Seaside sights, sounds and silliness Summer in Southside returns 23 & 24 July

  • Seaside sights, sounds and silliness in the heart of the city on Sat 23 and Sun 24 July.
  • Street performance, music, dance and food – something for all the family.
  • Birmingham Hippodrome’s FREE annual summer festival returns

Birmingham Hippodrome’s annual free festival Summer in Southside returns on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 July with seaside sights and sounds presented by local, national and international artists.

Visitors will be swept away by nautical encounters from a cod choir, a giant squid, deep-sea divers and even some eco-pirates! There is something for everyone – wooden street games to play, an invitation to dive into the mouth of an enormous whale, street acrobatics, a marching band with a difference and much, much more.

Birmingham Hippodrome’s back dock will be transformed into a beach with beautiful sculptures created by professional sand sculptors who will be running workshops throughout the weekend so visitors can develop their own sandcastle-making skills.

Sunday 24 July will also be an opportunity for visitors to take part in free Hippodrome Heritage talks and activities with the second Hippodrome Heritage Open Day. In keeping with the seaside theme the open day will focus on Birmingham Hippodrome’s connection to Blackpool from the design of the building to the early variety days. Characters from the theatre’s past will be brought to life by Highly Sprung Performance Company.

Fiona Allan, Chief Executive Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We’re very proud of our Southside district and love bringing the streets to life around the theatre in the summer for a weekend of free family fun. This year we are delighted to welcome performers from far flung corners of Europe, alongside some of our more local favourites. With everything from dancers in speedos to comedy lifeguards, from a mini Rio Olympics carnival to a giant squid and even a few pirates, our free Summer in Southside weekend can’t fail to put you in a summery mood- whatever the weather!.”

Summer in Southside takes place in and around Birmingham Hippodrome from 12noon – 5pm on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 July.

Find out more by visiting http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/summer-in-southside/

You can extend your seaside in the city experience by purchasing tickets to the sunniest of musicals, MAMMA MIA! For tickets and availability visit http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/mamma-mia/

Summer in Southside is produced by Birmingham Hippodrome and supported by The Arcadian, Arts Council England, Birmingham Festivals, Birmingham City Council, Lookers, Festivals Birmingham, Southside BID.

ENDS
For further information, please contact Helen Annetts at Birmingham Hippodrome
07779 026720, helenannetts@birminghamhippodrome.com

LISTINGS

Acrojou – All At Sea
Sun: Inge St 12.50-1.15pm & 3.15-3.40pm
Melancholic humour, striking design, and the visual poetry for which Acrojou is recognized, in a moving and atmospheric row-about installation.

Always Drinking Marching Band
Sat: Hurst St 12.15-12.45pm, Inge St 2.20 – 2.50pm
Sun: Hipp Sq 1.15-1.45pm, Arcadian 4-4.30pm
An unforgettable musical walkabout experience! Enjoy an unusual beat and a powerful explosive rhythm from these uniquely talented musicians.

Audience Orchestra
Sat: Arcadian, 3.20-4.30pm
The concert where you are the hero. Use everyday noises and make your voice heard – experience the simple and emotional power where everyone is a musician.

Corey Baker Dance – Beach Party
Sun: Hipp Sq 3.15 – 3.30pm, 4.20 – 4.40pm
White sand, beach balls, cocktails and speedos! This new work whisks you away on a tropical adventure and brings everything we love about the beach a little bit closer to the city. Have the best beach party of your life!

Desperate Men – The Eco Pirates
Sat: Hipp Sq 12.30pm – 1pm, Inge St 12.30-1pm & 4-4.30pm, Hurst St 2.15-2.45pm
Sun: Hipp Sq 12.45-1.15pm, Hurst St 2.30-3pm & 3.45-4.15pm
From the high seas to the high street this scurvy bunch of squid suckers want to bury a large treasure chest. Themes of recycling, litter and maritime pollution are all explored by these fearsome yet daft shanty singing Pirates of the Carry-Bin.

Fairly Famous – The Lifeguards
Sat &Sun: Inge St 1-1.45pm, 2.30-3.15pm & 4-4.45pm
Perched high on their chairs with their classic pool rules signs, the Lifeguards attempt to impose the timeless values of the municipal baths onto the streets.

Grand Theatre of Lemmings – Cod Choir
Sat: Inge St 1-1.30pm, Arcadian 2.30-3pm, Hipp Sq 4-4.30pm
Sun: Hurst St 12.45-1.15pm, Hipp Sq 2-2.30pm, Arcadian 3.15-3.45pm
The naughtiest, cheekiest fishermen you will ever meet, rove around proudly displaying their larger than life puppet fish looking for any opportunity for a joke and a laugh with the unsuspecting public.

Imagineer Productions – A Taste of Rio
Sat: Hipp Sq 12-12.20pm, 1.30-1.50pm & Arcadian 3-3.20pm
Sun: Hipp Sq 12-12.20pm, 1.45-2pm & Arcadian 3.15-3.30pm
To mark the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio – Carnival dancers and beautiful costumes will be creating a Brazilian Buzz. Bel Viso will be providing free carnival make-up so get your vibe on and join the party!

Kitsch n Sync Collective
Sat: Hipp Sq 1-1.20pm & 4.20-4.40pm, Hurst St 2.30-2.40pm
Sun: Hipp Sq 12.30-12.50pm & 4-4.20pm, Hurst St 3.15-3.35pm
Taking inspiration from Vintage postcards and summer seaside pastimes, Kitsch n Sync bring a splash of nostalgia and nautical naughtiness to Southside.

Larkin’ About – Deep Sea Divers
Sat: Hurst St 12.45-1.15pm & 4.45-5.15pm, Hipp Sq 2.45-3pm, Inge St 3-3.15pm
Sun: Hurst St 12.15-12.45pm, Hipp Sq 2.15-2.45pm, Inge St 3.45-4.15pm
Two divers wearing large corroded copper helmets squirting jets of water and draped with sea-weed and crabs. Fish swim around their heads, and their backpacks play atmospheric undersea noises.

Pif Paf – The Submercycle & The Flycycle
Sat: Hurst St 12.45-1.30pm, 2.45-3.30pm & 4.30-5.15pm
Sun: Hurst St 12.30-1.15pm, 2.15-3pm & 4-4.45pm
Come away with Pif Paf on a journey of your wildest dreams, aboard the famous traveling machines…Choose a travelling companion, find the Departure Lounge and they’ll take care of the rest.

Puppets with Guts – Citizen Squid
Sat: Inge St 12.15-12.45pm, Hipp Sq 1.50 – 2.20pm, Arcadian 4.30-5pm
Sun: Inge St 12.15-12.45pm, Arcadian 2.15pm – 2.45pm, Hurst St 4.15-4.45pm
A gigantic squid has crawled into Southside but how did it get there – and what will we do with it?! Enjoy an interactive big puppet spectacle.

Sand In Your Eye
Sat & Sun: Hippodrome Dock 12-5pm
Professional sand sculptors will be running workshops throughout the weekend. Come and learn the tricks of the trade and see the sculpture they have created too!

Talking Birds – The Whale
Sat& Sun: Inge St 12-2.30pm & 3.15-5pm
Ahoy there shipmates! The Whale is coming to town, and beneath its gleaming, silvery surface there be surprises for intrepid sailors! Fun for all ages, and fully accessible for wheelchair users. Prepare to dive!

Tall Tail Acrobatics – Turbuilente
Sat: Hurst St 1.30-2pm, Hipp Sq 3.30-4pm
Sun: Hurst St 1.15-1.40pm, Hipp Sq 3.30-4pm
A charming pilot and daring stewardess introduce ‘flying 2.0’. They might have lost their plane during the financial crisis, but the stewardess still takes off to the skies, thrown and caught by her pilot. A turbulent act full of audience interaction and acrobatic highlights.

Tombs Creatius – Monster Colours
Sat & Sun: Inge St 12-5pm
Step up to an array of interactive games to test your puzzle solving, cup stacking and co-ordination abilities. Playful Catalan artists Tombs Creatius’ beautifully designed and handmade wooden games are perfect for all ages and skill levels.

Nosey Parkas’ Toffee Nose
Sat: Inge St 2.40-3.10pm, Hurst St 3.40 – 4.10pm
Watch out… the Nosey Parkas are about – just nosing around at the seaside and NOT minding their own business. Sticking their noses up at everyone and into everything!

Les Vernisseurs – Merry Urban Mess
Sat: Inge St 5-5.30pm
Sun: Hipp Sq 4.45-5.30pm
A spectacular performance where the street becomes a playground for 5 ‘workers’ and a shower of confetti and ribbons delight and surprise the audience.

Notes to Editors:

Birmingham Hippodrome is an independent, not-for-profit, registered charity welcoming an average 500,000 visits annually making it the most popular single auditorium in the UK. Birmingham Royal Ballet and DanceXchange are resident partners; the theatre presents all of Welsh National Opera’s repertoire, co-produces the award-winning International Dance Festival and welcomes the best in international dance, major touring dramas, and West End musicals. Home to the world’s biggest Pantomime it also houses the 200-seat Patrick Centre, with extensive events facilities, and its own restaurant.

As a charity with no public revenue funding, Birmingham Hippodrome receives generous support from the business community through sponsorship and other partnerships; from individuals through donations and memberships; and from grant-making Trusts for special programming and infrastructure projects. It is a major employer and plays a leading role in the Southside Business Improvement District.

Through Hippodrome CREATIVE we deliver successful projects in education and the wider community. With numerous supportive partners we have recently co-produced and produced new events including Minimum Monument, The Voyage, Summer in Southside, About Town, Blitz, the 4 Squares Weekender and Birmingham Weekender (celebrating the opening of New Street and Grand Central alongside the Rugby World Cup). Furious Folly will be presented this summer in Sutton Park co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW for the World War One commemorations.

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust Ltd, Charity No. 510842.
Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB.
birminghamhippodrome.com