Neighbourhood Futures Festival 2026: SUNDAY Community Play & Discover Day
About this Event
The Neighbourhood Futures Festival is a three-day, community-powered celebration of nature, creativity and connection at the Nature & Wellbeing Centre in the heart of Birmingham!
Brought to life by Birmingham Settlement and over 40 local partners, you'll discover a unique urban festival in a beautiful green oasis beside Edgbaston Reservoir.
Sunday's Play & Discovery Day is a fun, welcoming day of free activities for children, young people and adults.
Expect:
- Family-friendly activities throughout the day
- Creative workshops, arts and crafts
- Nature-based learning and discovery
- Outdoor play and games
- Live performances and entertainment
- Community stalls and local organisations
- Food and refreshments available from the Red Shed Community Café
- Opportunities to meet local groups and get involved in your community
Explore the whole 3 day festival here.
What's On - Sunday: Play & Discovery at the Reservoir!
Another day full of energy, creativity & fun! Join us for a vibrant day by the reservoir, packed with playful performances, hands-on activities, and joyful moments for everyone.
For the full schedule including timings click here (coming soon).
🦋 Nature Navigators - explore the Overnight Moth Trap to discover our nocturnal festival visitors, then get hands-on with pond dipping.
🎶 Enjoy CBSO Youth Orchestra – beautiful chamber performances from some of Birmingham’s finest young musicians!
🌊 Go on a Rainbow Fish adventure with Riverside Performing Arts – a storytelling journey under the sea, exploring care for nature, courage and friendship.
💃 Bhangra celebration with Desi Blitz – an uplifting bhangra celebration with music, movement and joy!
🎉Try Ampe Alive – a high energy interactive movement experience inspired by the traditional African game Ampe. Through rhythm, clapping, music and group play, connect across ages and backgrounds and celebrate culture.
🌿 Take a nature Storytelling Walk with ecobirmingham – interactive outdoor storytelling journey for children and families, followed by a nature-based craft activity inspired by the stories.
🎭 Women & Theatre – Scratch Performances – spoken word, monologues and extracts exploring connection to land, place and environment.
🖼️ Get arty with the Barber Institute community team – drop-in to create a collage inspired by nature and the environment.
🎭 Join Toni’s Tots Drama for The Monster Clean-Up! A high-energy, imaginative adventure for ages 2–8, filled with music, movement and fun. Can you help the team tackle a mischievous plastic-polluting monster?
🎧 Dance like no-one is watching at the Off-Grid Silent Disco! Enjoy a unique outdoor party powered by people and green energy.
🎨 Be part of our Carnival of Plants & Animals - join artist Flavia Bertram to create colourful masks and fans celebrating your favourite plants, animals and nature, then join a joyful Carnival procession!
🧘 Try a wellbeing session – From mindfulness and Tai Chi to Reiki and yoga, take a moment to recharge in the Off Grid zone surrounded by trees and birdong.
🌱 Balcony Basics – practical, hands-on workshop showing how to bring nature into balconies, small spaces and urban homes with the National Trust Sky Gardening project.
🧵 Stitch & Connect – Drop into the Wellbeing Tent with artist Tina Francis. Share stories and add your stitches to a growing community artwork celebrating our neighbourhood.
🌳Chill among the trees in the nature zone, enjoy nature play and outdoor creativity in Roots Forest School.
🔨 Join Newbigin Trust for a festival takeover! Discover the lost craft of blacksmithing and the skills, creativity and community behind traditional making.
🥁 One Rhythm in Nature – take part in African drumming on the festival field with Afro Creative Legacy
🧘♀️ Outdoor Yoga with N-JOY-YOGA – uplifting, inclusive flow combining breathwork, movement and grounding in our beautiful outdoor setting.
🌱 Co-design a community garden in the Geodome! Share your ideas for greener futures and help create a collaborative artwork from found and recycled materials that will grow and evolve throughout the festival.
✂️ Sew & Make – turn recycled fabric into something useful and unique in this relaxed, beginner-friendly sewing session.
⚽ Enjoy sports, games and outdoor fun on the festival field all day! Join in classic games and don't miss our inaugural Festival Tug of War - can the kids beat the grown-ups?!
🤝 Explore the Community Marketplace – meet local organisations and community groups making a difference across Ladywood and beyond.
🍴 Grab a bite to eat from the Red Shed Café and take time to connect, create and celebrate in our beautiful festival setting beside Edgbaston Reservoir.
🌍 Learn about Birmingham Settlement's journey and how you can help care for green spaces, develop practical skills and be part of local action for climate and nature.
Come and spend time surrounded by trees and birdsong, connect with neighbours and soak up the relaxed festival vibes!
Who is it for?
Saturday Family Day is open to EVERYONE!
Whether you're a family looking for a fun day out, a local resident wanting to connect with your community, or simply someone interested in nature, creativity and wellbeing, there's something for you to enjoy.
Activities will be suitable for a range of ages, with opportunities for children, young people and adults to take part throughout the day.
About Birmingham Settlement charity
Birmingham Settlement is one of the city’s oldest charities, supporting communities since 1899. Founded by social reformers outraged by the poverty of the19th century, our early work focused on women and families in the deprived St Mary’s area, now known as Newtown.
Today, our work is much broader to meet the changing needs of Birmingham’s communities. Whether its ising living costs, cuts to local services and increased inequality, our work helps people when they need it most - providing advice, opportunities, and welcoming spaces where no one has to go it alone.
About the Nature & Wellbeing Centre next to Edgbaston Reservoir
In 2021, Birmingham Settlement began transforming a three-acre green space beside Edgbaston Reservoir. It has since become our Nature & Wellbeing Centre - a safe, accessible and inclusive green space for nature, social connection, and improving community wellbeing.
Facilities include a warm and welcoming Community Café (fondly known as the ‘Red Shed’), two geodesic learning domes for nature connection, an amphitheatre for arts and performance, community composting, grow plots and open green space for physical activity and play.
Everyone can enjoy and be part of our community, with a particular focus on Ladywood and North Edgbaston and serving communities that lack access to safe green space, that are isolated, facing financial challenges, and with physical and/or mental health needs.
Our unique spaces can also be hired for community and corporate events.
We always keep our activities and events free so they are accessible for everyone. If you are able to make a small donation to our charity to help keep the festival open to all and to support care of our site, we would really appreciate it.
Partners & sponsors
The Neighbourhood Futures Festival is delivered in partnership with many other passionate, environmentally-conscious organisations, community groups, artists, educators, and wellbeing providers. Their contributions help us provide free activities, workshops and experiences for local residents and families.
We would like to thank our 2026 supporters and sponsors, including:
• )
• Bell Group
• Severn Trent
We're also grateful to the many community groups, artists, volunteers, educators and organisations who contribute their time, skills and expertise to help make the festival possible.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
