Create a memorable festive itinerary with our guide for Birmingham. Find all the best holiday events and activities. From Birmingham regulars to first-time tourists, our guide highlights the season's best activities.
Popular Events: Experience the charm of the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market, where you can explore a variety of German-inspired stalls offering delightful crafts and tasty treats. The Luminate Live Winter Light Trail invites visitors to stroll through mesmerizing light displays set against the backdrop of the city's beautiful parks. And the Ice Skate Birmingham is something you definitely don't want to miss, offering a picturesque outdoor rink perfect for skating amid the festive atmosphere. See more details on these and other fun events and activities below!
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Top Holiday Events In and Around Birmingham
- Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market
- Ice Skate Birmingham
- Luminate Live Winter Light Trail
- Peter Pan
- The Nutcracker
- Christmas in Cathedral Square Craft Market
- Winter Glow at Birmingham Botanical Gardens
- Vintage Trains Polar Express Train Ride
- A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story
- Good Food Show Winter
See these and even more events listed below!
Birmingham Holiday Light Displays
Luminate Live Winter Light Trail
What to Expect:
Interactive light installations and festive treats along the trail.
Description:
Explore an illuminated trail through the historic grounds of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, featuring stunning lighting elements and ambient music.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Luminate Live Winter Light Trail
Winter Glow at Birmingham Botanical Gardens
What to Expect:
Interactive lighting installations amidst historic botanical gardens.
Description:
Explore the illuminated trail at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, featuring stunning lighting elements and interactive installations set to ambient music. The trail meanders through historic grounds, offering a captivating experience for all ages.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Winter Glow at Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Birmingham Holiday Markets and Shopping
Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market
What to Expect:
Authentic German market with traditional food and gifts.
Description:
Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market offers a traditional German experience with food, drinks, toys, and gifts. The market is located in Victoria Square and New Street, featuring live music and a festive atmosphere.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market
Christmas in Cathedral Square Craft Market
What to Expect:
Unique shopping experience featuring original work from local independent traders.
Description:
Christmas in Cathedral Square Craft Market offers a diverse array of local arts, crafts, and seasonal food and drink in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, located within the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Christmas in Cathedral Square Craft Market
Frankfurt Christmas Market Ice Rink
What to Expect:
Seasonal ice skating in a festive setting.
Description:
The Frankfurt Christmas Market Ice Rink in Centenary Square offers a seasonal attraction where visitors can enjoy ice skating amidst festive decorations and holiday cheer.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Frankfurt Christmas Market Ice Rink
Christmas Trail at Birmingham Cathedral
What to Expect:
Community-driven holiday market with local artisans and seasonal offerings.
Description:
Christmas in Cathedral Square is a festive event held in the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral, featuring local West Midlands traders selling crafts, food, and drink. The market includes traditional crafts, ornaments, and gifts from independent businesses, along with live music and pop-up food vendors.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Christmas Trail at Birmingham Cathedral
Birmingham Holiday Shows and Entertainment
The Nutcracker
What to Expect:
World-class ballet performance with elaborate sets and costumes.
Description:
The Nutcracker is a timeless ballet production by Birmingham Royal Ballet, featuring Tchaikovsky's glorious score and elaborate sets and costumes. Clara's journey from her parents' Christmas party to the kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy is a captivating tale of bravery and transformation.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: The Nutcracker
Peter Pan
What to Expect:
Unique blend of classic characters and modern special effects.
Description:
Peter Pan is a high-flying swashbuckling adventure featuring Alison Hammond as the Magical Mermaid, Matt Slack as Smee, and Danny Mac as Captain Hook. The show includes all your favorites from Neverland with stunning sets and beautiful costumes direct from The London Palladium.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Peter Pan
Good Food Show Winter
What to Expect:
Star-studded line-up of culinary icons sharing festive recipes.
Description:
The Good Food Show Winter brings together top chefs, live cooking demos, hands-on workshops, and a vast array of artisan producers offering unique gifts and seasonal ingredients.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Good Food Show Winter
A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story
What to Expect:
Haunting adaptation with spine-tingling special effects.
Description:
A haunting adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale, where Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, setting him on a journey to change his miserly ways and escape his own fate.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story
Vintage Trains Polar Express Train Ride
What to Expect:
Immersive holiday experience with real steam engine and vintage carriages.
Description:
The Vintage Trains Polar Express Train Ride is a re-creation of the classic children's story where passengers are served hot chocolate and cookies, enjoy a reading of the book, and receive a silver sleigh bell. Santa visits each carriage, and the train journey includes caroling and holiday activities.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Vintage Trains Polar Express Train Ride
Elf: The Musical
What to Expect:
Spectacular scenes set against video-film backdrops on a large LED screen.
Description:
Elf: The Musical is a heartwarming stage adaptation of the family-favorite holiday film, featuring Buddy's journey from the North Pole to New York City. With catchy songs, lively choreography, and a touching story about love and friendship, it’s a feel-good experience that will leave you with a smile on your face and the joy of the holiday season in your heart.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Elf: The Musical
Cadbury World Step Into Christmas
What to Expect:
Meet Santa and enjoy festive treats in a chocolate-themed setting.
Description:
Step into a world of festive fun at Cadbury World, where you can meet Santa, enjoy delicious Afternoon Tea with Cadbury characters, and explore the attraction's chocolatey zones.
Where: Bournville | More Info: Cadbury World Step Into Christmas
Swan Lake
What to Expect:
Rule-breaking reinvention of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake with a male ensemble.
Description:
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake is a genre-defining ballet that reimagines Tchaikovsky's masterpiece with a menacing male ensemble, shattering conventions and turning tradition on its head. This production has become the most successful dance theatre production of all time, collecting over thirty international accolades including an Olivier Award and three Tony Awards.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Swan Lake
Birmingham Hippodrome Pantomime
What to Expect:
Unique blend of comedy, magic, and adventure.
Description:
Birmingham Hippodrome's Peter Pan is a swashbuckling pantomime adventure featuring an all-star cast, including Alison Hammond as the Magical Mermaid, Matt Slack as Smee, and Danny Mac as Captain Hook. The production includes stunning sets, beautiful costumes, and amazing special effects, making it a thrilling experience for the whole family.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Birmingham Hippodrome Pantomime
Birmingham Other Holiday Activities
Ice Skate Birmingham
What to Expect:
Weatherproof, undercover ice rink with wheelchair accessibility.
Description:
Ice Skate Birmingham offers an all-inclusive, undercover ice rink in central Birmingham, providing a family-friendly and wheelchair-accessible skating experience. The rink is weatherproof, ensuring fun regardless of the weather. Skate hire is included in the ticket price, and lockers are available for storing belongings.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Ice Skate Birmingham
Smith's Christmas Craft Fair
What to Expect:
Hands-on polymer clay decoration workshop.
Description:
Join Angela Smith, a skilled polymer clay and beadwork artist, for a 60-minute workshop where you'll create a colorful Christmas gnome decoration out of polymer clay, perfect for hanging on your tree. This fun and creative activity is suitable for children over 12 years old with parental supervision.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Smith's Christmas Craft Fair
Black Country Living Museum Christmas Activities
What to Expect:
Immersive Christmas atmosphere with historical characters and festive entertainment.
Description:
Stroll through the gas-lit streets of the Canalside village, exploring decorated shops and houses, meeting Christmassy characters, and enjoying traditional Christmas treats.
Where: Dudley | More Info: Black Country Living Museum Christmas Activities
Birmingham Stable Christmas Events
What to Expect:
Seasonal menu with festive food options.
Description:
Celebrate the holiday season with Birmingham Stable's Christmas Party menu, featuring seasonal delights like the Festive Full Monty pizza, roast turkey, and cider pork stuffing.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Birmingham Stable Christmas Events
Box Brindley Place Christmas Feast
What to Expect:
Unforgettable Christmas bash with festive food and sports action.
Description:
Gather with friends at Box Brindley Place for a Christmas feast featuring hearty dishes, exciting cocktails, and top sports action on HD screens.
Where: Birmingham | More Info: Box Brindley Place Christmas Feast
Festive Fun in Nearby Cities!
Discover Holiday events in hundreds of cities worldwide. Check out these nearby locations for more festive fun!
- Aston (1 miles)
- Washwood Heath (3 miles)
- Acocks Green (4 miles)
- West Bromwich (5 miles)
- Bartley Green (5 miles)
- Shirley (6 miles)
- Halesowen (7 miles)
- Solihull (7 miles)
- Sutton Coldfield (7 miles)
- Wednesbury (7 miles)
- Tipton (8 miles)
- Dudley (8 miles)
- Walsall (8 miles)
- Brierley Hill (9 miles)
- Willenhall (10 miles)
- Stourbridge (10 miles)
- Bloxwich (10 miles)
- Brownhills (11 miles)
- Wednesfield (11 miles)
- Wolverhampton (12 miles)
- Bromsgrove (12 miles)
- Redditch (12 miles)
- Tamworth (14 miles)
- Burntwood (14 miles)
- Lichfield (14 miles)
- Cannock (15 miles)
- Kidderminster (16 miles)
- Kenilworth (16 miles)
- Coventry (17 miles)
- Bedworth (18 miles)
- Droitwich (18 miles)
- Nuneaton (19 miles)
- Stourport-on-Severn (19 miles)
- Warwick (19 miles)
- Rugeley (19 miles)
- Royal Leamington Spa (21 miles)
- Stratford-upon-Avon (22 miles)
- Hinckley (22 miles)
- Stafford (24 miles)
- Worcester (24 miles)
- Swadlincote (25 miles)
- Burton upon Trent (25 miles)
- Telford (27 miles)
- Evesham (27 miles)
- Coalville (28 miles)
- Rugby (28 miles)
- Wellington (30 miles)
- Great Malvern (31 miles)
- Leicester (34 miles)
- Wigston Magna (35 miles)
- Daventry (35 miles)
- Derby (35 miles)
- Loughborough (35 miles)
- Oadby (35 miles)
- Banbury (37 miles)
- Stoke-on-Trent (38 miles)
- Newcastle under Lyme (38 miles)
- Long Eaton (39 miles)
- Shrewsbury (39 miles)
- Cheltenham (41 miles)
- Market Harborough (41 miles)
- Belper (41 miles)
- Ilkeston (42 miles)
- Heanor (43 miles)
- Ripley (43 miles)
- Kidsgrove (44 miles)
- West Bridgford (45 miles)
- Gloucester (45 miles)