Giant Pigeons Wreak Havoc On Lunching Workers

A pair of giant pigeons have been causing a stir in Birmingham City Centre today (Tuesday 23rd May) to mark the return of the Colmore Business District’s annual food festival.

Relocating from Victoria Square to Cathedral Square this year, the Colmore Food Festival is returning for its 10th year on 21st and 22nd July and will be serving up tasty dishes from the District’s vibrant food and drink scene.

Workers were surprised to see the giant birds walking around Cathedral Square, with many stopping to take selfies.

The prodigious pigeons were accompanied by helpers from Colmore BID who were surveying city workers about their lunch break habits post Covid. With the rise of hybrid working and a renewed focus on workplace wellbeing, the survey is expected to reveal a major change in lunchtime habits.

In a survey carried out by Colmore BID in 2013, it was revealed that city workers felt guilty to abandon their desks at lunchtime and were dining ‘al-desko’. The survey also revealed that 60% of workers took less time for lunch than they were entitled to, with more than half saying they felt guilty about taking a full hour for lunch.

Michele Wilby, CEO at Colmore BID, said: “A huge amount of workplace change has happened in the past decade and we expect some interesting insights to come out of this survey and we have included questions that should give a direct comparison with 2013.

“In past years, visitors to the festival on the Friday afternoon made the event the largest networking opportunity in Birmingham, with many of the city’s professional community coming together for food and drink. We very much hope that they will do the same this year.”

Data from the survey will be pecked apart, with the results being unveiled later in June.

The Colmore Food Festival will provide visitors with an affordable spread of mouth-watering mini dishes from traders across the Colmore Business District. Attracting more than 30,000 guests a year, the free festival will also see live music and performers keeping diners entertained.