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HAPPENING IN THIS HERE CITY
Busy seems to be a constant state right now. To ease your diary planning aspirations, we've got it together with a merry menagerie of theatres, museums and cultural kind of establishments, to pick out the best in what's on. And we love dear Brum 12.9% more than when the exercise started, coming from an expectedly high starting point.

STREET FOOD
AT SAREHOLE MILL


Sarehole Mill is hooking up with Taste & Liquor to launch a summer season of street food, arts and vintage markets, as well as to toast its new deli and gift shop. Coming from all the countries beginning with "I", there'll be Italian meaty, bally goodness from Polpetta who'll be bringing handmade meatballs, fish-balls and veg-balls, served with fluffy rice, fresh pasta like Mama used to make, or in a sauce-soaked panini. Mrs Patel's is on Indian fare, while My Soft Ice Creams are taking care of ices, funnily enough. There'll also be DJs, cocktails, and beers by Purity Ales, from 11am through to 4pm. Entry is free and you can take a lookie inside the mill for half price (usually £6) throughout the event. May 28. More
 

B-SIDE HIP HOP FESTIVAL IN SOUTHSIDE


Graff jams and dance battles are what's happening across Southside — and even on the Hippodrome's hallowed main stage — as part of B-Side Hip-Hop Festival. Now in its second year, there'll be a punch-filled mix of global performers and the top of the hops in Brum-grown talent. The mix of graff(iti — get it now?), dance, spoken word, rap and workshops includes a specially-commissioned performance of Benji Reid’s acclaimed theatre work, The Holiday (May 20, free) – a comedy and tragedy in equal parts, the piece explores the darker side of Hip-Hop told through a combo of genres. From May 19 to 21, many of the more than twenty events are free, with a few costing up to £10. More

JENNY HOLZER AT MAC BIRMINGHAM


For more than 35 years, internationally revered conceptual artist Jenny Holzer has presented her arguments and her controversy-filled ideas in public places and international exhibitions, including the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao, and the Venice Biennale. Whether delivered as a plaque, a T-shirt, or an LED sign, her medium is words and her themes violence, power, war, sex and money. Arriving in the first floor gallery at mac Birmingham on May 27, the centrepiece of the exhibition is the towering Blue Purple Tilt (pictured). The seven double sided vertical LED displays, act almost as a retrospective of Holzer's work, containing multiple messages from the artist's early text pieces. Works from this exhibition are drawn from the Artist Rooms collection and Hauser & Wirth. Entry is free.  

ARCADIA AT THE HIPPODROME


Tell you what there isn't enough of in Brum's Southside: Ancient Gods. Jeté forward Birmingham Royal Ballet's 2016/17 season finale, a triple bill at the Hippodrome that features Greek god of the wild and all round bad boy, Pan (pictured). The creation of a young and insanely innovative team, the show is choreographed by current BRB dancer, Ruth Brill, and the set and costumes are intricately designed by Birmingham School of Acting's Atena Ameri. The three one-act shows offer a mix of balletic interpretations (expect Hans Christian Andersen and Gilbert-and-Sullivan) completed by Brill's first commissioned piece to a new score by renowned saxophonist John Harle. Tickets & times
 

TOMMY AT
THE REP


If you've been living under a rock (and we don't mean of the 'n' roll variety) for the last 40 years, Tommy is the tale of the “deaf, dumb and blind kid”, traumatised by witnessing his own father’s murder, who — spoiler alert — sure plays a mean pinball. The Who's multi-award winning epic dials it up to 11, with a full throttle cast of 22 performers and musicians hitting your music bone deep down in its very marrow. More than just an incredible audience rouser, though, this is a comment on the advances — or not —in disability rights in the postwar era. But mainly it's an incredible audience rouser. Meet you all in Tilt for post-show pinball? Marvellous. Tickets & times  

MIRGA GRAŽINYTĖ-TYLA AT THE SYMPHONY HALL


Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is a force. And she's a force that this here city is lucky enough to call the Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Hadron collidering her way towards the end of her first season, you've got three more chances to see what the mahousive deal is. And we suggest you grab them. Choose from Steven Osborne playing Tippett's piano concerto (June 14), Mozart's Idomeneo sung in Italian with English surtitles (June 24) or Beethoven's Fifth, Mirga-style (August 20). “An ecstatic performance” was how The Times described the 30 year young’s interpretation of Beethoven's work earlier this year. Try not to feel bad if you're north of thirty. And try chuffing harder if you're not.

THEATRE PLUS AT
THE NEW ALEX


Going to the theatre's ace but it's easy to take in a show without properly catching up with your cohort. The New Alexandra have released a series of events to compliment their theatre-based programme, and provide valuable extra gassing time. Pre-show cocktail masterclasses can now be booked before multiple performances, including An Evening of Burlesque on June 17 and Motown's Greatest Hits on July 1. You'll make one of the team's house cocktails as well as shaking up a drink relating to the show you're about to see. The team have also got post-show parties for the booking, following Jersey Boys on three occasions in December, which include a pre-show drink on arrival. Tickets for all events
 

BLUE MAN GROUP
AT THE ICC


Trust us when we say, you should never be late for a performance by Blue Man Group, however good that Dirty Martini might be. At their permanent show in Boston, we were, and a full and public ribbing followed. Fortunately the frenetic explosion of colour, music, paint and LOLzies that followed meant all was quickly forgiven. And this is relevant to you because the world renowned bunch are coming back to Blighty for the first time since 2009. And stopping off in one place, which is best known as Birmingham. Brought to the ICC by the Town Hall Symphony Hall lot, Blue Man Group will be in residence from December 28 to January 6. And tickets (from £28 to £58) went on sale at 10am today. Go!
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"Turn soft and lovely any time you have the chance." — Jenny Holzer
 
WORDS: Katy Drohan, Tom Cullen
IMAGERY: mac Birmingham — Jenny Holzer BLUE PURPLE TILT 2007. ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through d’Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund 2008 © Jenny Holzer, ARS, NY and DACS, London 2017 Photograph © Tate (Marcus Leith), B-Side — Bboy Marius from Mad Dope Kru (MDK) performing "Irreversible" with Andrei Roman (Choreography Marius Mates and Andrei Roman), Arcadia — Richard Battye.     

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