Summer is the season for music festivals, and, from jazz and blues to folk, hip hop and reggae, Birmingham has more than its fair share.
But if you're hoarse from all the singing or concerned about hefty ticket prices, now is the time to explore some of the city's other artistic offerings.
Featuring everything from street theatre and dance to movies and spoken word poetry, Brum boasts a diverse range of creative festivals, some of which are absolutely free! Here are some alternative arts festivals to check out this summer.
Brindleyplace Film Festival
Brindleyplace Film Festival
What better way to spend a lazy summer evening than relaxing in front of your favourite film outside in the open air? Voted for by the public, the 2015 Brindleyplace Film Festival line-up ranges from rom-coms like 'Clueless' and 'Ten Things I Hate About You', to adrenaline-fuelled action spectaculars like 'Independence Day' and 'Batman Begins'.
Kid-friendly features 'Finding Nemo' and and 'Frozen' will also have 1pm matinee screenings during the weekend, so you can take the whole family along.
Those who arrive early enough can claim a deckchair or beanbag for the evening, but with limited availability, it might be wise to bring your own as back-up. Take-away dinners will be available from local restaurants including Café Opus, Piccolino and Gourmet Burger Kitchen.
Brindleyplace Film Festival, July 14-23. Free, no booking neccessary.
Shock & Gore Film Festival
Orion Pictures
Celebrating its fifth birthday this year, the Electric Cinema's Shock & Gore film festival features a frightfully fun schedule, packed full of classic and cult horror from 'Touch of Evil' and 'The Terminator', to 'Fright Night' and 'Ninja Scroll'.
On Saturday 18, you can stay up late for a cyborg-themed cinematic all-nighter, while Friday 17 is dedicated to lovers of all things Lynchian, in anticipation of the return of 'Twin Peaks' in 2016.
Then, on Tuesday 21, you can feast on the fantastic foodstuffs of Annabel de Vetten for a 'Shaun of the Dead' Conjuror's Kitchen special. Live elements include black comedy from Tom Neenan and a talk on How To Kill the Dead at the nearby Victoria pub.
A screening of Robert Wise's 'The Haunting' will end a ghost walk round the city's spookiest spots. As the country's oldest working cinema, it's more than likely that the Electric Cinema is in possession of a few restless spirits of its own, so be sure to keep your wits about you...
Shock and Gore Film Festival, July 17-23. Events individually priced. Visit The Electric Cinema's website for full details
London Indian Film Festival
DhanakLondon Indian Film Festival
Don't let the name fool you. While the London Indian Film Festival - the largest Asian film event in Europe - does indeed kick off in the capital, this year the festival will be expanding to Birmingham too.
Cineworld Broad Street and the mac Cinema in Cannon Hill Park will be screening some of the most prestigious and thought-provoking new independent films from the Indian sub-continent, with an aim to push beyond traditional Bollywood to show more realistic images of modern India.
Some of these movies include Bengali art-house hit 'Asa Jaoar Majhe' ('Labour of Love'), Berlin International Film Festival winner 'Dhanak' ('Rainbow'), along with UK premieres of 'Kakkaa Mattai' ('The Crow's Egg) and 'Khwada' ('Obstacle').
London Indian Film Festival, July 20-26. Screenings individually priced. See the London Indian Festival's Birmingham programme for more details.
Birmingham Fest
A exciting collaboration between the city's smaller theatres, Birmingham Fest showcases the best in fresh, emerging performance art.
Programmed by Blue Orange Theatre, The Old Joint Stock, The Crescent and the Jewellery Quarter's @A. E. Harris, this year's line-up includes stories of a football-free dystopia, an interrupted bath and a no-longer-United Kingdom, along with a recital of England's epic 'Beowulf'. Plus, a fusion of Greek-mythology, clowning, jazz and dance, and a modern-day adaptation of the Grossmith brothers' 'Diary of a Nobody'.
There's also a youth dance showcase, pop-up comedy, and an exploration of the history of the harp and the recorder.
Birmingham Fest, July 17-August 2. Events individually priced. Check the Birmingham Fest brochure for full details.
Summer in Southside
Dolly the Giraffe by VIP Puppetsvia Birmingham Hippodrome
This year's Summer in Southside Festival will see the area around the Birmingham Hippodrome transformed into a twisting, stretching sea of colour, thanks to the programming of Polyglot's elastic-weaving installation, Tangle (pictured top).
Street theatre and contemporary dance, semi-nude skating stunts, top quality hip hop, a giant giraffe puppet and the bizarre metamorphosis of a man and six-foot balloon are just some of the things you can expect to see this August.
Look out for the chill-out caravan and pop-up garden, where you'll be able to grab a drink, take photos and share your thoughts on the shows. Saturday's festivities will also culminate in a special after-party, hosted by the theatre's ambassador group.
Summer in Southside, August 29-30. Free, no booking necessary.
Birmingham Weekender
By September 25, the long, sunny days may be drawing to an end, but the Birmingham Weekender ensures that they'll go out with a bang and not a whimper.
A joyous and colourful coming together of multiple arts venues and organisations, Birmingham Weekender is a vibrant street art extravaganza spread out across the city centre, conceived as an even bigger and better version of last year's Four Squares Weekender.
In addition to theatrical offerings and circus spectaculars programmed by the Hippodrome, the mac and the REP, there'll be exhibitions courtesy of Ikon, music from Birmingham Opera and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Plus, there will be puppetry, installations, spoken word poetry and a whole range of dance performances and workshops, from traditional Maori Haka to the breathtaking footwork of the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Birmingham Weekender, September 25-27. Free, no booking necessary.
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