The Chamberlain News

Birmingham set to be centre stage in ‘Super September’

Birmingham’s biggest opportunity to bask in the autumn sun of national and international attention since the opening of the Library of Birmingham has taken further shape today, writes Kevin Johnson. 

The city’s major arts organisations and venues, which come together as Birmingham Arts Partnership (BAP), have unveiled the programme for Birmingham Weekender. Three days of world-leading free outdoor performance, art and entertainment, will make it Birmingham’s largest arts festival. It features a programme of events from hundreds of world-class West Midlands and international artists and companies.

Birmingham Weekender will showcase Birmingham’s extraordinary cultural offering for residents and the thousands of visitors expected to travel into the city from 25-27 September.

John Lewis announced today that its new regional flagship shop in Birmingham will open its doors to customers at 10am on Thursday 24^th September 2015.

The date marks the completion of the 250,000 sq ft department store, a £35 million investment by John Lewis in the city, which will see the retailer reveal a number of brand new retail experiences across its fashion, beauty and home departments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Produced by Birmingham Hippodrome on behalf of BAP, Birmingham Weekender includes exciting new commissions, world premières, roaming and pop-up street theatre, a musical picnic, participative events and workshops, and much more, all animating Birmingham’s shopping and civic heart.

Roxana Silbert, Creative Director of Birmingham Weekender and Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre said:

Birmingham Weekender is a celebration of the spirit and cultural energy of our city. Over the three days a wealth of performance, creativity and art found inside our much-loved arts organisations will spill out across the civic centre, streets and shopping centres of Birmingham for everyone to enjoy.

This programme features world premieres and innovative work that has originated here in Birmingham alongside international performances. It will be packed with street theatre, outdoor performances and an amazing line-up including music, dance, visual arts, food and a dedicated family programme. For audiences it will be a real adventure.

We want this weekend to demonstrate the ambition, creativity and the incredible collaboration between the city’s arts organisations both large and small. Each day of the weekend offers wonderfully life-enriching experiences and we hope people visiting, or simply stumbling across the Birmingham Weekender, take the chance to savour this moment.

Highlights at the festival include:

• Birmingham Hippodrome presents Compagnie Transe Express’ Maudits Sonnants – an orchestra of baroque bell-ringers will play from a musical chandelier suspended above Centenary Square in a nocturnal performance for everyone
• New commissions from Birmingham Repertory Theatre in association with Mem Morrison Company, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Birmingham Opera Company, Corey Baker Dance, Sampad Arts with poet Amerah Saleh and Barbara Nice in association with Women & Theatre
• The world-class City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra take up residence at The Mailbox, the city’s much-loved Birmingham Royal Ballet performs at Bullring in their 25th year in the city and shoppers can listen out for music and opera in the city’s cafes and shops. 

Birmingham Weekender is organised in partnership with Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council, Retail Birmingham, Grand Central, Mailbox with additional support from Birmingham City University. Birmingham Weekender is partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund through Marketing Birmingham’s Investing in the City Region project.

In addition to celebrating the city’s cultural offering, Birmingham Weekender also marks the opening of the newly transformed New Street Station and Grand Central, including the John Lewis store, and coincides with both Style Birmingham Live and the Rugby World Cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Lewis Birmingham will be the anchor tenant of the new Grand Central retail development. Customers will be able to shop more than 350,000 products from the retailer’s full range, including the latest fashion, furniture, homewares, beauty and technology, in a landmark four-storey building in the heart of the city.

Lisa Williams, Head of Branch at John Lewis Birmingham, said:

It is so exciting to be able to announce the opening date of our regional flagship shop. I can’t wait to meet my team of Partners and start welcoming customers through the doors to what will be our most innovative shop to date.

We’ve been so grateful for the support from the community since we announced our plans to open the new shop, and we can’t wait to bring the best John Lewis has to offer to Birmingham on the 24^th September.