Steven Knight, the Birmingham-born creator and writer of Peaky Blinders, is launching a two-day festival dedicated to his award-winning TV show with music, fashion and street food.
Peaky Blinders returned to screens this week, all guns blazing, for its hotly-anticipated fifth series. The Birmingham-based mobster series starring Cillian Murphy and Sam Claflin is a worldwide hit, pulling in viewers from 180 countries, boasting A-list fans from Stephen King to Steven Spielberg and inspiring everything from video games to books, haircuts and even fashion (David Beckham-owned clothing line Kent & Curwen is releasing a Peaky Blinders capsule wardrobe soon). So it’s only fitting that a show of this scale has its own festival, a sort of ComicCon for the Peaky Blinders faithful where they can meet the stars of the show, act like they’re in the show, dress like they’re in the show and enjoy live music and street food while they’re at it.
The Legitimate Peaky Blinders Festival is co-curated by show creator and Birmingham man Steven Knight. Taking place on 14 and 15 September, the festival will bring together immersive theatre, live music and fashion inspired by the BBC series. Birmingham’s Digbeth Arena – in the neighbourhood where the original gang once roamed – will be transformed, bringing the world of the Shelbys to life through set pieces and immersive performances. Knight himself will host a live Q&A over the weekend on the history, politics and social themes of series five, alongside some of the show’s stars.
There’ll also be bare-knuckle boxing and live music from Primal Scream, Slaves, Mike Skinner (DJ set), Anna Calvi and Nadine Shah, with more to be confirmed soon. David Beckham’s fashion line Kent & Curwen will present at the festival, with the company’s creative director Daniel Kearns hosting a conversation on how to achieve ‘The Peaky Look’, hint: it involves a lot of caps. There will also be a live recreation of Peaky Blinders scenes featuring over 200 actors from Dank Parish. We’ve heard audience participation is encouraged. Rambert, the contemporary dance company, will be performing a specially-commissioned performance at the festival, choreographed by artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer. There’ll also be plenty of pop-up bars and food trucks to keep you going.
Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster with general admission tickets priced at £67.20 (€74.27) each for a one-day pass.
