Held on Saturday 3 October, free: a kite procession by 16 Solihull groups, Pop Voices choir and an aerial show on a seven-metre rig in Tudor Grange Park.
This event has now passed: it was held on Saturday 3 October 2026. The preview below is kept as it was published.
A free community kite procession will move through Tudor Grange Park on Saturday 3 October, finishing under a seven-metre circular aerial rig for an outdoor dance performance.
The event is called Under the Same Sky. It runs from 2pm to 4pm and entry is free. It is the closing event of a borough-wide arts project that Solihull Council commissioned from Autin Dance Theatre. (Autin Dance Theatre)
The kites in the procession have been made over the summer by Solihull schools, families and community groups, out of willow, bamboo and tissue paper. The project started with a free weekend at Shirley Park and Babbs Mill Park on 20 and 21 June.
Johnny Autin, the company’s artistic director, said:
“Under the Same Sky is about what becomes possible when people have the space to create, move and share stories together. Over the summer, communities across Solihull have poured their ideas, hopes and experiences into these beautiful kites. Seeing them travel through Tudor Grange Park before everyone gathers beneath the aerial rig will be a powerful celebration of belonging: one sky, many stories, and a joyful reminder of everything that connects us.”
The company says hundreds of people came to the June launch weekend for willow-and-paper kite-making, aerial dance tasters, storytelling, street games and music, and that participants particularly valued being able to take part in free creative and physical activities in their local parks. That weekend led into a wider programme of workshops with schools, families and community groups across the borough.
Who made the kites
Autin Dance Theatre lists 16 schools and community groups taking part:
- Afghan Women’s Wellbeing Group / Taz’s Ladies
- Ashley Community Housing Ltd, Sunflower House
- BRAMA Trust
- Colebridge Trust & Junction
- Coleshill Heath Primary School
- Elmwood Family Hub
- Evergreen Family Hub
- Haslucks Green Junior School
- Hong Kong Community Group
- Knowle and Dorridge Memory Cafe
- Ramada Hotel Asylum Seekers
- Riverside Family Hub
- Solihull Memory Cafe
- Streets Studio Youth Club
- Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst
- Unit 21 Colebridge Enterprises
The project is run with Culture Solihull and Solihull Council, and the company describes its themes as arrival, identity, belonging, hope and the experiences people share.
What happens on the day
The public part of the afternoon opens at 2pm with community stalls and food and drink traders. The procession sets off at 2.30pm.
Two practical points the organiser makes that are easy to miss:
- The 1pm to 2.15pm registration slot is only for schools and community groups that made kites. Everyone else should turn up from 2pm.
- If you are coming mainly for the performance rather than the procession, arrive by 3pm.
The procession is expected to last about 45 minutes and to cover up to around 1.5 miles on park paths and grass, so wear shoes you can walk in. General audiences can watch from the marked route or wait at the event zone.
The closing performance, Up in the Sky, is performed by six artists and lasts about 40 minutes. It has no dialogue: the story is told through movement, music and visual imagery, which the company says is deliberate so that it works across languages and generations.
The company describes Up in the Sky as a new show about “getting lost, finding each other, and discovering where we truly belong”, with aerial choreography and flying props, co-created with young people and aimed at families and children aged 5 and over. It is performed in the round, and the audience is asked to stay behind the marked safety boundary.
The Pop Voices community choir will sing beneath the aerial rig around the headline show. There will also be a food and drink zone, community stalls, accessible information, and first aid and event support on site.
The company credits the show to artistic director Johnny Autin, with performers Mitchell Davis, Will Hodson, Travis Smith, Jamie Higgins, Johnny Autin and Björn Åslund, music by Richard Shrewsbury of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, aerial dance mentoring from Lindsey Butcher of Gravity & Levity, and set design and construction by Total Solutions and Marcelle Porteous. More about the show: Up in the Sky.
Getting there, and what to expect
Tudor Grange Park is on Monkspath Hall Road, B91 3LU. The council lists free parking off Blossomfield Road or Monkspath Hall Road, free car parking nearby at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre, several bus routes stopping near the park, and Solihull station less than half a mile away. (Solihull Council)
The organiser’s terms for the day are worth reading before you set off:
- Dogs are welcome on a short lead, but must be kept away from the aerial rig, the marked performance boundary and food service areas. Assistance dogs are always welcome.
- The site is alcohol-free, drug-free and glass-free.
- Children must stay with a responsible adult unless they are attending with an organised group.
- The event will be photographed and filmed. Tell a member of staff if you do not want to be included.
- It will run in light rain, but activities may be adapted, delayed or cancelled in heavy rain, high winds, thunder and lightning, or if the ground is unsafe. Changes will go out through the company’s website and social media.
On access, the company says it will provide BSL interpreters, a quiet space and an accessible portable toilet. Blue Badge parking spaces have to be requested in advance by emailing hello@autindt.co.uk.
About the company
Autin Dance Theatre is a Birmingham-based dance company and registered charity. It says it is producing three large public events with councils in 2026: Light Up Fest in Birmingham, WOW! Fest in Walsall and Under the Same Sky in Solihull.
What it means for you
If your child made a kite at school or with a community group this summer, 3 October is the day it gets used. Groups that took part have their own arrival instructions and their own registration slot from 1pm, so check with the school or group leader rather than assuming you turn up together at 2pm.
For everyone else, it is two hours of free outdoor programming in a Green Flag park a short walk from the town centre, with parking and a station close by. Nothing has to be booked.
More on the park and what else is on locally: things to do in Solihull. If you are driving in, our guide to parking in Solihull covers the town centre car parks.
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