The three day festival will feature performances and events from the city’s major arts organisations, independent artists and especially invited international artists as well as from communities across the city. Community groups and creative individuals are invited to get involved with two projects Culture Catwalk and Rangeeli – Colours of Birmingham Parade, both of which will transform the city centre.

Culture Catwalk returns following its successful outing in 2015 to celebrate art at the heart of the city. Culture Catwalk is produced by Southside Producers in partnership with The Old Rep and Beatfreeks and will shine a light on Birmingham’s finest community creative talent, capturing the vibrancy and diversity of the city. Artists from across the city are invited to take to the red carpet to sing, dance, slide and perform. Culture Catwalk is a celebration of everything that makes us Brummie!

Rangeeli – Colours of Birmingham Parade will be a spectacular city-wide parade and with the input of the citizens of Birmingham, the parade will celebrate and share the heritage of Birmingham with a South Asian twist – Utsav style! Community groups, dance troupes and marching bands are invited to get involved forming part of the parade.

Participants will meander their way through the city with unique and distinctive flags, hand-held puppets, masks and costumes accompanied by Harminder, an amazing, life-size, mechanical elephant. Colours of Birmingham culminates with a crescendo of sound including dhol and Brazilian beats, exhilarating kathakali, Bollywood, bhangra, bharatanatyam, African and contemporary dance and a colourful kaleidoscope of South Asian patang kites.

Birmingham Weekender relies on an army of volunteers to welcome visitors and audiences to the city. People interested in getting involved can find out more at the next Volunteers drop in event on 19th July at Cherry Reds in Birmingham.

Grace Smith, Southside Producers said: “We are delighted to be curating Culture Catwalk 2017 for Birmingham Weekender. We can’t wait to see what Birmingham’s creative communities put forward and will be working with groups to help them shape their performances for the Culture Catwalk stage. Birmingham Weekender audiences should expect to be wowed by the talent and skills in our city!”

Festival Directors, Graham Callister (Birmingham Hippodrome) and Piali Ray (Sampad) added: “We want the citizens of Birmingham to make Birmingham Weekender their own, showcasing their skills on the Culture Catwalk stage, performing as part of the Colours of Birmingham Parade – either with their own group or through joining in one of our activities to create the parade, and signing up to help us make the weekend happen as an event volunteer. What a way to experience Birmingham Weekender – enjoying music, dance, culture from within our city and beyond as well as through becoming part of the Weekender themselves!”

Groups and individuals interested in signing up to strut their stuff on Culture Catwalk, perform as part of Colours of Birmingham or volunteer across the Weekender should visit birminghamweekender.com for more information or email [email protected]