Birmingham is set to host a first-of-its-kind festival that connects art, culture and public health sectors.

Running from Mon 22 Jun – Fri 26 Jun, Healing Arts Birmingham will feature a diverse programme of research symposia, exhibitions, concerts, community events, policy roundtables, and guided cultural tours that explore the role of the arts in shaping healthier and more connected communities.

Building on the success of Healing Arts’ global campaign, including recent activations in New York, Barcelona, and Singapore, Birmingham will become the first city in England to deliver a dedicated Healing Arts programme at this scale, with events taking place across neighbourhoods, cultural venues and community spaces throughout the city.

Events will be co-led by a coalition of local, national and international collaborators including Arts Council England, Ikon Gallery, University of Birmingham, B:Music, Midland Arts Centre, National Centre for Creative Health, National Arts in Hospitals Network, CULTURUNNERS, New York University, Hospital Rooms, Department of Health and Social Care and Agder Kunstakademi.

The week will launch with an opening ceremony hosted by B:Music at Birmingham Symphony Hall, bringing together artists, practitioners, policymakers, researchers and civic leaders from across the city and beyond.

The event will feature a specially curated programme celebrating the breadth of Birmingham’s creative health landscape, including live music, spoken word, poetry, choir and dance performances alongside contributions from leading community voices working across culture and health.

Also forming part of the programme will be Ikon Gallery’s immersive exhibition What are the Odds?, hosted at the Library of Birmingham. Based on the gallery’s collaborative research with visual artists, academic and charity partners, the collection reflects a range of lived experiences from diversity in infant feeding to ageing and dying well.

Sally Burns, Director of Public Health at Birmingham City Council, said: “I am really excited that Birmingham City Council is collaborating with Jameel Arts & Health Lab to bring Healing Arts to the city.

“This five-day festival will showcase how a city can build a social justice movement rooted in creativity, demonstrating how arts, culture, and heritage can contribute to a healthier, fairer and more resilient future for all who live and work in Birmingham. This is about highlighting the healing power of the arts in improving the health and wellbeing of Birmingham’s many diverse communities, not just today or tomorrow, but in the long-term as we work together to build and empower a healthier, happier city.”

Healing Arts Birmingham will formally conclude with a closing day hosted by Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), bringing together local artists, communities and organisations to reflect on the role creativity can play in supporting healthier communities.

The programme will include explorations of Cannon Hill Park and the relationship between people, place and the natural environment, alongside discussions focused on young people’s mental health, confidence and sense of belonging.

The closing day will also feature a National Centre for Creative Health-led symposium, uniting cultural organisations, health practitioners and academics to explore how creative health can support neighbourhood health services and community-led responses to health inequalities.

The day will conclude with live performances in the MAC Outdoor Theatre celebrating the collective journey of the week and showcasing emerging talent from across Birmingham, including AKASHA, Amina and Sing Out of Trouble Choir.

You can read more about Healing Arts Birmingham here.