Heather Kincaid

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   <img id="d89c0076-b24c-64c8-2efd-7a70490d1345" data-caption="" data-credit="Brindleyplace Film Festival" data-width-class="100" type="image/jpeg" total="119402" loaded="119402" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102776586/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"> 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 wi

Since the closure of Pebble Mill Studios in 2004, would-be crews and creators in the Midlands have become increasingly frustrated by the region’s lack of representation in national media. Despite its status as the UK's second largest city, in the years before 'Peaky Blinders', Birmingham barely featured on our tellies. Spurred on by this perceived bias, in February 2013 a group of like-minded people gathered to launch a community grassroots campaign, the Campaign for Regional Broadcasting Midlands.   With the BBC's recent, rather pricey relocation from Wood Lane to Salford Quays, at the time the development of a significant Birmingham base seemed a long way off, but change was closer than expected: later that year, Brummie screenwriting legend Steven Knight put the city back on the map with the soaring success of 'Peaky Blinders'. Though not filmed in Birmingham, the show delves into local history and mythology, as well as making use of talent from the area. Knight's last feature, 'Locke', is also partly set in Birmingham, taking place on a car journey to the capital; during last year's Birmingham Literature Festival, he told an enthusiastic audience of his hopes of seeing a new movie studio built in the area. While that could still be some way off, here are a few reasons to be hopeful about Birmingham's on-screen future.  1. Raised by Wolves  Channel 4 may have beaten the Beeb to filming the West Midlands' first great show in some time, but Caitlin and Caroline Moran's hilar

With funding cuts forcing councils to make some difficult decisions, it's no secret that libraries across the country have been coming under threat. Yet take a look inside and you'll find that those still open remain thriving cultural hubs for their communities, offering an increasingly diverse range of services. Think the library isn't for you? Think again: there's more than just space to read and study at stake. Get creativeBrimming with literary inspiration, libraries are the natural home of creative writing groups, and Kings Norton, Hall Green and Erdington all host regular writers' meetings. However, there are also plenty of other ways to create and collaborate in bookish surroundings. For those who prefer to perform stories rather than write them down, a series of storytelling workshops for grown-ups recently ran across Birmingham community libraries, aimed at parents and carers looking for ways to inspire their kids. At Frankley and Yardley Wood, you can participate in regular arts and crafts activities, and Spring Hill also runs a craft group for over-50s, while at Druids Heath and Perry Common avid knitters can have a natter and share a ripping yarn or two. On Saturday May 16, there'll also be a chance to buy and sell creative makes at Northfield's Craft and Gift Fair. Got green fingers? You might want to check out Hall Green's Amateur Gardeners' Society, but if you'd rather photograph beautiful scenes than plant and grow them, perhaps Ward End's Camera Club will be

As any passionate play-goer or music-lover knows, seeing shows can be an expensive hobby. But provided you know where to look, enjoying live performance needn't leave you out of pocket. Aside from standard concessions and group deals, there are plenty of ways to catch a show on the cheap. Here are some of the best in and around Birmingham. Birmingham Hippodrome: First NightIf you're aged between 16 and 23, you're lucky enough to be able to catch touring shows on opening nights at the Birmingham Hippodrome for as little as £5 or £10. The huge, spectacular productions that the theatre typically stages sometimes come with hefty price tags, so this scheme represents a significant saving for those young enough to make use of it. Simply register to join the scheme online or over the phone, and be ready to claim quickly once tickets go on sale Credit: Paul Coltas, via Birmingham Hippodrome Birmingham REP: Preview Club and Director's ChoiceTheatres often have spaces to fill at previews and press nights, which means that tickets can be cheaper earlier in a show's run. By creating a Preview Club for 14-30 year olds, the REP has made a feature of this, offering a limited number of £5 tickets for preview nights to those who register by calling the box office. Meanwhile, if you're over 30 or looking to see more than one show, you can also take advantage of the Director's Choice scheme. A kind of discount-based recommendation programme, Director's Choice pairs up similar or contrasting p