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Birmingham festival to mark one year since Commonwealth Games

BBC Raidene CarterBBC
Raidene Carter said the scale of the event would be a new experience for many of the acts

A 10-day festival of dance and music is under way to celebrate one year since the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

The events take place in the city's Centenary Square, where a stage has been set up for "loads of free entertainment", according to Raidene Carter, creative director.

Mukhtar Dar, from dance group Kalaboration Arts, said it was important the Games' legacy lived on.

He said he wanted to celebrate a "super, diverse, international city".

Ms Carter added there would also be a big screen showing films and animations, with multiple local acts featured on the stage.

"For lots of the groups that are performing, some of them haven't been on a platform like this before, this big," she said.

The entertainment will run from 11:00 to 21:00 BST every day.

Mukhtar Dar
Mukhtar Dar said the legacy of the Commonwealth Games had to continue

Mr Dar's group hopes to put on performances that are "challenging and moving".

Saying some of his performers had come from Pakistan while others were local, he added: "The legacy of the Games needs to live on and we need to inspire the next generation."

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