There are so many puns to make about how this is Birmingham's hottest foodie event, but I shall…read morerefrain. Brindleyplace is hosting the second Birmingham Chilli Festival on 13-14 July 2012. The event is part of the citywide Food Festival. There will be stalls selling their spicy wares as well as the eagerly anticipated chilli eating competition. Visitors will get to enjoy live cooking/cocktail demos, spicy street entertainment and music. My husband made the mistake of nibbling on a naga during last year's festival. I'd like to say that he has learnt his lesson, but I suspect that he'll be making the same mistake again this year. If you see a bespectacled and beardy fellow wondering around Brindleyplace with smoke coming out of his ears, give him a wave!

The seasonal markets at The Bond in Digbeth are one of my favourite events in Birmingham, I think…read moreI've been to all but one of them in the last couple of years. The Bond is an events and conferencing space which backs on to the canal on Fazeley Street. The markets are held each season and they are packed with street food traders, sweet and savoury bakers, arts and crafts stalls, vintage clothes stalls and various bars, including one in an old routemaster bus. There is a £2 charge to get in, with 50p off if you have an Independent Birmingham card. Some markets are bigger than others, sadly today's Summer market wasn't one of the big ones (probably as Brum Yum Yum is also on today in Kings Heath). There was still a really good choice of food and drink on offer, but as usual I was drawn to the wonderful Buddha Belly who do the best Thai food I've had outside Thailand. I had a selection of their dishes including spicy veggie noodles with crispy chicken and Thai green curry all of which were delicious. There are always so many wonderful cakes on offer, this time I opted for a beautiful lemon drizzle cake from Peel and Stone. As always it was a lovely afternoon despite the showers and I'm already looking forward to the Autumn market later in the year.

I am ashamed to say that this was the first seasonal market I had managed to get to. As the name…read moresuggests, there are 4 of these markets a year (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter) held at the Bond Co in Digbeth. There is a small fee for entry (£1.50 for Winter) and there are Street food traders, crafts and locally produced food stalls, music being played out over the course of the day and a beer bus (to keep you hydrated as you wander round). Firstly, the Bond is a great venue for an event of this nature. With indoor and covered spaces, even if the weather isn't on your side (which, thankfully, it was on Saturday) you can still grab some delicious food and eat it without being soaked in a Birmingham style downpour. The choice of streetfood was fantastic. From the award winning "Rootz" (Caribbean) and "Buddha Belly" (Thai) to "Meat Shack" (burgers) and the "Bournville waffle company" (to name a few), there really is something for everyone. Inside the covered area you could grab beautiful pies, cheeses and cakes from top Brum bakery "Peel & Stone". We had enjoyed a hearty breakfast before our trip, so didn't partake of anything too substantial on the day but did pick up some delicious bread pudding from "Peel & Stone" to enjoy later. Inside the venue, the selection of handmade arts and crafts was fantastic. We found ourselves drawn to "Working Clasp" (lasercut jewellery), "Sparrow & Wolf" (fabulous notebooks and cards) and "Broquet" (who offer bespoke beer buckets as presents). I also managed to get some lovely presents for people from other stalls, meaning a lot of my Christmas shopping was done in one fell swoop. The beer bus is a fantastic addition to this venue. A kitted out red double decker, this "bar on wheels" was serving a lot of different ales as well as hot mulled cider. The guys from the market had even installed a snow machine at the entrance, meaning you got a little extra festive cheer as you entered the market. I could have spent a good day here. As it happened, I DID spent a fair amount of money in the hour we dropped by, but that was down to the amazing traders and the selection of goods they had on offer (as well as my lack of willpower). I came away with craft beers, greetings cards, jewellery and cake. Next time I am planning to spend a whole afternoon here. I recommend you get down too!

If you like beer....sausage and dancing on tables this is definitely your jam....lovely times last…read morenight with some mates at brums Oktoberfest. This is exactly what you expect from a celebration of this sort...loads of Lang table, slightly over priced beer and food and VERY German music played live and by the coolest of looking djs....all very confusing but definitely added to the vibe. The beer we had was spot on as was the bratwurst and sourkrout....the tent was really impressive as was the setting of cannon hill park....the service was also friendly and attentive once they got in the swing if things....just remember your wallet as this is not he cheapest of evenings if you are planning a big drink....of massively oversized beers. Why can't all beers be a pint and a half!!

It was a rather pleasant Sunday afternoon when a bunch of 20 'Yelpers' descended upon a tent, in a…read morerather muddy carpark. It was also the day of the Bupa half-marathon. As such, many of the roads around Cannon Hill Park were blocked. I decided to avoid the traffic and walk the 2.5 miles from Harborne. After a couple of miner trespass issues, I found myself one of the first to arrive, and ashamedly felt rather smug at hearing of people's traffic woes. "Oktoberfest on 20th October* surely that's too late?" I hear you cry. Well, Brum's Oktoberfest have been running this event every weekend in a different city for the last month. I believe the Birmingham one is the end of their 'tour'. Entrance was free on Wednesday, £5 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and a whopping £10 on the Saturday. We (or rather Vicky O as CM) however, managed to blag some free tickets to the Sunday session. On entering we were greeted by buxom young women. It was later commented that their employment process probably included a series of questions involving 'hair colour' and 'cup size'. The tent housed long wooden tables with Bavarian blue and white diamond check print plastic tablecloths. The 'serving wenches' (I apologise if you feel I'm being sexist, but I'm trying to represent the sexist nature I felt in the organisation of the event) all had numbers on their backs. However in the VIP area, we served by a pleasant gentleman in a t-shirt (no lederhosen for him). Being in the VIP section meant that we were close to the stage, with a dance floor and had mud covered wood under our feet rather than just the bare mud. We're obviously here for some beer drinking. They serve only one beer, which is an Oktoberfest style from 'Festival Brew'. It costs £3 for a half pint, £8.50 for 1.5pt or £11 for a 2pt pour. Note no standard 1pint measure. There were also cider and wine available, but I didn't really pay attention to those. The beer was served in plastic jugs. Which is disappointing, but necessary at these kinda events, in case it all kicks off. Unsurprisingly, there have been lots of people posting how 'ripped off' they felt from the event. It has rained quite a lot recently. Ok so paying premium prices to sit at a rickety table, under a tent, in a muddy puddle filled carpark, is not everyone's idea of fun. The food was basically bratwurst, with fries or sauerkraut, and pretzels. There was a weisswurst on the menu but I didn't see anyone having this. They possibly missed a trick by not serving currywurst. I think currywurst would go down really well with British punters. I like currywurst, I might make currywurst for dinner tonight. Mmmm #currywurst The music drifted between a band playing trad German songs and getting everyone to sway, to those classics one remembers from holiday entertainment discos in the 80s. In fact the event had an atmosphere of a family function about it. It was like your girlfriend's, brother's, wife's, uncle's wedding. Despite all the extortionate prices, the cheesy music and the mud, I found the event rather enjoyable. I'm not sure if this is down to the company, and we could have enjoyed ourselves anywhere else? Or if it was the booze, which I'm sure did help. Or does standing on a rickety bench whilst swaying back and forth really put a smile on anyone's mouth? There seemed to be a united Yelp rendition of 'You Could Be Mine'. After which, I decided that it was time to merrily walk back to Harborne. Stopping of for a pint on the way back. Advice to anyone looking at attending next year, or another similar elsewhere: * Don't go with any pretentions of getting an authentic Bavarian experience. * Wear comfy shoes that you don't mind being covered in mud. * Expect to pay large amount for the beer * Don't take any food or drink with you as they make you throw it away at the entrance * Loosen up and enjoy it for what it is Advice for the organisers: * Lower drinks prices - I would have probably stayed for more had it not been so expensive. * More toilets - there was reports of huge queues for both ladies and gents Saturday night. * British weather is wet, more ground covering is required. * Currywurst. *Munich's Oktoberfest runs from late September to the first Sunday in October. This year it finished on 4th October.

Advertised (on their website) as Europe's biggest tribute and new acts festival, this is the best…read morefestival I have ever been too. Don't be put off by the tribute side of it, I know you can get some pretty bad tributes but at Glastonbudget they make an effort to get the best. I have to admit that I enjoyed watching the Dead hot chillis more than I enjoyed the real act (at Earls court) - they have so much energy, and you actually have a chance to get to the front of the audience. The new acts are also great, they get some great new acts and it is fab to have a chance to see so many! Value for money is fantastic - ticket prices at the moment are just less than £50 for the whole weekend including camping. Another thing the festival prides itself on is keeping food and drink prices reasonable, so prices are similar to those in a pub. They serve a selection of real ales and ciders which were very popular with the lads in our group. The only complaint I have is about the weather - it rained badly on the Sunday 2 years ago!! They did improve things a lot last year by adding two music tents, one in the camp field and one in the main arena, the rain wasn't too bad but at least they were prepared if it had been. This event is getting bigger year after year, I would highly recommend it (and have been to all my friends!!)

Britain may not be the hottest place on the map (Ok, let's be honest -- Greenland and Norway are…read morepossibly the only colder locations outside of the North and South Poles), but the Latin American Festival held in Birmingham every year is heating things up. With chili. And salsa. Founded by a Peruvian, Annie Bazán-De-Fisher, the Latin American Festival has been going since 1992, and is progressively more entertaining every year, and is now the most successful and well-established Latin celebration in the UK. My favourite thing about it is the food. Oh come on, I'm not going to lie and say it's the interesting combination of cold weather and hothothot culture! The booths filled with little Latin lumps of yummy goodness have pleased my palate year on year. Fried plantains, yummy wild rice, and carne asada galore are enough to make anyone happy. The bands really are a fantastic part of the festival. Last year there was a group I can only describe as rock-ska mixed with Latin overtones. Really fantastic, and got the entire crowd dancing. The festival starts with the Inca Festival of the Sun, a parade of dancers, musicians and performers wending their way down Birmingham High Street to Victoria Square. There are llamas and traditional Andean costumes, plus more maracas than you can shake a...maraca at. There are also salsa dancing lessons, demonstrations by award-winning dance groups, Peruvian pan pipe shows, and photo ops with llamas and traditionally dressed Latin Americans. There are intricate and fascinating demonstrations of Incan spirituality and ancient mystic religious ceremonies of the Andes. The entire festival is free, and suitable for all ages. It ends around 7pm, and adults can go onto the Festival Celebration at Ipanema club. This normally includes vast quantities of tequila, sambuca and merengue dancing, lots of fun, club-inspired dance tracks. Definitely not suitable for children or chavs! The festival is good fun, and definitely something different for Britain's Second City.

A late post as ever by me however I hope this will reach the event organisers for next year…read more To me I wouldn't really class this as a food festival as the choices were so limited and I did think the restaurants needed to rethink the pricing strategy as some dishes just wasn't proportionate to the amount being paid. Despite my harshness, I understand not all restaurants were able to serve up the bestest dishes, however I do feel there like was also a lack of choice at the same time which held back a lot of potential in this festival, comparing to when I visited the foodies festival. I hope there'll be more 'food' than half food half drink stalls next time or more stalls to maximise the space available in the area. To me, there is no point when you have cafes like Starbucks there when they don't require any additional marketing already. Until there are more improvements, this is festival I'm unlikely to participate in the future.

This is my first year attending the Colmore Food Festival, put on by the Colmore Business District…read moreto highlight the many businesses that call Colmore Row home. From what I've been told, it's become bigger and better with each passing year. For the 2016 festival, close to thirty restaurants, pubs/bars, and other retailers participated on Friday and Saturday, July 8-9. My first visit to the festival was early at 11AM on Friday. In the future, I suggest attending early to avoid the lunch-time crowds. A dizzying array of food was available, from pub grub (Old Joint Stock) to high end (Purnell's). Amazingly, all of the cuisine is available for £4 or less. With a couple of fivers, you can get stuffed sampling Thai, Indian, and English food, and so much more. Standouts for me included the samosa chat at Ashas (all kinds of awesome flavours), Pad Thai from Zen Metro (nice and spicy), dessert from Opus, and cider from the Wellington. Hanging out in front of the Starbucks tent for long enough will allow you to sample just about all they have on offer. All of the food tents are located at the upper level of Victoria Square. A music stage and a kitchen demo are along the side parallel to Town Hall. With an equitable price ceiling on food, all kinds of drinks (check out the cocktails at Jekyll & Hyde), and a fun atmosphere, this is one of the top food festivals I've had the pleasure of attending!

This is a two day festival in the beautiful location of tittlesworth water. with live music and…read morecrafts this festival is perfect for young children. When the sun sets in a haze over the water it really is somthing else! Its a shame the was no bar but i expect it was becuase it was so close to the water and they couldnt or decided not to get a licence, this maybe added with the family/relaxed atmosphere. This for some made it unique. Alcohol was still alouded on site and music hit on till late. music included hippy scar and a lively big haired punk set. a very little acoustic tent hit out niche tunes behind the hill in the day. A plesant day

The Golden Square development adds huge value to the Jewellery Quarter, already the very best place…read moreto live and work in Birmingham. At the moment it still has a slight almost finished look about it, but it's not far off now and locals and visitors alike are enjoying it. The weather's right for it at the moment (July), but even in Winter it'll still be hugely better than the scrappy, litter strewn car park that used to be here. One challenge will be getting folks trained in not throwing their litter everywhere. It really is noticeable now against the huge expanses of clear paving. Even around the bins there's rubbish ... folks are so thick and selfish they can't even drop stuff in a bin when they're stood right next to it! The expanses of grass are also very nice additions but we need wild flowers sewing. First, it'll result in less cash being spent keeping the grass short and tidy, second the colours and variable heights and shapes will break up what is quite a harsh scheme. Third, I'd like more bike racks. Currently they are often used so clearly there's need for more. So, wild flowers, more events, more civic pride, more bike racks, zero dog crap and JQ will really have a public space to be proud of.