A Little Bit of Tabla and a Little Bit of Gin...

This weekend is the Birmingham Arts Fest, an Urban Festival which takes place every year in the city and celebrates many different forms of art, music, dance, literature and much more. Oh and did I mention the majority of events are FREE?! I always intend to visit but either forget or I have been away at University, so this year I made sure to attend at least one event. So, I sent out an email to several of my friends, to drag them out of their post-work Friday slump and check it out. The first event of the weekend was the Mandala, described as 'a dazzling FREE outdoor performance fusing international and British Asian music and dance with spectacular 3D digital projections.' Having seen the Ralph Lauren 4D Experience on YouTube, I couldn't wait to see what the Birmingham equivalent would be. I certainly wasn't disappointed. The performance was a fantastic mixture of Asian dance and music, which I always enjoy anyway, but combined with the 3D projections was simply astounding. The images were projected on to the recently refurbished Town Hall which made for a pretty spectacular viewing. Well, watch the short videos I took and you can see how impressive it was. We all left feeling pretty chuffed to have witnessed such innovative technology, of which, we all agreed, seems to be the future.

Afterwards we took a short walk down to a bar that had been recommended called The Jekyll and Hyde located on Steelhouse Lane, not far from Snow Hill Station. It was an amazing place - it had a very eclectic feel and mixture of people as well as an excellent selection of cocktails served in jam jars and beer bottles. After becoming disheartened by Birmingham City Centre nightlife in the recent years, this bar was a welcome refresher, and I felt like I was back in my Reading locals. The place has a beautiful décor and very friendly bar staff who were incredibly helpful in recommending the best cocktails. It was the perfect end to a casual night out with close friends, and it is definitely a place I would go back to.

The Arts Fest continues until 9th September, with fireworks in Centenary Square on 8th, which I thoroughly intend to go to! Have any of you been to the Arts Fest? Also, does anyone have any other bar recommendations? I'm trying to rekindle my love of the City Centre and would love it if you could help me on this journey!

❤Keep Smilin' =D❤