With time on their hands to spend the kids’ inheritance, ‘skiers’ don’t have to travel overseas for the best off-piste activities. History and heritage, arts and culture, food and drink, shopping, events and festivals, canals and parks are just some of the reasons why 30 million people visited Birmingham last year. Right in the heart of England, Birmingham is a cosmopolitan city that is ideal for a short break this summer.
The annual gardeners' delight BBC Gardeners World Live returns to the NEC from 11 - 15 June. The Celebrity Theatre sees the green fingers of experts such as Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh, Joe Swift and Pippa Greenwood weaving their magic and imparting invaluable advice to audiences. They will be joined by Ben Fogle and John Craven from Countryfile who will share tales from the past 20 years of the ever-popular programme.
Staying outdoors, Taste of Birmingham from 10 – 13 July is a foodie’s delight. Set in the glorious setting of Cannon Hill Park it is a chance to join the Midlands’ top chefs from 16 restaurants. Enjoy the freshest creations from the nation’s finest culinary talent with a new Taste Kitchen from Sainsbury’s, a new Spice Quarter, Delicious magazine’s Producers’ Market and the new Lavazza Coffee Aroma Zone. To add to the mini festival atmosphere, there will also be live music from Birmingham International Jazz festival. The Taste festivals tour the UK, so Birmingham is your last chance this summer to experience this excellent alfresco weekend.
To accompany good food you need good wine. Wine connoisseurs should note that Birmingham is the only city in the UK to have an Ecole du Vin at the boutique Hotel du Vin. These popular residential weekend courses are designed to create a unique sense of conviviality - informal yet informative. From 18 – 20 July, the Tuscany Ecole will introduce a fabulous range of quality wines, the course aims to unravel and demystify a specific subject, from the classic to the controversial, with learning focusing on the glass, rather than the textbook. Also included is some time at the gym and spa, Health du Vin, for less 'studious' partners.
If you’d like to be more hand-on than just enjoying a Michelin star meal, then Simpsons restaurant hosts an informative and relaxed cookery demonstration and tour of the wine cellar. Held every Saturday these will give you a glimpse of Simpsons behind the scenes.
From fine dining to entertainment, the quality and breadth of the arts and culture offer in Birmingham is world class. Show stopping Liza Minnelli brings her incredible voice and stage presence to Birmingham for one night only on 4 June at Symphony Hall, which is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). In a special programme to celebrate his 25 years as Chorus Director, Simon Halsey conducts a superb pair of English works in the Sea Symphony on 21 June. Composed in 1908, Sea Symphony tells a timeless Indian tale from the Mahabharata translated into a style heavily influenced by English folk-song.
As part of their summer season, Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) will be performing a world premier on their home stage at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Following Giselle from 25 – 28 June, BRB will continue their celebration of Igor Stravinsky's unique musical contribution to the world of ballet with three vividly contrasting works including Petrushka, a brand new version of Le Baiser de la fée and Card Game from 3 – 5 July.
Artistic gems aplenty are held in the collections at The Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG). The Barber has been described as one of the finest small art galleries in Europe and houses a collection that includes Monet, Rubens, van Dyck, Turner and Picasso. Their major Summer exhibition is ‘Reunited: Gwen John, Mère Poussepin and the Catholic Church’, which opens on 4 July. The exhibition shows the development of the artist’s portrayal of single female figures, the growing importance of her drawings from 1910 onwards, and the inextricable links between her work and her new faith, until September.
‘Aspects of China’ is Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s first permanent gallery of Chinese art. The exhibition features 70 pieces of historic Chinese ceramics from the outstanding Franklin Collection of Chinese art. There is a guided tour of this collection on the last Friday of every month throughout the year at 1pm. From ‘Canton to Guangzhou’, until 10 August, is an exhibition that presents two very different photographic records of Birmingham’s twin city in China. BM&AG's vast collections tell the story of the last 400,000 years of history. The art galleries include the world-famous Pre-Raphaelite collection, which is the largest in the country.
With so much to see and do, making a weekend of it is easy in Birmingham due to the choice of quality hotels and accommodation in the city centre. As a one stop shop, surf visitbirmimgham.com for the city guide to planning and booking your stay in Birmingham.
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