Birmingham Hippodrome welcomed thousands of people to B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival 2023 this June to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop.

From Thursday 8 June to Wednesday 14 June, the free annual festival brought together exceptional artists and acts from the four main elements of hip-hop: breakin’, graffiti, DJ’ing and MC’ing and featured unmissable performances, workshops and activities across the city.

B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival 2023 launched on Thursday 8 June with the Hippodrome’s Young Advocates’ takeover event, which featured hip-hop taster sessions and an informal jam session led by local artists.

Friday evening saw the Hippodrome host a special screening of Fight the Power – How Hip-Hop Changed the World, as well as dance workshops led by international artists.

The festivities continued across the city over the weekend, with an all-day block party, a Graff Jam and new mural commissions taking place on Thorp Street.

Break Mission’s Breakin’ and All Style Dance Championships and Queer-Side’s Dance Championship made a welcomed return to the city, with competitors battling it out at the qualifiers on Hippodrome Square and the upper level of The Arcadian Car Park. The championships came to a spectacular close on Sunday with the grand finals taking place at Bullring & Grand Central. Competitors also took part in an outdoor dance battle with Break Mission’s Art of Raw on Central Street at Bullring.

The seven day festival culminated with Breakin Convention’s jaw-dropping showcase of hip-hop dance theatre on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June, which featured international headline acts alongside the best local hip-hop crews.

B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival was produced by Birmingham Hippodrome with Break Mission, Afroflux, High Vis Festival, Queer-Side, Punch Records and Breakin’ Convention. The festival was in partnership with Bullring & Grand Central and supported by Arts Council England, The Arcadian and Southside District.