Big Bank Holiday Weekend Festivities
From the Lord Mayor’s show incorporating a children’s book festival, Birmingham Pride Festival, to Steam me up Watty and an Open Day at Museums collection centre.
Birmingham City Council has organised one of the biggest programmes of more than 30 fun activities and events in the city to keep residents entertained over the bank holiday weekend from 26-28 May and throughout the half-term holidays.
This year the Book Bash event takes place at the Lord Mayor’s show at Cannon Hill Park on 27-28 May. There will be magical mayhem from the Wizards of wonder, storytelling and potty poems by favourite writers, a chance to meet favourite book characters and books on sale.
On the 2 June the Young Readers festival comes to an end at the Central Library Theatre in Chamberlain Square with an afternoon packed with performances of funny poems by potty poets Gez Walsh, Chris White and Roger Stephens.
At Blakesley Hall in Yardley, history comes alive with civil war enactments on 27 May and there are also fairy tale themed craft activities and story telling to keep little minds entertained.
On 28 May at Soho House in Handsworth, a tour of the house reveals the science and industry, working beam and tractor engines, a miniature steam railway and a locomotive ‘steaming up’ will be on display in the garden along with a workshop and talk in the Steam Me Up Watty event.
At Museum of the Jewellery Quarter in Hockley, families can put their creative skills to use by designing and making jewellery inspired by insects from the natural world or watch Mick the Miller bring the water mill to life at Sarehole Mill in Hall Green, with his demonstration of corn being ground into flour.
From a major display of British Art from the last 60 years drawn from the Arts Council Collection, historical makeovers with period costumes from the 17th century, African masks and clay making workshops, an art session in the Hidden Burne-Jones exhibition workshop, to a guided tour, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has something for everyone to appreciate and enjoy.
Active children aged 5+ can meet the ponies at Woodgate Valley Country Park and take their first ride on one, enjoy a teddy bears picnic with fun and games, a mini safari of creepy crawlies and many more varied activities at Kingfisher Country Park, and for the brave-hearted there is also an opportunity to get close up to the Nature Centre’s reptiles on 28 May and at Aston Park, families can get creative with bird box building.
Councillor Ray Hassall, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, said, 'Birmingham City Council has an extensive and exciting programme of events and activities which families can enjoy without travelling far, and the good news is that most of them are free.'
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