JANUARY
Burns Night
On January 24 the Library of Birmingham will be hosting a tasty celebration of food, poetry and whisky over three floors in the annual celebration of Scottish poet Rabbie Burns.
This modern take on the event will see a saxophonist replace the traditional bagpiper.
Leaving the music on the ground floor, diners upstairs will eat a Burns Night meal of haggis, tatties and neeps courtesy of Soul Food Project.
Birmingham Whisky Club will then provide six drams in a tutored tasting of Scottish whiskies.
Poetry will come from Birmingham poet laureate Adrian Blackledge.
Book through the library box office online or call 0121 245 4455.
Read our review of a previous Burns Night at Birmingham Whisky Club
MARCH
Whisky Birmingham
On Saturday, March 7, Whisky Birmingham will make a return, with pouring starting at 12 noon.
Birmingham’s annual whisky festival will be back at The Bond in Digbeth for its third instalment, bringing together global whisky brands and local experts.
Drinkers can expect a series of masterclasses with previous years’ seeing whisky matched with chocolate, Cuban cigars and artisan cheeses.
Tickets from £30 can be booked here.
Read our guide to last year's Whisky Birmingham
APRIL
The Wine Cooler
A symposium of English wine will be held in Birmingham, with some of the country’s best producers in attendance.
Linked to that, on a Saturday in April (date to be confirmed), The Wine Cooler will be a niche wine event including various masterclasses in English wine as well as food matching.
We’ll bring further details from Birmingham-based Food And Drink Events Company when we have them.
MAY
The Cocktail Exchange
A new concept for the city, the first appearance of this all-day pop-up is expected in May.
The idea is to bring high-flying bartenders from around the country and around the world to a pop-up bar in Birmingham where they’ll spend the night showing off their skills and serving cocktails from a specially devised menu.
May’s debut is planned to be the first of three Cocktail Exchanges throughout the year with bartenders expected from London and New York.
JUNE
Good Food Show Summer
The BBC Good Food Show is back at the NEC in from June 11 to 14.
Expect celebrity chefs, live cookery demonstrations and the return of the Producers’ Village where you can taste samples from hundreds of specialist food enterprises.
There’s currently an offer of 20 per cent off the £24.25 ticket price here.
Read our guide to last year's Good Food Show
Caribbean Food Festival
Organisers are planning to return with a three-day event from June 18 to 20.
This year the festival will be moving from Victoria Square because of works around Paradise Circus and the old library.
Discussions are underway to find an alternative location and we’ll bring further details when it’s announced.
JULY
Birmingham Cocktail Weekend
Get ready to go cocktail crazy from July 10 to 12 when a brand new event lands in Birmingham.
Newcomer to the Birmingham food scene, Alex Nicholson-Evans moved from London two years ago and fell in love with Brum’s cocktail bars.
Alex, 27, who manages volunteers for a day job, is now recruiting her favourite venues to join in a city-wide celebration of mixology.
A wristband (priced at around £6) will give drinkers access to signature cocktails in bars across the city, with trails taking drinkers around the city centre, Edgbaston, Kings Heath, etc.
The event aims to get drinkers exploring new areas of the city and new cocktail bars, unlocking hidden spaces where pop-up bars will appear.
Register your interest here and we’ll let you know when wristbands go on sale.
Colmore Business District Food Festival
The chance to taste your way around Birmingham’s business district will return to Victoria Square on July 3 and 4.
A range of tasting dishes, costing £3 each, will be available from more than 25 restaurants, bars and coffee shops across the district allowing visitors to try fine dining fare as well as Michelin star samples for the price of a pint.
We’ll bring you dates when they are announced next week.
Read our guide to last year's Colmore Business District Food Festival
Birmingham Beer Bash
The third Birmingham Beer Bash will bring more than 100 craft ales to The Bond in July.
Provisional dates suggest the bash will kick off with a trade session on July 23 followed by public sessions on July 24 and 25.
Tickets are expected to go on sale next month.
Read our guide to last year's Birmingham Beer Bash
SEPTEMBER
Birmingham Gin Festival
Following a sell-out debut in 2014, the Gin Festival will be back at The Bond with more clinking and drinking on September 4 and 5.
Last year’s event saw drinkers soak up the last of the summer sun while supping gin by the canalside.
Organisers may not be able to guarantee glorious weather again but they can guarantee the gin list will be even longer than last year’s 50+ offerings.
Read our guide to last year's Birmingham Gin Festival
Birmingham Independent Food Fair
Following a successful inaugural event in 2014 the Independent Food Fair will make a comeback in mid September.
The event will return to Millennium Point, bringing the best of Birmingham’s small, local producers and showcasing the best of the city’s grassroots food and drink scene.
Expect more stalls, more chef demos, supper club-style dining and a bigger bar area featuring more local brews and tipples.
Birmingham Chilli Festival
We’re told the city’s hottest festival will be back in Brindleyplace on September 19 and 20.
Last year’s event saw two days of demonstrations, entertainment and a chilli-inspired food market, as well as the infamous chilli eating competition.
OCTOBER
Urban Toolkit
This new event expected in October (date yet to be announced) will take the form of a city survival guide, imparting etiquette tips to hip young urbanites wanting to make the most of Birmingham’s food and drink scene.
Expect up to a dozen exhibitors teaching the tricks of their trade, from how to order the perfect Martini to how to cut and smoke a cigar.
Attendees (possibly at Hotel du Vin) could learn table etiquette for fine dining situations or how to detect an English sparkling wine from a Champagne or Prosecco.
We’ll bring further details from Birmingham-based Food And Drink Events Company when we have them.
Birmingham Oktoberfest
If you fancy donning lederhosen and supping lager from a stein, the touring Oktoberfest-style event will be back for a second appearance at Cannon Hill Park from October 21 to 25 .
Birmingham Beer and Cider Festival
The annual event is set to return to its new home, New Bingley Hall near the Hockley Flyover, at the end of October.
Provisional dates suggest the festival could be launched on Wednesday, October 28 with a night for CAMRA members and trade, followed by public sessions on October 29, 30 and 31.
Visitors can expect an even greater selection than last year when the hall hosted a staggering 300 ales 100 ciders, plus an international bottled beer bar and 32 vegan-friendly beers.
NOVEMBER
Good Food Show Winter
The NEC will welcome back the Good Food Show Winter from November 26 to 29.
Last year’s event featured the Hairy Bikers, Glynn Purnell, Wine Tube Map tasting tours and a Great British Beer Experience.
Tickets will go on sale later this year.
See our favourite pictures from last year's Good Food Show Winter
DECEMBER
Birmingham's German Christmas Market
Yes, it will be back. However, parts of Chamberlain Square and Paradise Forum could be off limits due to demolition work on the old Central Library, so the city council is considering alternative sites.
It has been mooted that this year's Christmas market could extend along Waterloo Street and Bennetts Hill.
See our guide to the food and drink at last year's German Market
