culture

Birmingham's Digbeth Street Art Scene Attracts Thousands to Annual Festivals

Digbeth and surrounding areas host concentrated street art collections, annual festivals and commissioned murals that shape visitor routes through the city.

By Birmingham Culture Desk · Published 25 July 2026

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Birmingham's Digbeth Street Art Scene Attracts Thousands to Annual Festivals — Photo by Ben Sutherland / flickr (by)

Birmingham's Digbeth quarter serves as the city's creative heart and holds one of the world's greatest collections of street art that functions as an open-air gallery.

Digbeth Quarter

Visitors start here to view the largest concentration of works. The neighbourhood contains murals by local artists including Annatomix, known for origami foxes, and Gent 48, whose pieces appear across Digbeth and Southside. New works continue to appear on walls despite redevelopment pressures in the area.

Annual Festivals and Events

Two major festivals anchor the street art calendar. City of Colours launched in Digbeth in 2014 and features over 100 artists each year. High-Vis, an annual Hip Hop celebration, moved its programming to Southside after earlier editions that included the 2019 Black Sabbath mural commissioned by National Express in the coach station car park.

Notable Murals and Locations Beyond Digbeth

Street art extends to Southside and Smallbrook Queensway near the Chinese and Gay quarters. Commissioned pieces include the 2021 Livery Street mural by Window Artists that depicts Birmingham landmarks and urban animals, along with the 2019 Rainbow Wall on Morris Avenue in downtown Birmingham.

These venues and programs give visitors clear routes through Digbeth, Southside and Smallbrook Queensway. Walks along these streets and attendance at the festivals provide direct access to the works without additional booking requirements beyond standard event entry where applicable.

Practical routes follow established concentrations in Digbeth as the primary open-air gallery, then extend to Southside for festival activity and additional murals by Gent 48. Smallbrook Queensway adds further pieces near established quarters. The 2014 launch of City of Colours and the 2019 and 2021 commissions supply dated reference points for tracking ongoing additions.