ChocFest Community Project, led by The Bone Ensemble

ChocFest, our pop-up arts festival is coming to Bournville and Stirchley on  as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Through performance, visual and audio installations and workshops, ChocFest takes a fresh look at the cocoa trade, from the good intentions of George Cadbury to the darker side of chocolate production, and from cocoa pod to that delicious bar of Dairy Milk in your hand.

In collaboration with local communities and groups living and working in the vicinity of the Cadbury factory, as well as cocoa-growing communities and international artists from Ghana, ChocFest is a feast for the eyes and ears to get people meeting, talking and thinking all things chocolate!

ChocFest reignites and celebrates Bournville’s historic connection with Ghana, the Commonwealth country where Cadbury’s cocoa at the Bournville factory originates. At ChocFest’s not-so-soft centre is a new cabaret-style show, with music created in collaboration with celebrated Ghanaian singer-songwriter St Beryl, performed by Ghanaian-Romanian musician and artist Wanlov the Kubolor, much loved Midlands artists Graeme Rose, Amy Kakoura and Jill Dowse, with special guest appearances from renowned djembefola, Vieux Bakayoko and our community performers.

View the full programme of activities