Festival joy after thousands flocked to Chinese festival in Birmingham

The crowds turned up in their thousands when part of Birmingham city centre celebrated Chinese traditions last weekend.

The annual Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival was held in the Southside area and saw a huge surge in visitor numbers with dazzling entertainment, cultural activities and mouth-watering delicacies on offer on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September.

Crowd numbers were particularly impressive on Saturday, fuelled by the Moon Festival Market in Hippodrome Square, which combined tasty delights such as delicious mooncakes, cheeses and chutney with jewellery, handmade wooden gifts, and natural wellness products.

The market was complemented by colourful Lion dancing, children’s activities, and the opportunity to dress up in traditional Chinese costumes.

Southside BID’s footfall figures reveal that an amazing 65,557 visitors flocked to the area during the Mid-Autumn Festival on Saturday alone – an impressive 45% per cent increase on just over 45,000 who were in the area on the same day last year.

The event, organised by the Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee, also saw events taking place on Sunday at the Holiday Inn.

The hotel’s Birmingham Conference & Events Centre played host to a range of activities throughout the day, including cultural dancing and music, face painting, Lion dances, fan and lantern making, and Chinese calligraphy.

Julia Robinson, Southside BID manager, said: “We are really thrilled that so many people came to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival at the weekend. We loved the fact that such large numbers took advantage of the many delights on offer at the moon market and watched the amazing Lion dancing.

“It was wonderful to see visitors of all ages enjoying themselves and we are already looking forward to the next festival in a year’s time.

“This also proves that markets and festivals can drive footfall, and with city and regional footfall way down due to the cost of living crisis, we need these initiatives more than ever.”

Jeffrey Yap, chair of the Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee, said the “cherished” traditional occasion was a time to gather with loved ones, appreciate the beauty of the full moon, and share in the joy of unity.

The moon market was the first of Southside's themed Saturday markets was partly funded by the UK government.

The next three street markets on Southside have been planned to coincide with Halloween on 12 October, Pride on 16 November and Christmas on 14 December.

Project funded by UK Government, Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority.