An epic pop-up garden will take over the centre of Birmingham for a two-week festival this September as PoliNations arrives with giant architectural trees and thousands of plants transforming the city’s Victoria Square into an urban oasis.
Free events, workshops and performances (including live music, dance, spoken word and drag) will help bring the huge-scale installation to life. The festival will celebrate how cross-pollination has shaped the UK’s horticulture and culture, celebrating colour, beauty and natural diversity.
At the centre of the festival is a spectacular garden combining thousands of real plants grown especially for PoliNations with giant fantastical trees. The garden has been created by award-winning horticultural designers Chris and Toby Marchant in collaboration with Carl Robertshaw, who has created the staging for Björk, Kylie Minogue and the London 2012 Olympics Ceremonies, and design studio THISS.
In advance of the festival, 60 community groups will co-grow over 500 marigolds which will take pride of place in the garden, before going back out into Birmingham to re-green the city.
The PoliNations garden will host a range of activities for all ages to reconnect with nature and explore what ‘home grown’ really means. The daily programme includes:
– A morning sensory hour to explore the sounds, smells and sights of the garden
– Tea time at a special tuktuk exploring tea’s journey to the UK
– Garden tours from expert horticulturalists
– An evening sound and light show illuminating the canopy of trees as the sun sets, by sound designer Tom Gibbons and lighting designer Matt Daw
Across the festival, visitors will be invited to learn more about the histories and cultural significance of plants which might be considered quintessentially British, and question what we think of as “native”. A trail of interactive sculptures based on ‘iconic plants’ – from ferns to pansies – will explore how horticulture has shaped the economy and society of the UK.
Live events
Music – A line-up of live music across the PoliNations main stage, programmed in collaboration with BBC Asian Network
Drag – A queer party and Catwalk Extravaganza, with queens from across the West Midlands competing for the title, hosted by Yshee Black
Poetry – Spoken word performances from the UK’s brightest talent in partnership with BBC Contains Strong Language Festival
Talks – Lunchtime talks in partnership with Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Youth Strike 4 Climate, Forestry England and more
Ballistic Seed Party – PoliNations will culminate in a four-day Ballistic Seed Party (Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 September), combining the joyful spirit of Pride, Carnival and Holi. Over this extended weekend, Rangoli art will spread outward from the garden into the surrounding streets. Celebrations will also take place throughout the day and into the evening, when the garden’s giant trees will burst into a cloud of confetti and colour.
PoliNations is produced by a multidisciplinary creative team led by producers Trigger. It is part of UNBOXED Festival, and will bring the Birmingham 2022 Festival – the cultural programme for the Commonwealth Games – to a spectacular close.
Location: Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BD
Dates: 2-18 September 2022
Admission: Free
