The city centre will bloom into a vibrant living oasis filled with thousands of plants and brought to life through free garden tours, audio baths, live music and light shows, costume design workshops, sensory experiences, poetry and performance and more!

<p>We&rsquo;re coming for you, bab! During our time in Birmingham, the city centre will bloom into a vibrant living oasis filled with thousands of plants and brought to life through free forest tours, audio baths, live music and light shows, costume design workshops, sensory experiences, spoken word and more!</p>

PoliNations

<p class="p1">PoliNations opens! Hundreds of plants will be co-planted by local communities and schools who have nurtured them from seed, ready to take pride of place in the pop-up garden.</p>

Plant Up

<p class="p1">On top of our regular daily programming, PoliNations will present a weekend of spoken word events, featuring performances from the brightest sparks from the local, national and international spoken word scene.</p>

Spoken Word Weekend

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<p>PoliNations will culminate in a four-day Ballistic Seed Party, combining the joyful spirit Carnival and Holi!</p>
<p>Over this extended weekend, Rangoli art will spread outward from the garden into the surrounding streets with celebrations taking place throughout the day and into the evening, when the garden&rsquo;s giant trees will burst into a cloud of confetti and colour. This is Carnival and Holi combined into one brilliant, messy party and everyone is invited!&nbsp;Enjoy epic performances, take part in Holi celebrations, and enjoy live music from some of the UK&rsquo;s best up-and-coming talent. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to see our full programme announcement!</p>
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<p class="p1">Sunday 18 September is the final day, which will be dedicated to self-care with chilled out acoustic music for everyone to enjoy in the blissful oasis. Plus, we&rsquo;ll be giving the plants from our forest garden away both to local communuty groups and audiences for free! Once PoliNations has closed, the remaining plants and saplings will be distributed into the community, contributing to the growth and development of Birmingham&rsquo;s green spaces.</p>
<p class="p1">Check back here soon to see the full festival line-up!</p>

The Grand Finale

<h5>Opening Times</h5>
<p>Friday 2nd September: 14:00 &ndash; 22:00<br />Daily: 08:00 - 22:00<br />Saturday 17th September: 08:00 &ndash; 00:00</p>
<h5>Accessibility</h5>
<ul>
<li>The whole PoliNations site is accessible via wheelchair</li>
<li>The closest Accessible/Blue Badge Car Park is Pinfold Street parking and Waterloo Street parking. More information on this can be found on the Birmingham City Council Website.</li>
<li>We will have an accessible viewing platform available during the Poetry &amp; Perfomrance Festival and Ballistic Seed Party</li>
<li>Many of the events will have BSL interpreters and Audio Description available.</li>
</ul>
<h5>Getting here</h5>
<h5><strong>By Train</strong></h5>
<p>The nearest train station to Victoria Square are Birmingham New Street (0.2 miles, 6-minute walk) and Birmingham Snow Hill (0.4 miles, 9-minute walk).</p>
<h5><strong>By Bus:</strong></h5>
<p>The closest bus stops to Victoria Square are for buses 9, X10, 82, 87 and 89. Bus services are operated by <a href="https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands">National Express West Midlands</a>.</p>
<h5><strong>By Tram:</strong></h5>
<p class="p1">The nearest tram stops to Victoria Square are:<br />&bull; Colmore Row (Stop Sh11) is 222 meters away, 3 min walk.<br />&bull; Colmore Row (Stop Sh1) is 246 meters away, 4 min walk.<br />&bull; Baskerville House is 300 meters away, 4 min walk.<br />&bull; Colmore Row (Stop Sh2) is 312 meters away, 5 min walk.<br /><br />The West Midlands Metro runs regularly. For more information on where it runs and how to buy tickets visit the <a title="" href="https://westmidlandsmetro.com&nbsp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">West Midlands Metro Website</a>.</p>
<h5><strong>By Bike: </strong></h5>
<p>Bike racks can be located on the corner of Edmund Street and Eden Place or in the Southwest corner of Victoria Square. Birmingham benefits from segregated cycle routes into the centre from Selly Oak and Perry Barr as well as an extensive canal network providing traffic free routes. Find out more about Birmingham's cycle routes on Birmingham City Council website.<br /><br />Don&rsquo;t have a bike? Don&rsquo;t worry you can hire an E-bike! A dock is located near Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. To find out more visit West Midlands Cycle Hire.</p>
<h5><strong>Parking:</strong></h5>
<p>Access to parking will be limited and we want to avoid congestion within Birmingham City Centre, so we encourage you to get to the site via walking, cycling or public transport. Birmingham is a 'Category D Clean Air Zone'. What this means is that owners of high-polluting vehicles will get charged for driving within certain parts of Birmingham &ndash; including around and near the location of PoliNations. To find out if your vehicle will be charged visit the Brum Breathes website.</p>
<p>Nearest parking to Victoria and Chamberlain Square is Paradise Circus Car Park and Town Hall multi-storey car park. It is operated by Birmingham City Council and charges will apply. If you display your Blue Badge, parking is free with no time limits.</p>

Victoria Square

<h5>Opening Times</h5>
<p>Monday &ndash; Friday: 09:30 &ndash; 20:00</p>
<h5>Accessibility</h5>
<ul>
<li>The whole PoliNations site is accessible via wheelchair</li>
<li>The closest Accessible/Blue Badge Car Park is Pinfold Street parking and Waterloo Street parking. More information on this can be found on the Birmingham City Council Website.</li>
</ul>
<h5>Getting here</h5>
<h5><strong>By Train</strong></h5>
<p>The nearest train station to Chamberlain Square are Birmingham New Street (0.2 miles, 6-minute walk) and Birmingham Snow Hill (0.4 miles, 9-minute walk).</p>
<h5><strong>By Bus:</strong></h5>
<p>The closest bus stops to Chamberlain Square are for buses 9, X10, 82, 87 and 89. Bus services are operated by <a href="https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands">National Express West Midlands</a>.</p>
<h5><strong>By Tram:</strong></h5>
<p class="p1">The nearest tram stops to Chamberlain Square are:<br />&bull; Colmore Row (Stop Sh11) is 222 meters away, 3 min walk.<br />&bull; Colmore Row (Stop Sh1) is 246 meters away, 4 min walk.<br />&bull; Baskerville House is 300 meters away, 4 min walk.<br />&bull; Colmore Row (Stop Sh2) is 312 meters away, 5 min walk.<br /><br />The West Midlands Metro runs regularly. For more information on where it runs and how to buy tickets visit the <a title="" href="https://westmidlandsmetro.com&nbsp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">West Midlands Metro Website</a>.</p>
<h5><strong>By Bike: </strong></h5>
<p>Bike racks can be located on the corner of Edmund Street and Eden Place or in the Southwest corner of Victoria Square. Birmingham benefits from segregated cycle routes into the centre from Selly Oak and Perry Barr as well as an extensive canal network providing traffic free routes. Find out more about Birmingham's cycle routes on Birmingham City Council website.<br /><br />Don&rsquo;t have a bike? Don&rsquo;t worry you can hire an E-bike! A dock is located near Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. To find out more visit West Midlands Cycle Hire.</p>
<h5><strong>Parking:</strong></h5>
<p>Access to parking will be limited and we want to avoid congestion within Birmingham City Centre, so we encourage you to get to the site via walking, cycling or public transport. Birmingham is a 'Category D Clean Air Zone'. What this means is that owners of high-polluting vehicles will get charged for driving within certain parts of Birmingham &ndash; including around and near the Location of PoliNations. To find out if your vehicle will be charged visit Brum Breathes website.</p>
<p>Nearest parking to Victoria and Chamberlain Square is Paradise Circus Car Park and Town Hall multi-storey car park. It is operated by Birmingham City Council and charges will apply. If you display your Blue Badge, parking is free with no time limits.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

Chamberlain Square

Birmingham

<p>Get your hands dirty and join in with the co-plant alongside hundreds of people from all over Birmingham. Made up of thousands of plants and flowers, the PoliNations super garden will bloom with colour throughout the festival!</p>
<p>Over the opening weekend, pick up one of the 600 beautiful pot-marigolds grown from seed and Plant Up! with the 60+ community groups from around the city to add to the colour and vibrancy of the&nbsp; PoliNations super garden. No need to book, just pop by and our team will give you a plant and help you place it in the super garden. Afterwards stay and explore PoliNations at your leisure. <br /><br />See you there!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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Poli Nations Opening Day 02 Sept2022 074

2 - 4 Sept

Plant Up!

<p>This super-natural wonderland will unearth the origin stories of the plants we know so well. From daisies and dahlias to horse chestnut trees and the &lsquo;English&rsquo; rose, many of the plants common to our gardens aren&rsquo;t originally from the UK. Together, they tell stories of journeys and movement, dispersal and new roots.</p>
<p>PoliNations is a celebration of colour, beauty and natural diversity &ndash; a place to explore, enjoy and be your unique true self. Towering architectural &lsquo;Super-Trees&rsquo; will drink rainwater and create electricity using wind power, as the forest plays host to a vibrant free events programme. Experience music from around the world, marvel at an incredible nightly light show and then join us for our grand finale, where our Super-Trees will burst into joyful clouds of colour. This is Pride, Carnival and Holi combined in one brilliant, messy and playful all-day-all-night party &ndash; and everyone&rsquo;s invited.</p>

The Awakening

Daily

<p>WE WILL BE SUSPENDING OUR LIVE PROGRAMME UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.</p>
<p><a title="" href="https://www.polinations.com/latest/polinations-programme-update" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE</a> for more information.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>We are so hyped to be partnering with the BBC&rsquo;s annual poetry and spoken word festival <u><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p058nfry">Contains Strong Language Festival at PoliNations this year!</a></u></p>
<p>Building on the legacy of the events held as part of the UK City of Culture Celebrations over the past few years, get ready to experience spoken word in all its poetic forms from some of the finest existing and emerging talent from Birmingham and beyond.</p>
<p>The Poetry &amp; Performance Festival will highlight 22 poets from across the Commonwealth including both regional and UK poetry talents.</p>
<p>Special performances will include &lsquo;White Juju&rsquo; a live musical performance written in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, Black British History and lockdown by saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch (Mercury Prize Nominated). Jasmine Gardosi (Birmingham Poet Laureate Finalist) will present &lsquo;Dancing to Music You Hate&rsquo; a genre-defying performance by the poet, slam champion and beatboxer whose poems explore sex education, LGBTQ+ issues and mental health.</p>
<p>Further programming includes screenings of animated films created as part of BBC Words First, Contains Strong Language Radio Club workshop sessions with local schoolchildren and more artists to be announced.</p>
<p>We&rsquo;ll be revealing the full line-up for BBC Contains Strong Language soon, so sign up to our newsletter to be one of the first to hear all about it. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p058nfry">Find out more about BBC Contains Strong Language here</a>.</p>

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10 - 11 Sept

Contains Strong Language: Poetry & Performance Festival

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<p>Come along to explore a playful journey &lsquo;From Soil to Sip&rsquo; with <a href="https://wearespectra.co.uk/">the Spectra cast</a>. An immersive, multi-sensory tour of the PoliNations&rsquo; super garden, we will explore planting, growing, harvesting, blending, brewing and drinking tea. Taking inspiration from tea growers and drinkers around the globe, we will discover seeds and plants, delighting in their wild fragrances and textures, while we brew the perfect mix of herbs and spices to share. Join us for the journey - tea drinkers of all ages welcome! <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />Neurodiversity is at the heart of Spectra's work: they strive to cultivate a world which celebrates brains that work in different ways. We can&rsquo;t wait to welcome them to the super garden!</p>
<p>These performances will have a sensory focus and will be largely non-verbal.<br /><br />Find out more about Spectra <a title="" href="https://wearespectra.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and their awesome work here</a>.</p>
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Every Morning

From Soil to Sip

<p><span class="TextRun SCXW123188071 BCX9" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW123188071 BCX9">Drop into the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW123188071 BCX9">WonderSphere</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW123188071 BCX9"> and spend an hour or 10 minutes meeting new people and create something to take home. From creating your own rangoli and willow weaving to designing your own costumes and make-up, tea making, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW123188071 BCX9">t-</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW123188071 BCX9">shirt</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW123188071 BCX9"> printing plus more, there will be lots for everyone to get involved with.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW123188071 BCX9" data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></p>

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5 - 8 Sept & 12 - 14 Sept

WonderSphere Workshops

<p>There are over 5000 trees, flowers and plants in the PoliNations super garden!</p>
<p>Head Gardeners from The Birmingham Botanical Gardens are here to get you better acquainted with our plants - where they come from, how they came to our shores and what stories they tell.</p>
<p>Whether you are an avid gardener with an eye for biodiversity, or a plant novice who is keen to find out more - these free tours are a great way to learn about our super garden! &nbsp;</p>

5 - 16 Sept

Into the Garden

<p>Led by trained specialists, our tours are a great way to explore and experience the PoliNations super garden to its fullest by using texture, sound and other senses. We will prioritise allocating spaces on these tours to blind or partially sighted people, however others are welcome to join if capacity allows. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Touch Tours are taking place at the following times:</p>
<ul>
<li>Sunday 11 Sept, 11:00</li>
<li>Tuesday 13 Sept, 18:00</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

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Sun 11 - Tue 13 Sept

Touch Tours

<p>Every day at dusk, our super garden will undergo a beautiful transition into night. Enjoy a mesmerising light show, designed by <a title="" href="http://www.mattdaw.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Daw;</a>&nbsp;nature-inspired soundscapes and ethereal performances, taking a moment to pause and reflect before moving into the evening's activities.</p>
<p>The soundscapes centre around the ancient ritual musical instrument, the Bullroarer, and are developed and recorded by brass and percussion players from <u></u><a title="" href="https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><u>BCU&rsquo;s Royal Birmingham </u><u>Conservatoire</u></a><u>, <span style="font-weight: 400;"><a title="" href="https://www.bcu.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part of Birmingham City University</a></span></u> in collaboration with <span class="TrackedChange SCXW85630029 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0">an</span></span></span><span class="TrackedChange SCXW85630029 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0"> original piece by Composer and Co-creator </span><a title="" href="https://www.maxperryment.co.uk/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span class="FindHit SCXW85630029 BCX0">M</span><span class="FindHit SCXW85630029 BCX0">ax</span> <span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW85630029 BCX0">Perryment</span></a><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0"> alongside Olivier Award winning </span></span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0">and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW85630029 BCX0">PoliNations'</span> </span><span class="TrackedChange SCXW85630029 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0">Sound Designer </span></span></span><a title="" href="https://tomgibbonssounddesign.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span class="TrackedChange SCXW85630029 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0">T</span></span></span><span class="TrackedChange SCXW85630029 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW85630029 BCX0" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun TrackChangeDeleteHighlight SCXW85630029 BCX0">om Gibbons.</span></span></span></a></p>

What's
on

Birmingham
2 - 18 Sep

2 - 4 SeptPlant Up!

DailyThe Awakening

10 - 11 SeptContains Strong Language: Poetry & Performance Festival

Every MorningFrom Soil to Sip

5 - 8 Sept & 12 - 14 SeptWonderSphere Workshops

5 - 16 SeptInto the Garden

Sun 11 - Tue 13 SeptTouch Tours

DailySunset Shift

What'son

Birmingham2 - 18 Sep