A FESTIVAL of Commonwealth Culture is heading to Warwickshire this summer.
The Birmingham 2022 Festival is a six-month-long cultural programme across the West Midlands – the biggest celebration of creativity ever seen in the region and one of the largest ever artistic programmes to surround the Commonwealth Games.
Among the 200 events being staged is an aptly themed Talking Birds production of ‘Come Bowl With Me’ which will take place in Leamington’s Pump Room Gardens from July 23 to 25.
As part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival local audiences will also be treated to a month long CultureFest staged from July 16 to August 21 at venues across the Warwick district’s four towns of Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth and Whitnash.
Warwick District Council (WDC) culture spokesman Coun Liam Bartlett said: “This is a once in a generation opportunity to showcase and celebrate incredible creative talent, beautiful venues and culture to both local audiences and visitors from all over the world.”
As well as a number of local cultural events in the district, there will be events taking place across the West Midlands as part of the festival which runs until September.
The Birmingham 2022 Festival opened on March 17 with Wondrous Stories – a large-scale open-air performance at Birmingham’s Centenary Square – created by Leamington-based dance circus company Motionhouse. and featuring a cast of hundreds, combining dance, acrobatics, and awe-inspiring aerial displays.
Martin Green, chief creative officer at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games said:
“The Birmingham 2022 Festival is one of the biggest cultural festivals ever associated with a Commonwealth Games and it’s absolutely central to Birmingham 2022 as a global event.
“The festival is an incredible opportunity to showcase the amazingly vivid cultural world that is reflected in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
“The festival brings together diverse artists from across the region who are working in a huge range of art forms and community participation and inclusion is crucial to so many of the events. Above all, this is a festival made in the West Midlands for the Commonwealth and everyone is invited.”
Visit www.warwickdc.gov.uk/culturefest for further details of WDC’s CutureFest.
Visit birmingham2022.com/festival to find out more about the Birmingham 2022 Festival programme.
