Despite periods of uncertainty and distancing, BE Festival have continued to cling strongly to encounter, and the construction of a welcoming inclusive space. This year’s festival is anchored more than ever in this territory, and in the people that have made BE Festival possible.

BE Festival is offering opportunities to Birmingham’s diverse communities to be protagonists. They are facilitating cohesion and conveying concerns, claims and stories from our common biographies, through aesthetic and fictional artistic devices.

Making their UK premiere are casaBranca, Ana Borralho & João Galante (Portugal) with Trigger Of Happiness at Crescent Theatre, 3rd and 4th June. They are inviting twelve young adults from Birmingham, with no experience of theatre, on stage. Sitting at the same table, they play Russian roulette and answer a list of questions about their lives, such as their concerns, their anxieties, their families and their hopes and visions for the future. As words are released, life paths overlap, drawing explosive cartography of local youth.

Another highlight will be from 8th–11th June, when the artists will be presenting the UK premiere of Garden State. They will be knocking on doors of residents from across the city to invite them to help transform the MAC’s main stage into an exotic ephemeral communal garden made up of their favourite houseplants. The result is a social oasis, a utopian island. Garden State is a durational installation and an event space where you will be able to enjoy a range of free activities, from workshops, to meals, talks, performances and concerts.

Then as the festival draws to an end, BE Festival will celebrate with a special farewell party featuring DJ Glynn Phillips whose GlobalSoundClash will see him mixing and blending a range of exuberant Afro-Latin grooves, soul, Balkan beats, funk, hi-life and more.

All Garden State events are free but spaces are limited and booking in advance may be required for some events.