The Liverpool European Festival (LEF) was launched last weekend with fantastic energy. The launch weekend of 9th-10th May brought over 30 European community organisations together at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church, filling one of Liverpool’s most iconic spaces with cultural stalls, live music, poetry and dance. The following day, over 100 participants took to the streets for the European Parade through Liverpool city centre, in collaboration with Liverpool ONE. It was a colourful parade, celebrating European identity, visibility and cultural connection, bringing thousands of residents and visitors to the city together.
Now, as the festival moves into its next phase, attention turns to the community-led programme of events running throughout May and June, where European communities will have the opportunity to share their stories, history, and cultures in their own style. From photography workshops and heritage bike rides to folk evenings, film screenings, and Midsummer celebrations, there is something for everyone, and almost all events are free to attend.
What’s Coming Up
On Sunday 24th May, a parade will mark the Day of Bulgarian Culture and the Slavic Alphabet, followed in June by a special programme celebrating the Cyprus EU Presidency, delivered in partnership with the Cyprus High Commission Culture Section and the Dante Alighieri Society. Saturday 6th June brings a vital community conversation by Global Liverpool, featuring the In Limbo Project and Black Europeans, which will explore diversity, identity and belonging.
June also brings Nordic Midsummer Celebrations, creative workshops, poetry and storytelling, and film screenings, before the festival concludes on 28th July, with an additional event taking place on 5th July. Each event is chosen, organised and delivered by European communities themselves, ensuring authentic and participatory experiences for all who attend.
Upcoming Festival Highlights
- Little Italy History Ride (with Dante Alighieri Society): Saturday 16th May, 10am-1pm, Greenbank Sports Academy
- Polish Heritage Day Family Picnic: Saturday 16th May, 10:30am-1:30pm, Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Garston
- Ukrainian Community Centre Annual Concert: Sunday 17th May, 1:30-3:30pm, Capstone Theatre, Liverpool
- Parade for the Day of Bulgarian Culture and the Slavic Alphabet: Sunday 24th May, 11am-1pm, St George’s Hall
- Global Liverpool: In Limbo Project & Black Europeans, Diversity, Identity and Belonging: Saturday 6th June, 3:30-5:30pm, Toxteth Town Hall
- Hellenic Workshops and film screening celebrating Cyprus EU Presidency: June
- Nordic Midsummer Celebrations: Sunday 21st June, 11:30-3pm, Gustav Adolf Scandinavian Church
- Festival close: 28th June 2026 (with an additional event 5th July)
All events are open to everyone. Full programme details and ticketing information are available on our website.
Website: liverpooleuropeanfestival.co.uk/events.