Hundreds to take part in show dance for Commonwealth Games

Mass tap-dancing and a giant city centre forest are among more than 200 events planned for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games' cultural festival.

Hundreds of people will take part in a performance of dance, acrobatics and aerial displays.

Organisers said more than a hundred community groups will also stage their own festival events.

The six-month programme will run from March to September 2022, around the city's hosting of the sporting games.

Martin Green, chief creative officer of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, said the festival would be "absolutely central" to the games.

"The festival is an incredible opportunity to showcase the amazingly vivid cultural world that is reflected in Birmingham and the West Midlands," he added.

Events will begin on 17 March with an open air performance in Birmingham's Centenary Square featuring hundreds of people combining dance and acrobatics.

The festival will also include the release of an album featuring 11 original songs about Birmingham, a theatre show about lawn bowls and the city's biggest outdoor tap dancing lesson in June.

In the final month, from 2 September, giant fabricated trees and thousands of plants will be placed in Victoria Square as it hosts free events including music and drag.

The festival's £12m of funding has come from groups including the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.

The events will be a "fantastic moment" for Birmingham and the West Midlands, executive producer Raidene Carter said.

"The breadth of open, free and accessible work in the programme is so inspiring and exciting," she added.