Spring Festival 2026 • Birmingham
Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space
Symphony Hall (B:Music) • 8 Centenary Square • Birmingham • B1 2EA
A dedicated, up-close performance space within Symphony Hall.
Designed for more intimate events and close listening.
(Circle level)
(layout dependent)
Snow Hill
(easy walk)
(two lifts serve floors)
(city centre)
Facilities & Access
Bars • Toilets • Lifts • Accessible Seating
- Accessible seating: level access seating is available on every level
(please contact the venue for location details). - Lifts: two lifts access the main venue levels, including the Circle level.
- Accessible toilets: accessible toilets on every level,
including a Changing Places / Space to Change facility on the Circle level. - Bars & counters: lowered counters available at bars and the Box Office.
- Wheelchairs: if transferring to a seat, wheelchairs/scooters can be stored at the door.
- Access support: staff can assist visitors with access requirements on arrival.
- Further information: visit the B:Music Town Hall accessibility page , or contact the B:Music Access Team on 0121 289 6343.
Getting Here
Train • Tram • Walking • Drop-off • Parking
- By tram: the Library stop is right by the Centenary Square entrance.
- By train: Birmingham New Street and Snow Hill are within walking distance.
(taxis available at each station). - Drop-off: the nearest official drop-off point is Cambridge Street
(then a short walk to the entrance). - By car: convenient city-centre parking includes Q-Park Brindleyplace and Q-Park Mailbox (Birmingham Clean Air Zone applies).
Food & Drink Nearby
On-site • Centenary Square • Brindleyplace
- B:Eats (on-site): daytime café-bar at Symphony Hall
(please note: it may not open for every JBPS performance). - Brindleyplace / Gas Street Basin: a short walk with plenty of bars and restaurants.
- Centenary Square / Paradise: modern dining and drinks options close by.
- Starbucks (ICC entrance): grab-and-go coffee and snacks right by the ICC link.
- PizzaExpress (canal end): easy sit-down option around the Brindleyplace / Gas Street Basin side.
- Subway: quick takeaway option nearby (handy between sessions).
Opening times vary — please check directly with each retailer.
About the Space
Intimate • Close listening • Two-level seating
The Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space is a dedicated performance room within the Symphony Hall complex, created for events where you want to feel close to every detail, with a flexible layout, a multi-level stage and surround seating that keeps the audience connected to the performance.
Visitor Notes
Access and arrivals at a glance.
Enter via the Symphony Hall entrances at Centenary Square or through the ICC Mall. Lifts provide step-free travel between levels. If you have specific access requirements, it’s best to contact the venue in advance so they can advise on the most suitable seating and route.
JENNIFER BLACKWELL
PERFORMANCE SPACE (JBPS)
Up-close setting
At Symphony Hall
Up to ~200
More About The JBPS
A dedicated, up-close concert setting within Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space is built for intimate events — with a multi-level stage and wraparound seating across two levels, so you feel close to every detail of the performance. With a full PA and lighting rig and space for up to around 200 people (depending on layout), it’s ideal for showcases, late-night sets, talks, and smaller-scale performances where atmosphere really matters.
What really sets the space apart is its flexibility. Because the room is designed to adapt, it can feel like a focused listening room one night and a vibrant late-night venue the next — whether the audience is arranged around the stage, split across levels, or brought right in close for something more conversational. It’s the kind of setting where quieter moments carry beautifully, but energy can also build quickly when the room is full.
Being part of the Symphony Hall complex also makes it a particularly easy venue day to manage: you’ve got all the advantages of a major city-centre concert hall around you — welcoming front-of-house spaces, great transport links, and plenty of options nearby for food and drink — but the performance itself happens in a room that feels personal and immediate rather than formal or distant.
It’s also a stage that regularly spotlights exciting artists and emerging voices — with recent highlights including Ashley Allen, Casey Bailey, and The Lost Notes — and it’s equally at home with spoken word, contemporary jazz, acoustic sets, and experimental programming. In other words: it’s a space designed for connection, where performers and audiences share the room in a way that makes the experience feel special, even when the event itself is deliberately low-key.
For Spring Festival audiences, that intimacy is the point. Whether you’re watching a test piece under the microscope or simply enjoying the detail of great playing at close range, the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space is made for moments you can’t get in a large auditorium — the kind where you can see every cue, hear every colour change, and feel like you’re right in the middle of the sound.
