Things to do in Birmingham today and this weekend

Start at the Bullring for Selfridges and St Martin's, then walk west up New Street to Victoria Square, where the Council House and the Museum & Art Gallery face each other across the squares. Carry on west to Centenary Square for the Library of Birmingham and its terraces, then along Broad Street to the canal at Brindleyplace and Gas Street Basin. In the evening there is a concert at Symphony Hall, a show at the Hippodrome in Southside or a comedy night at the Glee Club.

Go indoors: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and the Library of Birmingham are free, and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and Cadbury World sell tickets. The rainy-day page lists what is indoors, with what is on there next.

General admission to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is free, and so is entry to the Library of Birmingham with its two garden terraces. The canal walk around Gas Street Basin costs nothing, and the parade at Birmingham Pride is free to watch. The free page lists the events of the next 30 days that cost nothing.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has a family gallery, Wild City, and Cadbury World in Bournville has chocolate zones and an adventure play area. At Christmas the Hippodrome stages a pantomime.

The Frankfurt Christmas Market is on Victoria Square and New Street from 5 November to 24 December 2026, and the Big Wheel and Ice Rink on Centenary Square run until 3 January 2027, every day except Christmas Day. Our blog guide to Christmas markets in the UK 2026 covers the rest.

The year starts with Chinese New Year in Southside, then Crufts at the NEC in March and the Vaisakhi procession to Handsworth Park in April. May brings the Great Birmingham Run, Flatpack Film Festival and Birmingham Pride. Summer has the Jazz & Blues Festival, September Moseley Folk and October the Birmingham Comedy Festival. In winter the Frankfurt Christmas Market opens in early November. The year page has the dates.

Digbeth for clubs and gigs, the Gay Village around Hurst Street for bars and cabaret, Southside and the Chinese Quarter for restaurants before a show at the Hippodrome, and the Jewellery Quarter for pubs. The going-out page lists each night of the week.

The Utilita Arena Birmingham hosts the big tours and the O2 Academy the gigs. Symphony Hall is the home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and Birmingham Town Hall hosts concerts too. The page for this weekend lists the music on, by day.