PoliNations coming to Victoria Square in September 2022

PoliNations is coming to Victoria Square from the 2nd to 18th September 2022. A free event. Following the end of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, this is part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, and they are putting it up in the last three weeks of August 2022. Elliott got a first glimpse on Saturday 20th August 2022 on passing through Victoria Square.

PoliNations is part of Unboxed Creativity in the UK. During the last three weeks of August 2022, after the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games things were dismantled (including Hew Locke's Foreign Exchange on the Queen Victoria statue). PoliNations moved in.

The free event is due to take place from the 2nd to 18th September 2022.

Step into a spectacular city-centre garden of magical proportions where you will be welcomed by an epic array of colour and nature.  

Giant architectural trees and thousands of plants will transform Victoria Square into an urban oasis, which will host free events, workshops and performances including live music, dance, spoken word and drag.

This supernatural wonderland uncovers the origin stories of the plants we know so well – daisies, pansies, apple trees, roses – in fact these, and most of the plants we see in our gardens are not from the UK. They tell the story of journeys, movement, dispersal, and new roots. 

PoliNations is a celebration of colour, beauty, and of natural diversity. Explore, enjoy and be your true unique self. You can experience music from around the world, an incredible light show each evening, and a grand finale like no other where the tree’s canopies will burst into a joyful cloud of confetti and colour.  

This is Carnival and Holi combined in one brilliant, messy, playful party and everyone is invited.

I first spotted the giant trees from Chamberlain Square.

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Heading into Victoria Square, the PoliNations construction is all fenced off at the moment.

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They encourage people to get public transport to PoliNations, including the West Midlands Metro, get off at Town Hall Tram Stop. Also in walking distance of the main railway stations and your bus stops.

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The statue of Queen Victoria has been returned to normal after two months as Hew Locke's Foreign Exchange.

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Key to the City ended on the 7th August, so it will no longer be possible to get views of Victoria Square from the 18th floor balcony like before.

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Heading down Pinfold Street, then catching a view of a tram heading up towards Victoria Square and the PoliNations trees.

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I will probably get more photos of PoliNations over the next couple of weekends, and probably in September as well (if time).

Photos by Elliott Brown