Adding colour to our Festival with Retrofit
The energy, (and the heat) was high at The Old Print Works as we officially launched some very special additions to this year’s Balsall Heath Community Festival.
Model practice at Retrofit
Retrofit showcased their fabulous retro model house. The retro team ran interactive activities and chatted with residents about how to insulate Balsall Heath’s beautiful (but sometimes drafty!) older housing stock to help cut down energy bills. The model house itself has travelled a fair bit already to local schools, and will be taking to the pavement again for Balsall Heath Community Festival. You’ll get another chance to see the model house in action, taking pride of place in our “Green Procession” on Sunday, 5th July, the third day of our mammoth ten-day community celebration!
Colouring competition returns
Long-time residents will fondly remember the iconic colouring competitions from the old Balsall Heath Carnival days (1977–2016). Back then, local schools and local organisations would distribute posters, and families would proudly display the finished masterpieces in their front windows for the judges to spot while walking the streets, with fabulous prizes up for grabs!
We loved that tradition so much that we are bringing it back for 2026!
Save the dates
We are building up to an incredible ten days of celebrating our community. Here is what you need to know right now:
- Get those colouring posters filled in and displayed in your windows!
- Keep an eye on updates in the Heathan, as more dates and activities are announced
- Take part in our mammoth 10-day celebration of everything that makes Balsall Heath amazing.
Share your progress, your finished windows, and festival excitement using the hashtag #BHCFest26!
