First wave of star-studded programme revealed.

The first details of an extraordinary programme celebrating people, places and culture have been revealed ahead of the city’s annual International Day of Birmingham.

Brummie figures including artists, astronauts, ballet dancers, chefs, comedians, historians, musicians, politicians and poets are amongst a starry cast assembled for the 2026 edition – taking place on Thursday 24 September.

As part of plans for the big day – as well as a second day of uplifting festivities on Friday 25th September – International Day of Birmingham is taking over the Council House, transforming ten of the city’s grandest rooms into The House That Brum Built; a cultural palace open to all.

Additions including a Brummie bazaar, art exhibitions and interactive murals, a botanical garden, a community cinema, a performance theatre, creative workshop spaces , and a pop-up Irish pub will be installed across the Grade II-listed building, with some of the biggest independent brands in the city involved.

Notable figures confirmed for The House That Brum Built event programme include Poet Laureate Ayan Aden (pictured) alongside poet Bradley Taylor; astronaut, film producer and creative director Trevor Beattie; social historian Professor Carl Chinn MBE; authors Catherine O’Flynn, Mike Gayle, and Kit de Waal; comedian Barbara Nice; politician Jess Phillips, chef Glynn Purnell, and artists Bam! Bam!, Cold War Steve, Dion Kitson, Fokawolf, Goldship, Molly Cleaver, and Tat Vision.

International Day of Birmingham 2026 revellers and merrymakers will have unprecedented access to the Council House, and can collect a free Brummie Passport designed by Colour Palette Company and Draw My City artist Stacey Barnfield to secure stamps in each room as part of their visit.

Birmingham’s proudly independent and reliably irreverent Mockingbird Cinema will put the city on the big screen in all its creative, chaotic, and occasionally vampiric glory.

Across two packed days, audiences can expect features, shorts, archive gems, and filmmaker Q&As, including Reel Brum and Overlap showcases, Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham, Dion & The Unicorn, United States of Birmingham, Made in Birmingham: Reggae Punk Bhangra, Joe Lycett shorts, Trevor Beattie-produced Moon and the gloriously bonkers cult classic I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle.

In a first for the Council House, Birmingham Botanical Gardens will take over the impressive greenhouse-style Glass Corridor with a selection of tropical and native British plants for sale, with horticultural experts on hand, accompanied by a Birmingham Soundscape. A secret door to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery will also lead to more Brummie treasures including current Ozzy Osbourne and Joe Lycett exhibitions.

Independent Birmingham Irish Quarter community music venue and bar Nortons Digbeth will install a pop-up Irish pub in the reception space adjoining the building’s grand Banqueting and Drawing Rooms, complete with Guinness on tap and classic Brummie cobs available throughout both days.

The Chamber, at the heart of the Council House, will host a groundbreaking series of free and ticketed events including a tribute to Benjamin Zephaniah featuring Poet Laureate Ayan Aden and Bradley Taylor, Bingo with city favourite Barbara Nice, and‘From Balsall Heath to Outer Space (and Back), a talk by film producer, creative director and Brummie astronaut Trevor Beattie.

The Heath Bookshop – the UK’s first winner of the Best Independent Bookshop of the Year Award – will curate a special one-off event reprising members of Cold War Steve’s joyful, satirical collage Benny’s Babbies, featuring famous Birmingham figures set against a 19th-century cityscape.

For this very special event Cold War Steve (Christopher Spencer) is joined by three of the iconic Birmingham authors featured in this unique work of art – Kit de Waal, Mike Gayle and Catherine O’Flynn.

Speaking ahead of International Day of Birmingham 2026, Robin Campbell, founding member and guitarist of UB40 – key supporters of the event – said: “No matter who you are or where you are from, there is a welcoming place for you here. If you explore the city you’ll meet some of the most incredible people, eat some fantastic food, listen to some great music and see the cities’ rich and dynamic legacy in action.”

“Birmingham means the world to us. It’s a beautiful multicultural melting pot, which we are proud and lucky enough to call our home.”

Kicking off the International Day of Birmingham 2026 programme is the ‘FlashBab’ in Victoria Square, where all are invited to join in with a communal chant of “Alright bab”, before the official International Day of Birmingham flag-raising ceremony with the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, much-loved city legend Mr Egg, dignitaries, and representatives of Birminghams across the world.

Goody bags and free Curly Wurlys will be available on a first come first served basis to all who attend.

Visitors to the International Day of Birmingham extravaganza will be able to enjoy music from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Heavy Beat Brass Band, dance performances from Birmingham Royal Ballet and bingo led by Barbara Nice and Bing0121.

Originally devised for Sky TV show Joe Lycett’s United States of Birmingham, the yearly celebration now delivered by International Day of Birmingham CIC recognises the contribution of the city, and its people and places – alongside sister towns and cities across the world which bear the same name.

In 2024, Joe Lycett travelled to North America, a destination for multiple Brums and home to no fewer than eighteen Birminghams, to explore their history, their collective Brummie cultural commonalities and form official ‘Friendship Agreements’ for Sky TV show Joe Lycett’s United States of Birmingham.

Nicola Silk, producer of International Day of Birmingham, said the Council House takeover will be a celebration of Brum in microcosm. “We invite Brummies and visitors to immerse themselves in the city’s creativity and have a laugh at the same time. Where else could you see Birmingham Royal Ballet and Mr Egg on the same bill?!

“This is also a once in a lifetime chance to play bingo in the seat of local government, which is no doubt the best use of the space.”

Booking for free and ticketed events as part of International Day of Birmingham 2026 will open at 11:00 on Friday 14th August. For more information, visit the official sitehere.

The Birmingham Press

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