Birmingham Heritage Week events are selling out fast, so booking quickly is essential to avoid missing out. The festival runs from Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 20, and includes tours, talks, walks, and workshops. While some events are drop-ins with no booking required, many of the top days out need advance booking. Since tickets went on sale on Saturday, August 15, numerous events have already sold out. Here are some of the best events that still had tickets available as of Monday, August 17.
Thinktank and Museum Tours Offer Rare Access
The Thinktank Made in Birmingham Tour runs daily from September 11 to 20 at 3pm, priced at £5. Thinktank, Birmingham's science museum, offers £5 tickets including a 45-minute tour of the city's most iconic inventions and engineering marvels. Normally £18.95 for adults and £9.95 for children, this represents a significant saving as it includes museum entry. Visitors can hear the fascinating stories behind these innovations and the brilliant minds and skilled hands that brought them to life. The venue is at Millennium Point, Curzon St, Birmingham, B4 7XG.
The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Roof and Basement Tour takes place on Saturday, September 12, Thursday, September 17, and Saturday, September 19, priced at £15 for adults and £7.50 for children. This tour steps beyond the gallery walls into the hidden heart of the museum. Expert guides lead visitors through off-limits spaces, offering a new perspective on Victorian architecture and sharing quirky tales from the museum's colourful past, including mysterious goings-on and hidden passageways. The location is Chamberlain Square, B3 3DH.
Jewellery Quarter and Historic Houses
Explore Smith & Pepper on Saturday, September 19, with tickets at £8 for adults and £4 for children. This self-guided visit to the offices and factory of Smith and Pepper includes friendly guides who share stories and demonstrate the machinery used in jewellery manufacture. Visitors can journey through the business's 90 years of operation to see how jewellery was made, learn how the trade functioned, and hear about some of the people who lived and worked in the quarter. The venue is the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, 75-80 Vyse Street, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6HA.
The Soho House Museum Tour on Thursday, September 17, priced at £3.50, opens for a guided tour for the first time since 2022 after a variety of issues in the house. This rare chance to see Soho House as it is now includes learning about how important the house, the Lunar Society, and the manufactory were in shaping modern Birmingham, as well as understanding how a young toy maker from Birmingham would sell what the world desires. The address is Soho Avenue, Handsworth, B18 5LB.
Football Heritage and Museum Collection Centre
The Aston Villa Football Club Heritage Walking Tour on Sunday, September 13, costs £10, with ticket income used to support the AVFC Foundation. The tour visits locations of momentous events in the club's history, from the site where the original “Aston Villa” was built, the Gas Lamp where the four men met, the church they attended, to the site of the ½ Rugby, ½ Football match. There is also a chance to visit the graves of two famous Villa men, Ramsey and McGregor, and the site of the original ground at Wellington Road. The meeting point is Witton Lane, Birmingham, B6 6TA.
The Museum Collection Centre Open Day on Saturday, September 12, is priced at £6 for adults and £3 for children. More than 80% of Birmingham Museum's collection is held under one roof, some 800,000 items. Visitors can see steam engines, sculptures, giant spider crabs, even the kitchen sink. A free vintage bus service courtesy of Aldridge Transport Museum will run all day, bringing guests to and from Birmingham centre and the Museum Collection Centre at 25 Dollman Street, Nechells, B7 4RQ.
Theatre, Assay Office, and Botanical Gardens
The Backstage Tour at The Crescent Theatre on Monday, September 14, costs £6. The Crescent Theatre Company is 102 years old. This tour offers a sneak peek at what goes on behind the scenes at a working theatre, learning about the Crescent's century of theatre-making in Birmingham and seeing how, as one of the oldest theatre companies in the city, they bring it all together for a show. The venue is at Sheepcote Street, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B16 8AE.
The Behind the Scenes tour at Birmingham Assay Office on Wednesday, September 16, costs £10, with all ticket income donated to charity. This rare opportunity to step inside one of Birmingham's most historic institutions includes a talk on the history of hallmarking and the success of Birmingham Assay Office since it was founded in 1773. The entrance is on Icknield Street, Birmingham B18 6RZ.
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens Guided Tour: A Potted History on Thursday, September 17, is priced at £10 for adults and £9 for concessions. This walk and talk delves into the gardens' past, encountering champion trees, Victorian glasshouses, historic gardens, and a plant that's truly unique - the only one of its kind in the world. The guided tour ticket includes Gardens admission for the rest of your visit. The location is Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 3TR.
Council House, Cemetery, and Street Art Tours
The Birmingham Council House Tour runs on September 11, 14, 17, and 18, priced at £9 for adults and £7 for children. Visitors step inside Birmingham's landmark building in Victoria Square, dating back to the 1870s, learning about a world of Victorian ideals and the Council Chamber, where local democracy was shaped. Organisers Positively Birmingham Walking Tours promise plenty of surprises to uncover along the way. The location is Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BB.
The Warstone Lane Cemetery Tour on Sunday, September 13, costs £9 plus booking fee. This tour delves into the stories hidden within the tombstones of this historic Birmingham location. The guide will share the secrets and stories from the stones, shedding light on the lives of those who rest here. The meeting point is Vyse Street, Jewellery Quarter.
The Digbeth, Public Art & Peaky Film Tour on Saturday, September 12, and Saturday, September 19, is priced at £9 for adults and £7 for children. Organised by Positively Birmingham Walking Tours, this is a chance to see public art of all descriptions and get a feel for this bohemian part of Birmingham. The area has major TV and film studios; the Peaky Blinder feature film was produced here, and the tour will look at the new homes of the TV series Masterchef and the BBC. Participants meet at the Bull bronze statue outside the Nike superstore at the top of the Bullring.
