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What's On

What's On in Birmingham

Events, markets, games, library and parks programs in and around Birmingham, with times, prices and the organizer's own link.

Top story Glow Wild at the Birmingham Zoo 2026: dates, prices, Santa Glow Wild lights the Birmingham Zoo Nov. 21 to Jan. 3 on select nights, 5 to 9 p.m. Every open night, ticket prices, Santa dates and the sensory-friendly night. · 5 min read

Coming up

The full month
  1. Sat. Oct. 31 Magic City Classic Parade 8 a.m. · Downtown Birmingham, 18th Street North and 7th Avenue North
  2. Sat. Oct. 31 Jefferson County Greenways Native Plant Sale 10 a.m. · Ruffner Mountain
  3. Sat. Oct. 31 Magic City Classic Pregame Tailgate Party 10 a.m. · Legion Field, West Side Parking Lot
  4. Sat. Oct. 31 Magic City Classic: Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State 2:30 p.m. · Legion Field
  5. Now through Oct. 31 Hoots & Howls at the Birmingham Zoo Birmingham Zoo
  6. Now through Nov. 1 Alice by Heart, Samford University Theatre Bolding Studio, Samford University
  7. Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 Atrox Factory Lights Out Atrox Factory
  8. Sun. Nov. 1 Little Red's Most Unusual Day with Opera Birmingham 2 p.m. · UAB Alys Stephens Center
  9. Mon. Nov. 2 Dia de los Muertos Numero 24 3 p.m. · Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
  10. Nov. 4 to 8 Christmas Village Festival BJCC North Exhibition Hall
  11. Fri. Nov. 6 Festival of Choirs 7:30 p.m. · Reid Chapel, Samford University
  12. Nov. 6 to 7 Brahms Symphony No. 2 with Tessa Lark Jemison Concert Hall, UAB Alys Stephens Center

Plan your weekend

Fourth of July Birmingham Fourth of July fireworks 2027 Thunder on the Mountain lights up Red Mountain at Vulcan Park each July 4, about 9 p.m. The 2027 details are not out; this page shows the 2026 show. · 3 min read Halloween Trick-or-treat hours in Birmingham 2026 Halloween in Birmingham is Saturday, Oct. 31, Magic City Classic day. No city trick-or-treat hours as of Oct. 25; zoo Hoots & Howls runs Oct. 25 and Oct. 31. · 4 min read Christmas Birmingham Christmas parade and tree lighting 2026 Birmingham lights its tree at a holiday block party in front of City Hall. The 2026 date is not out; in 2025 it was Dec. 7, 4 to 7 p.m. Glow Wild opens Nov. 21. · 3 min read High school football Friday night football in Birmingham 2026: schedules and scores Birmingham City Schools football, final week: Woodlawn at Brookwood 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, the last game on the district schedule; then AHSAA playoffs. · 3 min read Fall festivals Fall festivals and pumpkin patches in Birmingham 2026 Birmingham fall festivals: zoo Hoots & Howls Oct. 25 and 31, the Magic City Classic Oct. 31, and Dia de los Muertos at Sloss Nov. 2, $15 in advance. · 4 min read Halloween Halloween events in Birmingham 2026 Halloween in Birmingham 2026: zoo Hoots & Howls Oct. 25 and 31, Practical Magic and a Sloss night tour Oct. 30, Atrox Lights Out Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. · 5 min read Thanksgiving Thanksgiving in Birmingham 2026: turkey trot, closures, trash Thanksgiving in Birmingham 2026: CrossPlex Turkey Trot Nov. 26, city offices closed Nov. 26-27, libraries Nov. 26-28, and how trash pickup shifts. · 5 min read Black Friday Black Friday and holiday shopping in Birmingham 2026 Holiday shopping in Birmingham 2026: Christmas Village Festival Nov. 4-8, Market Noel Nov. 19-21, The Summit's hours and Small Business Saturday Nov. 28. · 5 min read Christmas Holiday lights and Christmas events in Birmingham 2026 Birmingham holidays 2026: zoo's Glow Wild lanterns Nov. 21 to Jan. 3, Santa at Vulcan Dec. 5, Alabama Theatre holiday films Dec. 11-22, Nutcracker Dec. 12-22. · 7 min read New Year's Eve New Year's Eve in Birmingham 2026: events, fireworks, closures New Year's Eve in Birmingham 2026: the zoo's family countdown, Glow Wild through Jan. 3, what closes on New Year's Day and the city's warning on gunfire. · 5 min read Valentine's Day Valentine's Day in Birmingham 2027: events, dinners, date ideas Valentine's Day in Birmingham falls on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027. Last year's Vulcan dinner sold out; here is what venues ran and what is booked for February. · 4 min read Spring break Spring break in Birmingham 2027: school dates, camps, what's open Birmingham City Schools spring break is March 22-26, 2027, after a Feb. 22-26 intersession. Camps, free outings and what is open that week. · 4 min read Easter Easter in Birmingham 2027: egg hunts, festivals and closures Easter in Birmingham is March 28, 2027. The 2027 dates for the city's free Spring Festival egg hunt and the zoo's egg hunt are not out; here is 2026. · 4 min read Mother's Day Mother's Day in Birmingham 2027: brunch, events and gifts Mother's Day in Birmingham is Sunday, May 9, 2027. The Botanical Gardens is free every day; here are last year's rose and plant-sale dates and local gift ideas. · 3 min read Memorial Day Memorial Day in Birmingham 2027: closures, trash, pools, zoo Memorial Day is May 31, 2027. In 2026 Birmingham closed offices and pushed trash back a day; city pools opened for the weekend and veterans got free zoo entry. · 4 min read Summer Summer in Birmingham 2027: camps, city pools and splash pads Summer in Birmingham: 13 city pools, $1 swims and swim lessons in 2025, McWane and zoo day camps, free park classes and when 2027 registration opens. · 5 min read Father's Day Father's Day in Birmingham 2027: events, motorsports, baseball Father's Day in Birmingham is Sunday, June 20, 2027. The Barber motorcycle museum, Rickwood Field's Juneteenth game and other ideas from last year. · 3 min read Labor Day Labor Day in Birmingham 2027: closures, trash and Sloss Labor Day is Sept. 6, 2027. In 2026 Birmingham closed city offices and libraries and pushed trash back one day for every route; here is what to expect. · 3 min read Brunch Brunch in Birmingham: downtown, Highland Park and more Where to brunch in Birmingham: The Essential, Trattoria Centrale, El Barrio, Rojo and more, with weekend brunch hours from each restaurant's own site. · 3 min read Dogs Dog-friendly Birmingham: dog park, trails and leash rules Dog-friendly Birmingham: Remy's off-leash dog park at Red Mountain Park, leashed dogs at Railroad Park and Ruffner, where pets are banned, and who to call. · 4 min read Kids Kids' activities in Birmingham: zoo, science, story times, rain Kids' activities in Birmingham: the zoo, McWane Science Center, free story times, the Children's Theatre, parks and rainy-day picks, with hours from each site. · 4 min read Trails Birmingham walking and biking trails: distances and trailheads Birmingham trails: 18-plus miles at Red Mountain Park, 11-plus at Ruffner Mountain, the 2.2-mile Vulcan Trail and the Rotary Trail, with parking and fees. · 5 min read Civil rights A guide to Birmingham's Civil Rights District Visiting Birmingham's Civil Rights District: the national monument, BCRI hours, Kelly Ingram Park, 16th Street Baptist Church, the Gaston Motel and parking. · 5 min read Live music Live music and nightlife in Birmingham: venues and districts Birmingham's live music venues and nightlife districts: Iron City, Saturn, WorkPlay, The Nick, Avondale Brewing, the Alabama Theatre, the BJCC and Pepper Place. · 3 min read Free Free things to do in Birmingham: museums, parks and history Free things to do in Birmingham: the Museum of Art, Sloss Furnaces, the civil rights monument, Botanical Gardens, Railroad Park, Red Mountain trails and more. · 4 min read Date night Date night in Birmingham: restaurants, theaters and wine Date night in Birmingham: dinner at Hot and Hot Fish Club, OvenBird, Bottega or Automatic Seafood, then a show at the Alabama Theatre, the Lyric or the BJCC. · 4 min read Magic City Classic Magic City Classic in Birmingham: parade, game, parking and shuttles The 85th Magic City Classic is Saturday, Oct. 31: parade 8 a.m. downtown, Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State kickoff 2:30 p.m. at Legion Field. Shuttles $5. · 6 min read Sidewalk Film Festival Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham: dates, passes, venues The 29th Sidewalk Film Festival is Aug. 23-29, 2027, in downtown Birmingham's theater district. Early bird VIP passes go on sale Black Friday. · 6 min read Do Dah Day Do Dah Day in Birmingham: date, location, pets and parking Do Dah Day, Birmingham's pet-friendly music festival since 1979, was May 16, 2026, at Cahaba Brewing. The 2027 date is not out yet. · 4 min read Restaurants Where to eat in Birmingham: lists by category Alphabetical lists of places to eat inside Birmingham's city limits: wings, pizza, Mexican, barbecue, coffee, burgers, Asian, desserts and patios. · 3 min read Wings Where to get wings in Birmingham: Southside, Lakeview and downtown 6 places to get chicken wings inside Birmingham's city limits, with hours from their own sites: Southside, Lakeview, downtown and Ensley. · 4 min read Pizza Where to get pizza in Birmingham: Morris Avenue, Crestline and more 6 places to get pizza inside Birmingham's city limits, with hours from their own sites: Morris Avenue, Crestline, Crestwood, Southside and Ensley. · 4 min read Mexican food Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in Birmingham: downtown and UAB 4 Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants inside Birmingham's city limits, with hours from their own sites: downtown, the Pizitz Food Hall and UAB. · 3 min read Barbecue Where to get barbecue in Birmingham: Southside, Avondale, Lakeview 5 barbecue restaurants inside Birmingham's city limits, with hours from their own sites: Southside, Avondale, Lakeview and Valley Avenue. · 4 min read Coffee Breakfast and coffee in Birmingham: Highland Park to downtown 5 places for breakfast and coffee inside Birmingham's city limits, with hours from their own sites: Highland Park, downtown, Lakeview and Five Points South. · 3 min read Burgers Where to get burgers in Birmingham: downtown, Southside and Eastwood 5 places to get a burger inside Birmingham's city limits, with hours from their own sites: downtown, 20 Midtown, Eastwood, Valley Avenue and Bessemer Road. · 4 min read Ice cream Ice cream and desserts in Birmingham: Avondale, Pizitz and Summit 5 places for ice cream, sno-balls, pan dulce and cheesecake inside Birmingham's city limits: Avondale, the Pizitz Food Hall and The Summit. · 3 min read Patios Patios and outdoor dining in Birmingham: Railroad Park and more 6 Birmingham restaurants whose own sites list a patio, porch or outdoor seating: Railroad Park, Highland Park, Five Points South, Lakeview and more. · 4 min read Sushi Sushi and Asian restaurants in Birmingham: Pizitz, Southside, Summit 14 sushi, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese and Indian places inside Birmingham's city limits: the Pizitz Food Hall, Southside, downtown and The Summit. · 6 min read

Event news

Nutcracker The Nutcracker in Birmingham 2026: dates, times, parking Alabama Ballet's Balanchine Nutcracker runs Dec. 12-22, 2026, at the BJCC Concert Hall: nine shows at 1:30 and 6 p.m., where to buy tickets and BJCC parking. · 4 min read Veterans Day Veterans Day in Birmingham 2026: parade, route, closings Birmingham's 79th National Veterans Day Parade starts at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, downtown, rain or shine. The route, the 5K and what is closed that day. · 5 min read Arts Arts and exhibitions in Birmingham: October 2026 Birmingham arts: Roll Call at the art museum to Jan. 17, Historically Black at BCRI to Dec. 12, the symphony's Halloween show Oct. 30 and Figaro Nov. 19-22. · 5 min read Things to do Things to do in Birmingham this weekend, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 Birmingham this weekend: the Magic City Classic parade and game Oct. 31, the zoo's last Hoots & Howls, the symphony's Halloween show and Atrox Lights Out. · 4 min read