B-SIDE HIP-HOP FESTIVAL is Now Playing at Birmingham Hippodrome

Birmingham Hippodrome’s B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival 2023 has arrived in the city, bringing exceptional artists and acts from breakin’, graffiti, DJ’ing and MC’ing to the heart of Birmingham.

The free annual festival launched on Thursday 8 June with the Hippodrome’s Young Advocates’ takeover event, which featured hip-hop taster sessions and an informal jam session, and will culminate with Breakin Convention on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June.

Celebrating 50 years since the birth of hip-hop, B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival has a jam-packed line-up of performances, workshops and activities to enjoy across the city.

Highlights for the festival include:

• Dance workshops led by International Artists and judges from the Break Mission Worldwide Championships at Birmingham Hippodrome (Friday 9 June)
• The Hippodrome’s special screening of Fight the Power – How Hip Hop Changed the World, featuring an exclusive Q&A with Assistant Producer Samora Tikly (Friday 9 June)

• An all-day block party on Thorp Street with live DJ sets, a Graff Jam and new murals to celebrate five decades of hip-hop (Saturday 10 June)
• Afroflux – Fluxcon, featuring visual art, cosplay, creativity, workshops and marketplaces throughout the Hippodrome (Saturday 10 June)
• BAR 4 BAR Cypher’s participation rap battle, brought to Digbeth by Punch Records (Saturday 10 June)
• The return of Break Mission’s Breakin’ and All Style Dance Championships and Queer-Side Dance Championship, which culminate at Bullring & Grand Central (Sunday 11 June)

• An outdoor dance battle on Central Street at Bullring with Break Mission’s Art of Raw (Sunday 11 June)

• Breakin’ Convention’s jaw-dropping showcase of hip hop dance theatre, which features international headline acts alongside the best local hip hop crews (Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June)

Chris Sudworth, Creative Director at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “The Young Advocates’ Takeover event was a brilliant start to the festival with some great sessions led by local artists. We look forward to celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with everyone over the coming days – it’s going to be a fantastic festival.”

Full listings can be found at www.birminghamhippodrome.com  

B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival is produced by Birmingham Hippodrome with Break Mission, Afroflux, High Vis Festival, Queer-Side, Punch Records and Breakin’ Convention. The festival is in partnership with Bullring & Grand Central and supported by Arts Council England, The Arcadian and Southside District.