The city says goodbye to its signature dance festival after 15 years.

We are sad to share that 2022 was the last edition of Birmingham International Dance Festival (BIDF), due to the removal of Birmingham City Council funding.

As a result of the bankruptcy of Birmingham City Council, coupled with a change in their festival strategy following the Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival in 2022, vital city funding is no longer available for BIDF.

Without this essential funding stream to match the investment we receive from Arts Council England, we cannot deliver a festival of the scale, purpose and ambition of BIDF. We are therefore deeply saddened to share that our 2022 festival was our last.

As the producers of BIDF, we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved – and we extend our heartfelt thanks to our audiences, and everyone who has worked with us through rainstorms and heatwaves, over the past fifteen years to make this possible.

From 2008 to 2022 our biennial festival delivered:

• 3,218 Performances and Events
• 674,723 Engagements (Audiences and Participant experiences)
• Almost 14,000 volunteer hours
• Over £20 million economic activity

We’re now working with colleagues, partners, artists and funders to look to the future and develop new collaborative programmes that will continue to have ambition for dance, the city of Birmingham – and its creatives, audiences and participants.

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