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Sidewalk Film Festival
The 28th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival will take place August 24th – 30th, 2026 in Downtown Birmingham’s Historic Theatre District, offering screenings of more than 200 films, filmmaker Q&As, panels, workshops, networking events and parties.
We may be biased, but we think a bag of popcorn in a dimly lit theater is the perfect way to wrap up your summer. Established in 1999 as the flagship program of the Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema, Sidewalk Film Festival has perfected the trifecta of quality film programming, filmmaker networking, and pure fun.
Repeatedly recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the Top 25 Festivals in the World and by TIME Magazine as one of the Top 10 Festivals for the Rest of Us, Sidewalk annually brings over 250 independent films to The Magic City. Low-priced passes, a concentrated footprint, and Southern Hospitality encourage filmmakers and attendees alike to connect during the festival week.
Sidewalk actively strives to bring a variety of films to its audience. To that end, we are pleased to highlight civil and social issues in our Life & Liberty Track, diversity-related topics and black filmmakers in our Black Lens track, female filmmakers in our Women in Film track, Spanish and Portuguese language films in our Festival de Cine track, and LGBTQ filmmakers and content with our SHOUT track. As an Alabama festival, we also spotlight local filmmakers with our Alabama track.
Parking Info:
The Alabama Theatre is not responsible for parking and does not provide any free parking.
Parking meters are free after 6pm on weekdays and all day on Saturday and Sunday.
Please be aware of tow-away zones. Lots marked “permit parking only” are tow-away zones and they will tow your vehicle at your expense.
The Historic Alabama Theatre is a Ticketmaster facility.
We can only honor event tickets purchased directly through Ticketmaster. Tickets bought from individuals or third party sites (StubHub, Vivid Seats, Seat Geek, etc.) may not be valid. If you purchase tickets through those sites or individuals you risk purchasing invalid tickets. To guarantee that your ticket be honored, you must purchase through Ticketmaster online. For Ticketmaster customer service, contact (800) 653-8000.
Why can't I buy from somewhere else?
If there is a problem with your ticket, the only way that we can look it up in the ticketing system is if it was purchased from Ticketmaster. You must be able to show identification that matches the name on the ticket, show the account number that was used to purchase the ticket or show the credit card that was used for purchase. It is possible for the purchaser of valid tickets to transfer them to another buyer through Ticketmaster.com or the Ticketmaster app.
