Birmingham Citadel Band concluded its Saturday city centre Christmas Carolling efforts for 2009 this weekend.  As has been the tradition for many decades, BCB took to the streets on the 4 Saturdays preceding Christmas to entertain and attempt to get the real reason for Christmas across to shoppers in Birmingham City Centre.  The band divides into smaller ensembles and play both in the city’s shopping centres and out in the open-air.

 

Playing to many thousands of people over the Christmas period, it is one of the most important times of the year for the band and, of course, the busiest!  People from all over the world visited Birmingham this year and many would stand and listen to the band, despite temperatures plummeting as low as minus 5℃  on the final Saturday before Christmas.  The cameras of tourists were out in force and the “paparazzi” even made their own video footage of the festive music-making.   The band even featured on BBC Midlands news.

 

Birmingham has many festive attractions including the “Birmingham Eye” (the huge wheel similar to the one in London), an outdoor Ice skating rink, live music, the Christmas lights and the hugely popular German Christmas Market.  The band therefore, count it a privilege to be part of the City’s festive celebrations but believe it to be vitally important that the Christian Church is central to all that happens in this great city at this special time of year.  BCB pray that those who heard the band this Christmas are in no doubt that Jesus is the reason for the season!