What's On in Birmingham
Thursday 18 June 2026
Birmingham is crackling with energy this Thursday — from the shimmering depths of the city's aquarium to sweaty, joyful basement raves and candlelit tribute shows that will have you on your feet. Whether you are six or sixty, hunting for your next favourite band or simply looking for a night that feels properly alive, the city has laid out a feast. Pull on whatever feels right and dive in.
Highlights

Sea Life Birmingham - Standard Entry — Kick off your Thursday morning with a plunge into the deep at the National SEA LIFE Centre, where rays glide overhead and sharks cruise past in eerie, beautiful silence. It is the kind of place that reduces grown adults to wide-eyed wonder just as quickly as it does the kids, and on a June weekday the crowds tend to be mercifully manageable. Doors open at 9:30am — check the website for current pricing and to book your slot.

Conrad Kelly - Memorial Concert — There is something quietly powerful about a community gathering to celebrate a life through music, and this memorial concert at the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath promises exactly that kind of warmth. At just £6 it is one of the most meaningful ways you could spend a Thursday evening — intimate, heartfelt, and rooted in the kind of shared love for an artist that only a close-knit music scene can produce. Doors and music from 7:30pm in one of Birmingham's most beloved independent venues.

Endless Love The Show: A Tribute to Diana Ross And Lionel Richie — Two of the most impossibly glamorous voices in pop history, one gorgeous night at The Alexandra — this tribute show promises sequins, soaring harmonies, and a setlist that could melt even the most cynical heart. From 'Endless Love' to 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', expect a proper showbiz occasion that earns every standing ovation. Check the website for pricing and to secure your seat; 7:30pm at one of Birmingham's grandest theatres.

LUMINA: June Bass Boom - 18th June — If your Thursday needs a serious low-end injection, LUMINA's Bass Boom at SUKi10C is calling your name from 7:00pm. This is the kind of night built for people who feel music in their chest rather than just their ears — expect a deep, heavy, and relentlessly forward-thinking bass music experience in one of the city's most characterful underground spaces. Check the website for tickets and get there early; rooms like this fill fast.

Good Things Comedy Club — Tucked into the brilliant 1000 Trades in the Jewellery Quarter, Good Things Comedy Club has a knack for delivering genuinely funny evenings in a room that feels more like a party among friends than a formal gig. From 7:30pm, expect a rolling line-up of sharp, unpredictable stand-up that spans styles and sensibilities — the kind of night where you leave with sore cheeks and a new favourite comic. Check the website for tickets and line-up details.

Emerging Artists Showcase 5 — The Sunflower Lounge has a long, proud history of being the room where Birmingham discovers its next great bands, and this fifth instalment of the Emerging Artists Showcase keeps that tradition blazing. At £8 from 7:30pm, it is an extraordinary deal for a night of live music that could genuinely surprise you — these are artists on the verge of something, and there is a special thrill in being in the room early.
Full listings
| Event | Venue | Time | Price | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live Music | |||||
| One Leg One Eye at the Castle & Falcon, Birmingham | The Castle And Falcon | 7:00pm | £16 | Tickets | |
| Culture Wars | Birmingham Dead Wax | 7:00pm | Check website | Tickets | |
| Home Counties | Hare And Hounds Kings Heath | 7:30pm | £14 | Tickets | |
| Endless Love The Show: A Tribute to Diana Ross And Lionel Richie | The Alexandra | 7:30pm | Check website | Tickets | |
| Conrad Kelly - Memorial Concert | Hare And Hounds Kings Heath | 7:30pm | £6 | Tickets | |
| Emerging Artists Showcase 5 | The Sunflower Lounge | 7:30pm | £8 | Tickets | |
| Nightlife | |||||
| LUMINA: June Bass Boom - 18th June | SUKi10C | 7:00pm | Check website | Tickets | |
| Nightingale Club Thursdays | Nightingale Club | 10:00pm | £5 | Tickets | |
| Comedy | |||||
| Good Things Comedy Club | 1000 Trades | 7:30pm | Check website | Tickets | |
| General | |||||
| Sea Life Birmingham - Standard Entry | National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham | 9:30am | Check website | Tickets | |