Chocival at Brindley Place
Set your sweet tooth to meltdown, the gloriously sugary (and non-sugary) cocoa bean festival is taking over Brindley Place once again for the second year. A raft of imaginative stalls across a stunning range of styles and flavours to satisfy the most discerning of chocolate connoisseurs, we’ll be hunting down the gin and beer varieties. Music, entertainment and all the choccy action you can handle.
Sat 21 Oct 10am at Brindley Place, Brunswick St, Birmingham B1 2JF www.facebook.com

Sunday Xpress at Centrala
The wonderful cultural juggernaut that is Sunday Xpress rumbles into Centrala for its monthly appointment with our senses. Four bands this time with a definite bent towards beautiful thrashy noise and an ever so slight invasion from the land of Stourbridge. Lift sharing (probably) from that delightful conurbation are Combined Authority and Unpleasant Terrace whilst local boys Citizen X and ADHD complete the bill. Open mic opportunities are available and expect the usual visuals, spoken word, surprises and Sunday Xpress bells and whistles.
Sun 22 Oct 4pm at Centrala, Fazeley Street, Birmingham, Digbeth B5 5RS www.facebook.com

Manos Pa’Arriba at The Dark Horse
You know what’s lacking in your lives? A bit of Latin pizazz. Let Birmingham’s own Cumbian maestro’s Manos Pa’ Arriba bring some South American flair into your lives. The six piece band make a gloriously infectious noise and like it or not you will be waving your manos in the air.
Fri 20 Oct 9pm at The Dark Horse, 145 Alcester Rd, Birmingham B13 8JP www.facebook.com

UK Garage Special at The Hare and Hounds SOLD OUT (Waiting list)
Strictly Garage classics all night as Moschino Hoe, Versace Hottie (MHVH) take a break from tearing up Digbeth’s Spotlight to lock groove horns with Love the Life residents. In the cosy inner boom box of The Hare and Hounds this will get sweaty and real. Limited tickets so don’t hang about.
Fri 20 Oct 9pm at The Hare and Hounds, High St, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7LG skiddletickets.com

Art, Craft and Food Market at Kings Heath Village Square
Start your weekend off with a leisurely stroll around Kings Heath’s Village Square and get rummaging through the finest locally produced and handmade art and crafts. No tat, just independent stalls and high quality products. Whilst you’re stocking up on early Christmas gifts get your gastronomic kicks from an eclectic range of street food vendors, checkout Momma B’s or Disco Fries.
Sat 21 Oct 10am at Village Square, Vicarage Rd, Birmingham B14 7RA www.facebook.com

Total Recall (dir: Paul Verhoeven, 1990, cert 18) at The Mockingbird
No one does garish spectacle quite like Paul Verhoeven. At the end of the last millennium he was Hollywood’s go to guy for frighteningly sumptuous visions of sex and bloody violence in films tinged with quasi fascism. The Arnie on Mars sci-fi epic Total Recall ticks every box and contains possibly the greatest Arnieism ever, ‘consider that a divorce’, spoken after shooting fake wife Sharon Stone in the head.
Sat 21 Oct 8.30pm at The Mockingbird, Custard Factory,  Gibb Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B9 4AA veezi.com

Well Being Discovery Day at The Rep
The Bedlam: Arts and Mental Health Festival has provided an incredibly diverse array of events over three weeks at venues across the city promoting positive mental health and well being. Read our full feature here.  This Sunday go backstage at The Rep and discover ways of improving your own well being through a gamut of activities, workshops, exhibitions and discussions with the emphasis on family and fun.
Sun 22 Oct 12pm at The Birmingham Rep, Broad St, Birmingham B1 2EP www.facebook.com