Things to do in Birmingham

32 activities, venues and outings in Birmingham, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Alexander Stadium
Alexander Stadium, situated in Perry Barr, is Birmingham's only large athletics stadium and plays host to international meets and trials to decide the English/British teams for major events as well as being the base for the Birchfield Harriers athletics club. The stadium's various sporting facilities are also open to public use. £1-2, capacity 18,000.
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Alexandra Theatre
Edwardian theatre showing pre- and post-West End plays and musicals.
£6-50 (price varies with seating)
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Arena Birmingham
National Indoor Arena
A fairly large, modern arena hosting many national and international sporting and entertainment events. Prices vary with event and seating.
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Birmingham Hippodrome
Large, refurbished theatre showing varied performing arts, including ballet, musicals, comedy, opera and drama. Home of the Patrick Centre for the Performing Arts and the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Preferred venue for the Welsh National Opera.
£6-50 (price varies with seating. Concessions £3-5 off or £10-15 student & seniors (plus non-student/senior friend) standby 24 hours in advance. 3%-6% transaction fee if not paying by cash)
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CBSO Centre
Modern rehearsal facilities for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). Concerts usually once a week, including Centre Stage intimate chamber music.
£5-12
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Crescent Theatre
Independent local theatre company performing both old and modern plays.
Box office Mon-Fri 4:30PM-7PM, Sat noon-7PM£7-12 (concessions £1-1.50 off)
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Edgbaston Cricket Ground
County Ground
Stadium of 25,000 capacity, home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, one of the 18 "First Class Counties" comprising the first tier of English cricket. These county matches last 3-4 days, day tickets £6-£15, and you'll find few others there for a mid-week county match. Edgbaston frequently also hosts international (or "Test") matches, lasting up to 5 days, day tickets £20-£70. Also playing here are Birmingham Phoenix men's and women's teams in The Hundred short game. The stadium is a mile south of city centre, walk along Pershore Rd (A441), or take bus 45 or 47.
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Edgbaston Priory
Edgbaston Priory is the main tennis club in Birmingham, with 29 tennis courts, 10 squash courts, 2 swimming pools and a gym available to the public. Every June the club also hosts the DFS Classic, a woman's tennis tournament that acts as a warm-up for Wimbledon. DFS Classic tickets £8-20.
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International Convention Centre (ICC)
A modern convention centre sharing a building with Symphony Hall.
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National Exhibition Centre
NEC
A huge exhibition centre, staging more than 180 exhibitions each year in 21 halls totalling 200,000 m². Also has a 12,000-seat arena hosting national and international sporting and entertainment events.
Free-£40 (price varies with event).
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O2 Academy Birmingham
Relocated from its previous Dale End location, O2 Academy is a large music venue hosting many gigs from local and touring artists. The Venue has 3 separate arenas, O2 Academy, Academy 2 and Academy 3 and each venue may be open consecutively with up to 3 different gigs on some nights. The venue mainly focuses on alternative rock and indie. Weekend gig tickets usually allow entry to the club night going on afterwards.
£6-25 (price varies with band fame)
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O2 Institute
Digbeth Institute
O2 Institute (formerly The Institute, HMV Institute, etc) is a new name. Focusing on alternative, pop and urban music, the venue has 3 stages, hosting gigs from local and touring bands. Also hosts regular club nights.
Tickets £6-25 (price varies with band fame)
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Odeon
Cinema showing mainstream films, near to Bullring shopping centre and New Street station. You can't really call it much of a multiplex. It is a 1930s building with very few screens and the seats are so close together your legs hurt after the advertisements.
£5.20 (£4 before 5PM M-F)
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Old Joint Stock Theatre
In a beautiful 1864 building that was built as a bank, this intimate (only 95 seats) theatre hosts guest performances, two resident companies, a Musical Theatre Group, and a regular Theatre Group. It is the main venue for the comedic Foghorn Improv. Downstairs is a pub in the preserved Victorian bank hall with a glass dome and lavish decorations.
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Old Rep Theatre
Built in 1913. Home of the Birmingham Stage Company, puts on both professional and amateur productions.
£5-15
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Repertory Theatre
The Rep
Well-established theatre putting on classical and modern plays. Supports new work through The Door.
£5-15
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St Andrews
City play in the Championship, the second tier. Their 30,016 capacity stadium is one mile east of city centre. The women's team were promoted in 2026 and play in WSL their top tier, with home games at Solihull Moor.
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Symphony Hall
Internationally renowned concert venue with two to four classical concerts per week. Also offers free pre-concert talks.
£26-62 (price varies with seating: £5 tickets available for students and under 18s, £10 tickets for 18-30 year olds)
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The Ackers
The Ackers is an outdoor activity centre offering a range of activities, ranging from kayaking and archery to rock climbing and dry slope skiing. Prices vary depending on activity. Skiing/snowboarding sessions £11 for one hour.
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The Belfry
The Belfry Golf Club runs three courses just to the north east of Birmingham, including the world famous Brabazon course which has been used for the Ryder Cup and continues to play host to tournaments on the PGA European Tour. Green fees £25-140, tournament spectator tickets £7.50-20.
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The Custard Factory
Self-styled "Birmingham's Creative Quarter" this eclectic venue plays host to various events, as well as club nights on weekends and some weekdays in what was an actual custard factory in its former life. On bigger nights the large pool at the centre of the venue is drained and turned into a dancefloor with a heated marquee over it.
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The Giant Screen
Part of the Thinktank science museum. 2D and 3D films shown on an enormous (five story) screen. Some mainstream films, mainly documentaries.
Daily 10AM-5PM£9.60 (concessions £7.60, children under 16 £7.60, family and joint Thinktank tickets available)
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The Hawthorns
West Brom play in the Championship, the second tier. Their stadium, capacity 26,800, is four miles northwest of Birmingham city centre.
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Villa Park
Villa play in the Premier League, England's top tier, and are one of England's more successful clubs, most recently winning the Europa League in 2026. Their 42,736-capacity stadium is 2 miles north of the city centre. The women's team plays in the Women's Super League, their top tier, with home games in Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield.
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Vue
Multiplex within the Star City entertainment complex north east of the town center (which also boasts restaurants, bars, nightclubs, bowling and a large casino). The cinema offers 24 screens, including 3 gold class screens with larger, more comfortable seats, at-seat service, free popcorn and a bar.
£5.70-6.60 (£8-15 for gold class)
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mac
Midlands Arts Centre
The mac, located in the leafy suburb of Edgbaston has a small but perfectly formed arthouse cinema, and a cafe, hosts art exhibitons, and is a concert and theatre venue.
Mon-Sat 9AM-11PM, Sun 9AM-10:30PM£6 (concessions £4.50)
Do Not mapped
Drayton Manor
Located just outside Tamworth in Staffordshire, is the fourth most popular theme park in the UK, with 35 rides set in 280 acres of land as well as a 15 acre zoo. To get to the park during school holidays simply catch the special E22 bus in the mornings (typically just before 9 and 10) from Carrs Lane stop DK (near the Pavilions Shopping Centre). A return ticket should cost £10. Outside of school holidays you'll need to catch bus 110, which runs every half hour from Bull Street stop BF (near Snow Hill station) and get off at Fazeley. The return fare is £4. If you're unsure of where exactly the stop is (and it's easy to miss) ask the driver to signal you when you need to get off. Admission £18.95-20.95.
Do Not mapped
Grand Prix Karting
Large go-karting centre just east of the city centre. £10-50.
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AMC
A large modern multiplex showing recent mainstream films.
Daily 10AM-1AM£5 (£3.50 concessions and before 6:30PM)
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Birmingham Speedway
Premier League speedway racing.
Open Wed 7:45PM
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Cineworld
A large modern multiplex showing recent mainstream films.
Daily 10AM-1AM£5.50 (£3.50 concessions and before 6:30PM, family tickets available)
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Creation Skate Park
skateboarding or BMX-ing

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Birmingham (CC BY-SA 4.0).