Thousands celebrate the University of Birmingham’s 125th birthday!
Staff, students, family, friends, alumni, and Brummies from across the city came to campus for a wonderful day of learning, music, and fun.
Credit: University of Birmingham/Greg Milner Studio
On Saturday 21 June we opened our gates to everyone in the city and beyond to celebrate the University of Birmingham’s 125th anniversary. More than 9,000 people were in attendance, having a go at sports, exploring our innovative research, attending our evening concert, and just generally enjoying the sunshine.
Commenting on the day, Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, said: "Our Community Festival and Concert was a proud moment - an inspiring showcase and celebration of knowledge, culture, creativity and community. My sincere thanks to our students, our staff, and our community who made the day a resounding success."
You can catch up on some of the highlights of the day here.
A place of world-changing ideas and sporting excellence
We had over 50 tents highlighting a selection of our most impactful and cutting-edge research, from medicine and health, life and environmental sciences, arts and law, social sciences, and engineering and physical sciences.
Little toy robots demonstrated how AI systems learn and adapt; river water was used to illustrate research on environmental health; people were asked to demonstrate their superpowers to illustrate uncertainty in medical trials; and research participants (whether patient advocates or citizen scientists) came along to show how vital genuinely collaborative research is. There were also opportunities to try your hand at a new sport, such as wheelchair basketball. We had something for everyone to enjoy.
Younger and older curious minds got to talk to our world-leading academics about their research.
Wheelchair basketball was just one of the sports sessions on offer during the day. It was a great chance to try something new.
Old Joe is an iconic part of the university campus, and he got a great view of all the action across the day.
From AI and robots, to waterways and more, there were topics to explore no matter your interests.
Vistors got hands-on experience with some of our cutting-edge research.
Birmingham BabyLab was on hand to share insights into how babies and toddlers grow, learn, and understand the world around them through gentle, engaging activities.
Fun for all the family
Campus came alive with groups of friends and family members, coming together to celebrate all things University of Birmingham. From activities and games, to having a picnic on the Green Heart, everyone was getting stuck in, learning something new and having a great time.
Campus was full of families having fun with kids, enjoying the sunshine and taking part in games and activities.
People were keen to show their University of Birmingham pride with crest face paint. We think it looks great!
Picnics and Happy Birthday flags on the Green Heart with friends. What could be better?
Clem Atkins, is a third year English literature PhD student at the University of Birmingham, and has become well known on campus for his Old Joe inspired drag.
It was fun to see people represent the University with their UoB hoodies and flags.
So many people gathered to say happy birthday to the University of Birmingham.
Even as the evening drew in, people were still showing off their UoB theme face paint!
The sound of Birmingham
The day culminated in an open-air concert featuring some of the best music Birmingham has to offer, from our own Professor of Music, Sir Edward Elgar, to Black Sabbath, everything in between, and a specially commissioned new composition.
The concert featured performances from our staff and students, including the University Philharmonic Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, and a host of guest singers, bands, and entertainers. Our very own Ben Shephard also came back to his alma mater to host the evening celebration.
The concert celebrated classic music performed by our own students in the University Philharmonic Orchestra.
It was wonderful to welcome Ben back to campus to MC our community day and concert.
It was fantastic to hear the incredible music of dhol drummers during our concert.
Bucket hats were out in force for our musicians!
Our dancers brought the party vibes to the concert stage.
We were treated to some incredibly talented singers throughout the evening concert.
Our concert got everyone on their feet and was the perfect way to end our festival.
It really was a brilliant day, and the entire University of Birmingham team is honoured to have shared it with such a wonderful city.
If you missed out on our Come to Campus Community Festival, don’t worry, there are always events and exhibitions to explore on campus and at our city centre location, The Exchange. And, if you are looking for something specific to mark us turning 125, there will be other opportunities to explore the past, present and future of the university throughout the rest of the year.
Thanks for making our 125th birthday so memorable, Brum!
Notes for editors
Notes for editors
Credit to the University of Birmingham and Greg Milner Studio for all images.