Culture

Birmingham has a hugely compelling and eclectic arts scene with world class, inspirational, organisations and venues right across the cultural spectrum. The diverse range of galleries, gig venues, theatres and cinemas the city has to offer are second to none. 

Music


Whether it’s jazz and folk, opera, classical, or pop and rock the city’s music scene doesn’t disappoint. Birmingham is home to the stunning 2,262 seat auditorium Symphony Hall, which is widely regarded as the finest concert hall in Europe. The Symphony Hall’s resident orchestra CBSO (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra) is one of the world’s leading symphonic ensembles, playing to over 300,000 people yearly. 

Additional music venues include the Grade 1 listed Town Hall, the NIA, the O2 Academy and the LG Arena, which pumps out an endless stream of world famous rock and pop acts nightly. The Moseley Folk Festival is now in its 5th year featuring some of the biggest names on the folk and alternative scene in Birmingham’s beloved Moseley village. With so much musical choice it’s no surprise Birmingham keeps generating the cream of musical talent with acts like the Editors, The Streets and The Twang topping the charts. 

Dance 


The Birmingham Royal Ballet is one of the city’s finest gems. Birmingham Royal Ballet is world leading in the creation of new and innovative popular ballets, shaped by a host of international choreographers including director David Bintley. The International Dance Festival Birmingham returns this year, reinforcing the city’s growing reputation as a world stage for dance along with other leading cultural organisations Sampad and Dance Xchange.  

Galleries

There’s plenty for art lovers to see in Birmingham. The more traditional Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery hosts the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelites in the world whilst The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is home to modern classics like Degas and Magritte. If modern art appeals to you visit the stylish and progressive Ikon Gallery, one of Europe's leading contemporary art galleries. Eastside Projects, an artist-run experimental contemporary venue and VIVID, a former car garage turned public exhibition space also showcase some of today’s finest talent. Not to forget Artsfest, the UK’s biggest free arts festival held yearly in the city centre showing over 600 performing, digital and visual artists. 

Cinema 


Birmingham’s thriving multiplex cinemas are complimented by beloved independent venues such as the Electric, the oldest working cinema in the UK and the newly refurbished MAC cinema, featuring art house films. But best of all has to be the mind blowing 3D experience of the huge IMAX cinema, with a screen as high as a five storey building and as wide as a queue of four buses. What’s more, each year, Flatpack Festival celebrates the wild frontier of film culture, presenting work in an eclectic array of unexpected spaces and places. 

Theatre


The dazzling 2,000-seat Birmingham Hippodrome is the UK’s busiest theatre, selling more seats than any other British theatre each year. The Alexandra is an exquisite Edwardian auditorium staging a rich mix of drama, musicals, concerts and comedy. In Centenary Square, Birmingham Repertory Theatre creates entirely new plays, working with the writers, directors and actors to bring many world premieres to light. Of course, there’s the charming Old Rep, The Crescent, The Drum, The Old Joint Stock Theatre, The Mixing Bowl Theatre, The Public, Stan's Café and many others to choose from.