THE BEST OF BRUM - ARTSFEST 2006

11-09-2006

Artsfest is Birmingham at it's buzzy best, and the only difference between a good one and a great one is the weather …this year the sun shone…

Some folk attack the event with the gusto of big game hunters of safari…they bagged the CBSO here,they spotted the RSC there.

I prefer an eclectic approach just soaking up the dizzying diversity on offer, following my nose and seeing where I end up.

A I result I missed the Big Voce mass choir event on Saturday night, although by all accounts this supposed highlight was something of a damp squib.

Overlong and underwhelming apparently.

Never mind, there was plenty more to enjoy and as I basked in the Sunday afternoon sunshine of Centenary Square I had a moment of revelation listening to the superb jazzy chill out of Butterfly Catchers.

They caught the mood of a beautiful “watching girls go by” afternoon, and ranked as my personal highlight.

My two-year old had a moment of revelation too, as she discovered that the ice creamm that has slipped into the cone can still be eaten - a life-changing moment.

There was also great fun to hadwatchingthe magnificent shopping trolley procession contrived by local youngsters which brought a sprit of carnival to the event - and all they needed was some of mum's old curtains, a few cardboard boxes andheaps of imagination.

More than any of the specifics, it's simply wonderful to stroll around Brum at the weekend and see so many smiling faces and so much creativity activity - music of all sorts, drama, dance, art and kids' face painting.

There is no finer shop window for a great artistic city.

One quibble though - questions have to be asked about the wisdom of splitting events between the city centre and Millennium Point - home to Friday's well-received Bhangra festival.