Birmingham Festival 2023 unfolded over ten days in Centenary Square, marking one year since the Commonwealth Games and reminding the city how good it feels to gather. Across 153 projects and more than 40 events, the programme celebrated local artists, performers and communities, with a headline appearance from Apache Indian drawing a crowd that refused to be dampened.

It rained. Proper Midlands rain. The kind that soaks through trainers and turns paving stones slick. But it did not dilute the atmosphere. If anything, it sharpened it. Umbrellas became props. Ponchos flashed in the stage lights. Children danced anyway. Strangers huddled closer. The joy was stubborn and generous.

Photographing the festival meant moving constantly between large-scale performances and quieter, in-between moments. Applause echoing off surrounding buildings. Steam rising from street food stalls. Performers taking a breath before stepping back into the light. Volunteers laughing under plastic capes. The square felt alive, layered, communal.

Birmingham does culture with heart. This festival was not just a commemoration, but a continuation. A reminder that creativity belongs in public spaces, even under grey skies.

My role was to document the scale and the detail, the headline acts and the small exchanges. Rain on the lens. Music in the air. A city celebrating itself, whatever the weather.