Wristbands are only £10 for access to all venues and events, and should be bought in advance.

www.oxjambrum.org.uk / www.twitter.com/oxjambrum / www.facebook.com/oxjambrum

The artwork used on the Oxjam flyers is by Mark Murphy – www.surely.uk.com and Craig Earp – www.craigearp.co.uk. This was one of their 48 sheet project pieces back in May. It’s soon available to buy as a giclee print so if you’re interested then keep an eye on their websites.

They have an open call for artists of all disciplines for the festival, there’s more information about this on their website.

Not my idea but that of Anthony Rose from the BBC. His point, made at The Big Debate yesterday, is that too much choice is stifling. Applying it to festivals (of which there are many happening/coming up in Birmingham) he said that he loves the idea of them but, faced with an unending list of things to do, he ends up doing nothing.

He suggests festivals break their listings down, perhaps :

• Just the highlights
• Just the free events
• Just the weekend events

And so on, you get the idea.

He said if you picked out four highlights for him he’d probably go along. Give him a list of 50 to pick from and he’ll just sit at home.

I think I’d probably agree. Anyone else? Anyone think it’s a daft idea? I’d be especially interested to hear from anyone involved in festival organisation.

There are 2 festival internships available to assist with: Artists liaison / Production / Marketing / Festival Management you will be required to do 5 -10 days between May to July. You will receive valuable work experience and be credited as part of the core team that deliver Supersonic Festival.

In addition to this we need a team of volunteers to help deliver the festival over the weekend of the event itself 10th-14th July and in the run up to Supersonic from June onwards. You will be required to do a minimum of 6 hrs over the weekend in return for a day ticket and festival t-shirt.

Plus it’s a good item to get on the CV – this has been called one of the UK’s best-run festivals, after all. If you’re over 18 and are interested in getting involved then email info[at]capsule.org.uk and put ‘volunteer’ as the subject.

In chronological order:

International Dance Festival Birmingham
Now – 25 May. Various venues in Birmingham.
A month of world class live performance from every corner of the globe with performers from Taiwan, Australia, South Africa, Cuba and Russia.

Fierce Festival
21 May to 1 June. Various venues in Birmingham and West Mids.
In it’s 11th year, the award-winning contemporary performing arts festival has let the audience curate a sizeable chunk of the line-up.

Birmingham Pride 2008
24 – 25 May. Hurst Street and surrounding roads.
The roads will be closed to traffic for street performers and dancers, market stalls and a fairground. The main stage will feature Samantha Mumba and Gabrielle among many others.

The Flyover Show
31 May. Hockley flyover.
A free event to celebrate the very best from the city’s urban communities and reclaim derelict spaces taking place in a ‘forgotten corner of Birmingham’. Line-up includes Soweto Kinch, Bashy and Ty.

BASS Festival 2008
31 May – 29 June. Various venues Birmingham and West Mids.
Short for British Art and Street Sounds, the BASS Festival is a month-long festival celebrating the best of the streets around this year’s theme ‘the elements of hip hop’.

New Generation Arts Festival
5 – 20 June. Various venues in Birmingham.
Focusing on developing and showcasing up and coming graduates alongside rising artistic stars who have studied or live in Birmingham.

Integra
5 – 7 June. Various venues in Birmingham.
The goal of the festival is “to create a software-based open source environment for composing and performing music with live electronics, and test it in real life thanks to new commissions and a big modernisation effort of existing repertoire using obsolete technology.”

Pritchattsbury Free Music Festival 2008
7 June, Pritchatts Park, Edgbaston.
A free student festival held to celebrate the end of exams and is open for anyone. Line-up includes The Holloways, Plan B, Envy & Other Sins, The Anomalies.

Flux
25 June – 13 July. Various venues in Birmingham.
A season of events celebrating the spirit of Fluxus, featuring rare films, publications, music, performances and Fluxus miscellany. Presented by VIVID.

Birmingham Jazz Festival
4 – 13 July. Various venues in Birmingham.
Information to come…

Supersonic
11 – 13 July. Custard Factory, Digbeth.
A musical melting pot described as ‘the nexus where metal, folk and noise meet’. Last year it was also described as ‘Festival of the year’ by Plan B magazine. The line-up includes Battles, Harmonia, Efterklang and Julian Cope. Presented by Capsule.

Moseley Folk Festival
29 – 31 August. Moseley Park.
Featuring a selection of the finest in traditional and contemporary folk, the headliners this year are Morcheeba, Jose Gonzalez and Seth Lakeman.