By Hunter Williams
Shanghai. Montpellier. Budapest. Hiroshima. Birmingham.
Read that list again. That’s not a typo — that’s the 2026 stop list for the FISE World Series, one of the largest action sports festivals on Earth, and this August, our city joins it. Birmingham is the only U.S. stop on the entire tour.
I’ve sat through a lot of council votes. I don’t say this lightly: this one is a big deal, and I want you as excited about it as I am.
What’s Actually Coming to City Walk
From August 7–9, City Walk BHAM turns into a 20,000-person international sports arena. Thousands of athletes and spectators from more than 40 countries will descend on downtown Birmingham for BMX freestyle, skateboarding, parkour, a 3v3 basketball tournament, live music and street food. This is FISE’s exclusive U.S. stop — the only city in America hosting this global festival tour — and Birmingham is the city that gets to host it.
Let that sink in. Not New York. Not LA. Us.
The Long Shot That Landed
Give credit where it’s due: the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau pulled off a long-shot bid to bring this here, and my colleagues and I on the City Council backed it, including designating City Walk an entertainment district so people can grab a beverage while they take it all in. This is the third major global sporting event Birmingham has hosted in just a few years, following the World Games and the World Police and Fire Games. We’re building a track record.
City Walk Was Built for a Moment Like This
I’ve said for years that City Walk is one of Birmingham’s most underrated assets. It’s 31 acres, ten blocks, covered, connecting Legacy Arena to Uptown and Protective Stadium. I hear constantly from people who wish Birmingham had more “third spaces” — places to just be, that aren’t a restaurant or a bar.
Well, here it is. A covered promenade built for exactly this kind of gathering, and this used to be a pile of dirt under the interstate.
FISE gives us a chance to show the world what City Walk can do, and just as importantly, to remind our own residents what it’s capable of. Once people see 20,000 people activated in that space, it changes how we all think about what else could go there — vendors, festivals, live music, community events. The ceiling is really just our imagination.
Why This Is Bigger Than One Weekend
Every time Birmingham hosts something international, the thing that sticks with me isn’t the competition. It’s watching our city welcome people from somewhere else — athletes, coaches, fans — and show them what Southern hospitality actually means. We’re good at that. We should be proud of that.
This kind of momentum doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of years of Birmingham building a reputation for delivering on a global stage, and it raises the bar for what our region can go after next.
What I’m Asking You to Do
Come out. Bring your family. Welcome the visitors. Show them Birmingham at its best.
This is a rare front-row seat to watch our city reimagine what’s possible with a space that used to be an afterthought under a highway. Don’t miss it.
Tickets and more information about the FISE World Series are available here.
Birmingham City Councilor, Hunter Williams, was first elected in 2017. He is currently chair of the Economic Development & Tourism Committee.
David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. [email protected]
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