are being celebrated at the Midland’s historical attraction with forties glamour heading to the Black Country.

Visitors can expect a nostalgic journey back to the sweet sounds of WW2 with wartime melodies taking centre stage. The 1940s weekend welcomes visitors to relive the era of wartime Britain as the squaddies, G.I.s and Land Girls, Canaries and a cavalcade of military vehicles patrol the streets. 

COLMORE Area Guide – Out now

Here’s our latest special edition guide produced on behalf of Colmore BID – go and take a look at the great businesses and venues they have around the district. There are also some great events coming up including the annual CBD Food Festival, Jazz Festival, Moseley Arts Market and ‘Crossing the Bridge’ Sculpture Trail.

You can read it online here or pick up your copy around the District now.

Kinver Country Fayre

On Sunday we headed to Kinver Country Fayre to check out the parade, entertainment and stalls for the 2014 event. Taking place along the main High Street and fields on Father’s Day the event has attracted over 10,000 visitors each year.

This weekend the rain held off leaving a warm and sticky day  – which might have been why the beer tent had been drank dry of Kinver and Enville Ales by a very early 3pm. Luckily the ‘diverse’ entertainment kept everyone’s spirits up whether shouting for their favourite axe wielding Viking (of Middle England) to finish off his opponent or watching the spirited Fox Border Morris dancers perform their traditional dance with a live band.

WIN TICKETS TO THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN’S REACH OUT® 2014 SHOW

The Magic of Motown is coming to the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton on the 13th July with its all-new Reach Out 2014 Tour and we have two pairs of tickets to see the show to give away.

The Magic of Motown 2014 Reach Out Tour brings to the stage 36 chart toppers back-to-back in one critically-acclaimed production. Direct from the USA, The Magic of Motown delivers five-star performances that authentically revive the style and sophistication of everyone’s favourite legends from the famous, Detroit-based record label.

WIN TICKETS FOR YOU AND 3 MATES TO HOLI ONE BIRMINGHAM COLOUR FESTIVAL – 28 June

Area Guide and HOLI ONE Birmingham have teamed up to give four lucky readers the chance for them and their friends to attend this summer’s most colourful festival.

On Saturday 28th June, thousands of people, all dressed in white, will come together to share music, dance, performance art and visual stimulation at the Rainbow Arena in Digbeth.