Our bumper guide includes everything from events, festivals and new attractions to great days out, beaches, parks, garden centres, splash pads, paddling pools, rainy weather ideas and family friendly places to eat out
Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival is one of the many fun events happening over the summer in Birmingham(Image: Dave Disley-Jones)
Get ready for a sizzling summer of events and new attractions to enjoy in and around Birmingham.
Yes, 2025 looks like it’s going to be a winner for all ages as there’s so much going on.
It all kicks off with the huge star-studded rock concert being held at Villa Park Stadium on July 5 and is quickly followed by a rollercoaster of festivals and exciting things to do right through until September.
Read more: ‘Hidden gem’ attraction near Birmingham launching new £20 ‘unlimited’ pass this summer
Read next: ‘Iconic’ new art trail coming to Birmingham city centre this summer – and it’s free
Be sure to check timings and book ahead where necessary to avoid disappointment.
We’ll keep updating this guide throughout the summer to bring you the latest and greatest things to do. Have fun!
The Bulls in the City Trail in Birmingham City CentreNew attractions
Our first bit of exciting news is that a mammoth showcase of giant prehistoric animals is coming to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery!
Launching on August 2, will feature ‘awe-inspiring’ creatures that have roamed the earth since the extinction of dinosaurs and highlights the need to protect current giants like whales and elephants. What’s more, it’s free.
And we’re getting a new art trail in the city centre this summer – and it’s a theme that’s iconic for Brummies! Free to enjoy, there will be 40 colourful sculptures to discover from July 16 to September 14.
How about taking the kids for a ride on a traditional carousel or into an old-fashioned House of Mirrors?
A Vintage Fairground Museum has opened near Brum and it’s full of working rides. It’s at Statfold Country Park where you can get a Steam into Summer Pass for a whole summer of unlimited fun for kids from just £20.
A new National Trust property has opened near Birmingham with a beautiful garden, play area, park and café.
Fancy feeding a giraffe? You can now at West Midland Safari Park for just £5 (on top of your regular admission fee). It takes place on the African Walking Trail every afternoon and twice at the weekends and over the school holidays.
And the much-loved Mega Slide Mountain – the UK’s longest outdoor slide – is back at the National Forest Adventure Farm Park in Burton for the whole of the summer.
The soon to open National Fairground Museum at Statfold Country Park(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)Days out ideas
We’ve been exploring all over the Midlands and beyond to test and try days out so you know how best to spend your well-deserved down time.
First up, we tried a beautiful Four Waterfall Walks in the Brecon Beacons – it included a powerful waterfall we could walk behind, which was amazing.
We visited a huge children’s animal farm in Redditch that’s home to more than 80 species and has its own sand play barn. There’s also a tractor track, indoor and outdoor play areas, cafe and bug barn.
If your child loves animals, why not take them to Gigrin Farm which is visited by hundreds of spectacular wild animals every day?
We’ve also been taking a look at the artisan village at the fabulous British Ironworks Centre. It’s a really cool day out for families as it’s the place that’s home to the famous Knife Angel sculpture.
For a different day out, why not head to the medieval shopping town that has 30 alleyways to explore? You can’t beat a good mooch around some independent shops followed by a coffee and a cake in an indie cafe.
Why not take a trip to a pretty riverside town which has ‘magnificent views’ and a vintage shopping trail just 75 mins away? Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire offers glorious views of the horseshoe bend in the River Wye, the Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons and Malvern Hills.
And how about an idyllic ‘Stairway to Heaven’ walk that ends with a cosy pub lunch? The famous flight of locks at Hatton runs alongside a cafe and an award-winning country pub.
We’ve also found a ‘get away from it all’ forest walk that’s a scenic train ride away. There’s even a brewery for Dad!
Plus there’s a wonderful walk where you can visit multiple waterfalls and cross ‘fairytale’ bridges to discover a ‘whistling’ tree like Ent in the Lord of the Rings. You’re even advised to take a torch to make your way through a tunnel carved through the rock! It’s a couple of hours from Brum so it’s ideal for the holidays.
Closer to home, there’s a lovely lake you might want to revisit. People say they’ve been going for years and are still finding ‘new places to explore’
The first waterfall on the Four Waterfalls Walk in the Brecon Beacons(Image: Brummie Mummies)Summer 2025 events in and around Birmingham
Here’s a run down of some of the biggest and best events happening throughout the summer:
- Back to the Beginning Black Sabbath at Villa Park – July 5
- Farm Fest at Umberslade Park – July 13
- Ibiza Proms in the Park – Tudor Park, Solihull – July 18
- Solihull Summer Fest – July 19 and 20
- Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival in Moseley Park – July 11 – 13
- Astonbury Festival at The Aston Inn – July 19
- MADE Festival Digbeth Arena – August 2
- The Hundred at Edgbaston Stadium from August 8
- Moseley Folk & Arts Festival – August 29
- Supersonic Festival XOYO – August 29
Moseley Folk and Arts Festival in Birmingham(Image: Jolyon Holroyd)Beaches, outdoor pools and splash pads
Birmingham’s closest beach is now open for the summer. This Blue Flag lakeside beach is close enough for a day trip from Birmingham and you can be home in time for tea! It’s just in Rutland and has a playground with water features, towers and bridges.
And the UK’s largest inland beach is just 90 minutes from Birmingham. You can barbecue on the beach and enjoy beautiful views. Ahh.
A huge aqua park has recently reopened with more than 40 inflatables to challenge your kids and friends.
Want to know the best coastal beach to visit over the summer? Brum’s closest sheltered beach is a ‘sun trap’ with golden sands to enjoy whatever the weather and there’s a glorious beach that’s only two and a half hours from Brum that you might recognise from Doctor Who!
If you’re looking for a break without the need to drive, there’s a seaside town that has an ancient castle on its Blue Flag beach. Known as the ‘Pearl of Wales’, it can be reached by direct train from Birmingham, which is a bonus.
Continuing our sunshine vibes, England’s best seaside towns have been announced and most are in Cornwall and Devon, as you might expect, there’s a ‘beautiful’ northern town that’s much closer to Brum.
To help you make the most of the sunshine (when it’s out!), we’ve pulled together a guide to the opening dates of all the splash parks and paddling pools near Brum. Splashing.
This lovely lakeside beach is just 90 minutes from Birmingham(Image: GL Weekend)Parks, playgrounds and garden centres
We’ve been checking out the best garden centres for families. These places are a lovely place to take the kids as many have free play areas and pets to visit. Check out the one at Barnsdale that has 38 different themed gardens!
And we’ve found a stunning protected park that’s ‘like Blenheim’ but only down the road in Halesowen.
Here’s our round-up of the best adventure playgrounds for kids in our area.
Listen to our latest Brummie Mummies podcast here:
Rainy day ideas
Solihull has a new rainforest-themed soft play area that recently opened, promising to be ‘just as much fun for parents’ as kids.
And there’s another new soft play area opening in Stratford-upon-Avon in time for the holidays that’s Shakespeare themed! Play on.
There’s a cute indoor play area complete with teepees for the kids at a garden centre in Hagley. They serve homemade cakes and we can vouch for the Sunday roast. It was delish.
If your child is struggling to sleep, there could be just one thing missing from their bedtime routine that could make all the difference. Listen to our podcast with sleep expert Heidi Skudder.
Take a look out our gallery of pics of a garden centre near Birmingham that has a free indoor play area.
The teepee play area at Webbs Garden Centre at West Hagley(Image: Brummie Mummies)Holiday ideas
Think your days of a fancy spa break are long behind you now that you have kids? Think again.
There’s a Cotswold spa that caters specifically for tired parents and is described as a ‘Cotswold playground with a heated outdoor pool, play barn, kids cinema, lawn games and nannies. Book us in now.
And how about new treehouses that have been launched with bath tubs overlooking the trees? They are just down the road in the Cotswolds too, and they look fabulous.
Calcot & Spa is described as a ‘Cotswold Playground’ for all ages(Image: Adam Lynk)Eating out with the kids
We found a bakery with ‘seaside vibes’ in Stratford-upon-Avon that we wholeheartedly recommend. Try the pistachio croissant (better than Dubai Chocolate!)
A new ‘traditional cafe’ has opened in Kings Heath, named Winnie’s in tribute to the owners’ beloved nan. It’s offering ‘big bargain breakfasts’ so could be worth a try with the kids, especially on a Saturday after football or swimming.
We were excited to visit Dragon Fly Cafe that’s hidden inside a Birmingham toy shop – have you been? It’s fun!
And there’s an ‘absolutely gorgeous’ Solihull cafe that’s been nominated as Cafe of the Year in the West Midlands Tourism Awards. We popped over for pancakes and coffee.
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End of the holidays
Got a child starting school in September? You need to listen to our podcast where we talk to teacher Jenni Downes from Erdington Hall Primary all about how to get your child ‘school ready’.
If your child is feeling anxious about returning to school, maybe you should have a listen to our chat with the lovely Miranda from Happy Confident Kids all about ways we, as parents, can help our children to thrive and feel great about themselves.
Would you know what to do if your child had an accident or emergency over the hols? We’ve been chatting to Nicole from Daisy First Aid about the four first aid techniques every parent should know. Well worth a listen.