Summer at Paradise!

The Summer is almost over, but it’s been jam-packed with activity at Paradise and we’re taking a moment to reflect on the ‘buzziness’, the musical moments, our reintroduced statesmen and all the other fun festivities and entertainment that’s taken place over the past few months.

As we look back on a summer full of energy, excitement and memorable moments, join us to revisit some of the highlights that made this season at Paradise so special…

The 42nd Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival took place in late July and Paradise hosted several acts both in Chamberlain Square and building receptions. One act, Roy Forbes, also performed at La Bellezza, entertaining guests as they enjoyed their dinner.

Paradise Summer Live happened during the first week of August and the sun shone in Chamberlain Square every day. With B:Music takeovers each lunchtime, both occupiers and visitors enjoyed eating their lunch on the bleachers – they were even treated to La Pop ice creams one day while enjoying musical accompaniments. Crowd pleasers the Oomparty Band and Bluebird Belles also performed toe-tapping favourites. Live entertainment delighted visitors young and old – with a range of street artists including the larger-than-life security professionals and quirky strolling violinist. Kids learned new tricks at the Circus Skills Workshop and had a lot of fun with the Amazing Bubble Show! A particularly popular activity was the Bee Hive activation – an immersive installation where families could discover the secret world of bees through 10 extraordinary beehives, learning fun facts and figures about beekeeping and sustainability.

Continuing with the ‘bee’ theme and highlighting the importance of our own bees in the Paradise garden, the Pollinator Trail challenged younger visitors to follow a trail and find letters hidden in windows across the estate to unscramble and reveal a word. They could then enter to win a family meal at a Paradise restaurant and a trip to Think Tank or a visit to our bees with the beekeeper.

Paradise was also proud to play a part in the Colmore Food Festival this summer hosting the Demo Kitchen and independent artisan market in Chamberlain Square. Cow & Sow and La Bellezza showed an enthusiastic gathering how to replicate some of their dishes at home while in Victoria Square, many of our restaurants had stalls selling food and drinks to festival goers.

Throughout August Birmingham Restaurant Festival delighted visitors and residents alike with special menus at venues throughout the city. Four of Paradise’s very own restaurants took part – Cow & Sow, Dishoom, F1®Arcade and Rosa’s Thai – giving visitors an extra reason to visit the estate and sample the quality cuisine from our fine dining establishments.

In our office buildings, occupiers experienced a variety of workshops and pop-up events to break up their workdays and treat them to new experiences. From t-shirt decorating in celebration of the World Cup to paint marbling and bird box making along with numerous other offerings, they learned plenty of new skills! As a treat, La Bellezza, also visited each building to hand out delicious margherita pizzas and promote their newly launched lunch menu.

Finally, two of Birmingham’s most important and influential historic figures, James Watt and Joseph Priestley, had their statues returned to the city centre after an absence of ten years. The reconditioned, imposing statues were reinstated in Ratcliff Passage, the new Paradise public realm between Three Chamberlain Square and the Grade I listed Town Hall.

Summer 2026 was full of fun, food and festivities! From live music and vibrant markets to delicious food and plenty of reasons to celebrate, we’ve enjoyed bringing our occupiers, visitors and neighbouring organisations together at Paradise.

It’s been a fantastic few months of showcasing the very best of Birmingham, celebrating the city’s rich heritage and creating opportunities for everyone to enjoy all that Paradise and the wider city has to offer.

As summer comes to a close, we’re already looking forward to what’s next with Halloween and Christmas just around the corner… we really hope you’ll join us for those too!