International Day of Birmingham in pictures as Joe Lycett launches a new celebration for the West Midlands

The first ever International Day of Birmingham (IDOB) headed up by the city’s comedian Joe Lycett featured cheerleaders, a confetti cannon, trumpets and - of course - a number 11 bus!

It follows Joe’s trips around 10 other places named Birmingham - all in the US. They’ve all signed friendship agreements to creat a not entirely serious United States of Birmingham.

The smallest Birmingham, in New Jersey, has just 32 residents, he said, while the UK’s Birmingham has a lot of similarities with the one in Alabama.

Birmingham’s Lord Mayor backed the event which he has described as ‘truly inspiring’.

The outdoor spectacle was followed by a civic reception in the Council House attended by Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath and other familiar Brummie faces.

Representatives of the American Birminghams came to the UK city for the friendship agreements to be formalised in Tuesday’s event, and for a United States of Birmingham flag, designed by Lycett, to be raised. His journey will be documented in a TV series, Joe Lycett’s United States of Birmingham, to be shown on Sky next year.

The city council, which helped advertise the event, was at pains to stress it had come at no cost to them - following their effective bankruptcy just over a year ago.

The IDOB celebrations included a parade with cheerleaders, dancers, dhol drummers, drag queens and stilt walkers, while the Birmingham-based artist Tat Vision created a Chinese dragon-style bull in tribute to the city’s Bullring.

There was a brass band, ceremonial trumpeters and a rallying cry of “All right, bab”.