Birmingham has been chosen as the first international partner city to South Asia’s largest art festival.

The Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF), which celebrates its 10th anniversary will head on to Birmingham during the May bank holiday weekend.

Birmingham City University (BCU) will be hosting the four-day event from 23 to 26 May with SAF at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Symphony Hall.

The festival will celebrate the finest of South Asian heritage with a headline performance by well-known Brummie stand-up comic Shazia Mirza.

Other performances include South Asian arts, music and dance which showcases an eclectic mix of performances, workshops, film screenings and exhibitions.

The Birmingham Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, started in 1977 when Joe Broughton was a student at RBC (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire), will also take to the stage to deliver an energetic and powerful show, with up to 75 musicians taking part, including fiddles, brass and percussion.

Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) celebrates its tenth edition in India in December 2025.

The annual event consists of more than 200 projects spread over multiple venues in Panaji, Goa.

Established by founder-patron Sunil Kant Munjal, it has grown into South Asia's largest and most anticipated arts festival, covering performing, visual and culinary arts.

BCU course director for Media Production, Dharmesh Rajput will curate a film package about Indian music, poet and BCU Professor, Greg Leadbetter will deliver a poetry reading evening, and multi-instrumentalist and jazz lecturer, Shanti Jayasinha leads RBC’s Banda Brasileira celebrating Brazil’s global music traditions.

The line-up also includes:

• Thumri in the Chamber - a classical Indian music tradition given a contemporary twist by Indian rock musician and composer Zubin Balaporia
• A tribute to the legendary tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, capturing intimate moments of his musical journey through the lens of celebrated photographer Dayanita Singh, and a screening of the film The Speaking Hand which charts Zakir's growth from the by-lanes of Bombay to his present fame as a world-renowned musician.
• Eternal Echoes – A showcase of archival images of traditional Indian musical instruments, accompanied by a pop-up library of books on the history of music in South Asia.
• Sempre Fado - an evening of soulful music, capturing the true spirit of Portuguese Goa

• The Art of Taal – An interactive experience of performance and explanation on how Indian rhythms fuse with western Jazz
• Echoes of Elegance: Ghazals and Old Bollywood Classics - Honouring the nostalgia of Bollywood’s golden era, this intimate performance bridges tradition and contemporary expression and features performances by RBC’s music ensembles.

BCU vice-chancellor, Professor David Mba said: “Everyone at BCU is hugely excited about this festival. It will be the first of its kind in the UK and it will showcase BCU’s strong commitment to supporting and fostering the arts. 

“Since our founding almost 180 years ago, arts, design and performance have been at the core of our University, and our education provision remains rooted in the city’s diverse cultural landscape.

“This event will not only cement Birmingham’s position as a cultural destination of choice but will build on the talents and aspirations of our students and University.”

This four-day event serves as a prelude to the ten-day full-format celebrations, marking the tenth year of the Serendipity Arts Festival in Panjim, Goa, from 12-21 December 2025. 

Tickets for this year’s free Birmingham Serendipity Arts Festival are available now.

Click here for more details about the festival.