Credit: Birmingham Weekender
Every year, Birmingham Weekender is full of surprises. From interactive installations to pop-up performances, the team-up between Birmingham Hippodrome and the Bullring always provides incredible entertainment for all ages to enjoy—and this year is no different.
Birmingham Weekender returns with a vibrant programme of free events this August Bank Holiday (August 23 to 25). Weekender Carnival kicks off the festival with a dance and music extravaganza, while celebrations continue across the weekend with Possê, an interactive procession blending percussion, dance, theatre, and song.
Picture by Simon Hadley
Throughout the long weekend, you can also catch everything from the next generation of local talent with Hippodrome Young Dancers Showcase to live opera with Birmingham Opera. Families should particularly check out Artizani’s Hydropunk, an interactive water-themed installation mixing environmentalism with fun.
Matt Evans, Head of Festivals & Sites at Birmingham Hippodrome, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to bring such a vibrant and dynamic programme to the city for Birmingham Weekender 2025. From high-flying aerial dance and interactive installations to bold new performances and joyful street processions, there’s something for everyone. With different experiences unfolding each day, visitors can discover new surprises and unforgettable moments around every corner.
Credit: Birmingham Weekender
“Partnering once again with Bullring lets us to transform spaces into extraordinary stages and sets the scene for an unmissable Bank Holiday weekend. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to a festival packed with free, fun events, creative energy, and unforgettable shared experiences.”
What else is happening at Birmingham Weekender?
Highlights of this year’s Birmingham Weekend include Autin Dance Theatre’s breathtaking aerial performance, Up in the Sky, on Rotunda Square; Tilly Ingram’s intimate birdwatching experience, where she shares her passion for wildlife as a disabled woman, on Edgbaston Street; and the Brum in Colour Mural in Chaophraya Square.
Picture by Simon Hadley
A diverse and dynamic programme of dance, theatre and movement also awaits inside the Bullring—including a living, breathing ritual fusing street dance, rollerskating, live DJing and circus (Inviktus Collective’s A Place Between Mass and Echoes) and a heartwarming hip-hop theatre story of love across generations ( Go Grandad Go! by Company DHW).
Meanwhile, New Street Station transforms into a stage with Mish Weaver’s Waiting Song, a lyrical conversation between two trapeze artists; What Are You Waiting For?, an installation inspired by the Before I Die public art project; and Birmingham is Waiting For…, a powerful spoken word performance from Birmingham’s Poet Laureate, Ayan Aden.
Credit: Birmingham Weekender
Elsewhere, you can catch an exhilarating wheelchair performance, fantastical roaming animals, explosive dhol drumming, and so much more. All the events at Birmingham Weekender—which runs from Saturday, August 23, to Monday, August 25—are free to attend. To see the full programme, head here.