St George's Day event in Birmingham attracts thousands
Ten thousand visitors flocked to Birmingham’s city centre as people got a chance to celebrate St George’s Day on the closest weekend to April 23.
Chamberlain Square was transformed into an entertainment venue for a sword-fight by the Knights of Middle England and their horses, as well as traditional folk and Morris dancing, and an English craft fair and farmers market was held along New Street.
Maggie Evans, from Staffordshire, who enjoyed the spectacle while on a break from a meeting said: “St George’s Day means a lot to me. It’s great that the day has come to be celebrated in such fashion. I think it should be a national holiday just for the English, like they have in other countries.”
Rachel Perry of Erdington said she made an effort to take her young sons to St George’s Day activities. “It’s important the day is celebrated in a positive way as it can be associated with extremism which we don’t want.”
Proving it was not only English people who came out to enjoy the day was 35-year-old Malaysian student Gurcharan Singh, who took his wife, mother-in-law and four children to watch the live shows.
He said: “We want to let the children learn and appreciate different cultures and enjoy part of England’s history. We don’t have Morris dancers in Malaysia!”
As well as the outdoor shows, a concert of traditional English music was held at the Symphony Hall, compered by city historian, Professor Carl Chinn.
