Simmer Down Festival has been held in Handsworth Park since 2010 and has grown over the years to become one of the country’s most well respected reggae festivals, it is a flagship event in Birmingham’s calendar of free public events, attracting a diverse family audience from across the city and nationally, whilst retaining a true feel of Handsworth.

As a community interest company, Simmer Down Festival is managed by an independent Board of directors. The Board is keen to see the festival develop into a resilient and sustainable annual event, which whilst retaining its community feel, celebrates Birmingham’s rich cultural diversity and pays tribute to the City’s unique reggae legacy. With the Festival’s rapid growth necessitating increased infrastructural resources and funding, the Board believes that 2016 presents an ideal opportunity to take stock and explore longer term funding and sponsorship opportunities and in particular secure a wider range of partners to help deliver the festival.

In 2016, the Board as part of the organisational development planning process will seek to ensure that the organisation is fit for purpose and has all the prerequisite systems, policies, procedures and the infrastructure resources for a festival that now attracts approximately 15,000 people. Building on the Festival’s brand and previous successes, the aim will be to ensure that Simmer Down Festival becomes a world-class festival, which is planned and delivered through an expanded multi agency partnership which involves the City’s leading arts organisations, along with local community groups, schools, colleges and businesses.

The Simmer Down CIC Board would like to thank all of its stakeholders who have helped make the festival such a success over the last few years. This includes artists, staff, funders, partners, sponsors, suppliers and above all you the festival-goers – We look forward to seeing you back in Handsworth Park 2017.