Entertainment, excitement, and fun are everywhere in Birmingham, Al. Annual events and festivities, many contributing thousands of dollars to local charities, appeal to people of all ages and interests.
CITY STAGES:
City Stages has evolved into a world class music festival attracting performers and patrons from around the nation and world to downtown Birmingham each year in June. The Chicago Sun Times calls City Stages "the best music festival you never heard of" and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said it is "the best such event this side of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival."
www.citystages.org
CRAWFISH BOIL:
Two unique May festivals are the Crawfish Boil and Do Dah Day. The Crawfish Boil began as a neighborhood party with friends enjoying hot boiled crawfish, refreshments, and laughter. The camaraderie expanded into an annual two-day music street festival drawing more than 45,000 people.
www.schaeffercrawfishboil.com
DO DAH DAY:
Another neighborhood party, Birmingham's oldest, is Do Da Day, where owners and their dogs parade in costume to the delight of pet lovers. Do Dah Day has become an all-out festival of fun, food, and music.
www.dodahday.org
MAGIC CITY ART CONNECTION:
The Birmingham Spring Art Festival and Magic City Art Connection has won several national awards of excellence and was recently selected as a Top 20 Southeast Event for April. This event features local established and new artists, chef's from fine dining establishments offering samples of their cuisine, and childrens workshops in art, music, theatre, and dance.
www.magiccityart.com
SIDEWALK MOVING PICTURE FESTIVAL:
Continuing with the Arts, The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, "a best kept secret" according to Movie Maker Magazine, celebrates independent film and cinema attracting filmmakers from all over the world. The atmosphere is eclectic with creativity and collaboration as film-lovers and filmmakers mix and mingle between screenings.
www.sidewalkfest.com
MERCEDES MARATHON:
Every March, transitioning from Winter toward Spring, the Mercedes Marathon attracts professional and amateur runners from across the nation and the world. Participants of any age test their running skills in the marathon, half-marathon, or kids marathon and relay. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised each year to benefit The Children's Hospital (www.chsys.org), The Bell Center (www.thebellcenter.org), and Kid One Transport (www.KidOne.org).
www.mercedesmarathon.com
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY:
For shear adrenalin and excitement, NASCAR and the Talledega Superspeedway garners the racing world's attention every Spring and Fall. Talledega Superspeedway is the biggest, fastest, most competitive motorsports facility in the world where records for both speed and competition have been established. Flag-to-flag competition is the name of the game at Talledega, and the record book backs it up.
www.talladegasuperspeedway.com
