The Birmingham 2022 Festival is a six-month long cultural programme which will run alongside the sporting action at the Commonwealth Games.

Taking place in the host city and across the West Midlands, it has been billed as "the biggest celebration of creativity ever seen in the region".

It will be one of the largest cultural programmes ever to be held amid a Commonwealth Games with more than 200 events scheduled.

Events will run from March to September, before and after the Games which will be held between July 28 and August 8.

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Wondrous Stories

Wondrous Stories will be the opening event of the Birmingham 2022 Festival from March 17.

This will be an open-air performance in Birmingham's famous Centenary Square.

The free event has been created by Motionhouse, a dance circus company based in the West Midlands in Leamington Spa.

There will be seven performances until March 20, with dance, acrobatics and aerial displays part of the fun. The show will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

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On Record

A new album called On Record is being released, and will feature 11 original songs about Birmingham.

The album will be a "love letter" to the city and features songs by local artists.

This includes legendary group UB40, as well as SANITY and Dapz on the Map.

Jez Collins, of Birmingham Music Archive, and Grammy-nominated producer Simon Duggal have created the album.

It will be available from June 18 and will be complemented by a new podcast and live event programme, In Conversation, which starts on March 27.

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Time Travel Tram

A tram running between Birmingham and Wolverhampton promises to take passengers "back in time" as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

After boarding, people will experience immersive digital art powered by 5G.

Time Travel Tram has been created by Surfing Light Beams and Crossover Labs, with the view from the windows transformed into a 3D "visual extravaganza" of people and places from the past.

The tram will run between March 31 and September 30 - with an accompanying soundtrack from West Midlands musicians and performers.

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Come Bowl with Me

One of 10 festival commissions exploring and celebrating sport, Come Bowl with Me will take place at the War Memorial Park in Coventry on July 16 and 17 and at the Pump Room Gardens in Leamington Spa on July 23 and 25.

It is a comedic look at lawn bowls, one of the Commonwealth Games sports. 

The outdoor theatre show is performed by Coventry artists Talking Birds.

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Outside the Box

Outside the Box is the story of squash, and is performed by Untied Artists and The Play House. 

It will take place on courts at the University of Birmingham from May 21. James Willstrop, the reigning Commonwealth Games men's singles champion, will make a guest appearance.

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People, Place and Sport

People, Place and Sport sees artist Jaskirt Boora explore the role of gender and ethnicity in sport, with a series of portraits and recorded conversations.

This is a collaboration with community arts organisation Multistory, which is based in West Bromwich.

It will take place between April and August in leisure centres across the West Midlands, and at Sandwell Valley Country Park.

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Tappin’ In

A mass participation tap dancing event, Tappin' In will take place on the streets of Birmingham on June 18. It will be the city's biggest outdoor tap lesson.

As well as Birmingham, it will take place in Coventry, Stoke, Rugby, Cannock, Solihull, Tamworth and Telford.

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Creative City Grants

More than 100 community projects will take place as part of the festival, thanks to the Creative City Grants.

These are supported by Birmingham City Council and will allow 107 community groups to stage their own festival events.

Residents in Druids Heath will create a large mural, while in Small Heath, Muslim teenagers will gather family history stories for a theatre show.

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Victoria Square

From September 2 to 18, thousands of plants and giant fabricated trees will appear in Victoria Square in Birmingham.

This will be a celebration of the "cross-pollination" which has shaped culture in Britain.

There will also be a number of free events in spoken word, music and drag, under the canopy of the trees.

This will end with the Ballistic Seed Party, a day of "colour and creativity".

To view the full Birmingham 2022 Festival Programme click here.