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Liverpool Arab Arts Festival returns this July

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF), the UK’s longest running annual festival of Arab arts and culture, and returns for its 24th year, from Friday 17th to Sunday 26th July.

Founded in 1998, LAAF exists to support and champion creatives from across the Arab region and its diaspora, in the belief that art and creativity have the power to express a shared humanity.

The festival – recently nominated in the LCR Culture & Creativity Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Culture – also celebrates Liverpool’s unique identity; a city, with a global community and brimming with artistry, that looks outwards across the world and welcomes and accepts all who arrive within it.

This year’s theme is HOME, unfolding across a diverse range of disciplines, including music, theatre and performance, visual art, literature and film – with the festival programme culminating at the ever-popular LAAF Family Day.

LAAF 2026 will provide a platform for artists and audiences to explore the many meanings of “home”: whether rooted in place and territory, shaped through family and relationships, or carried through memory, movement, environment, and social or geographic experience.

The festival will highlight how Arab artists – from within the region and across the diaspora – engage with the deep and ever-shifting concept of belonging, while also recognising those whose sense of home is less stable or anchored, as is often the case for migrants and displaced communities.

Chair of Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, Afrah Qassim said: “Home is a place we often imagine as a sanctuary of safety, stability and identity or where we belong. It is our roots, our memories, and the stories we carry with us wherever we go. Today, we must also recognise the painful reality facing many in our beloved homelands, those who have lost their homes, their families, and the sense of identity that a place can hold.

LAAF is proud to be a platform that gives artists the space to tell their stories. Through art and storytelling, we create a space for our audience for reflection and conversation exploring the ‘what; behind the artist’s story and how it reflects upon their own.

We want this year’s theme to explore what home truly means for those of us living here while many simultaneously continue to endure war, displacement, dictatorship, discrimination and injustice. Is home simply a place of safety and belonging, or is it something deeper, the memories, culture and connections we carry with us wherever life takes us?

To all those who have complicated relationships with what ‘home’ means, and to those still living through conflict and injustice: we stand with you and through art we honour your stories, your memories of home and the many truths that can be, and above all, your resilience.”

Announced So Far For LAAF 2026

Tamsin Elliott (UK) and Tarek Elazhary – world premiere of Album 2

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival will present the world premiere performance of the hugely anticipated second album from Tamsin Elliott (UK) and Tarek Elazhary (Egypt).

Together, Tamsin and Tarek explore the intriguing parallels and idiosyncrasies of Egyptian Maqam and English folk traditions in a captivating fusion of songs, tunes and textures, to find commonality, foster cross-cultural connection and help to heal the scars of a colonial past through meaningful and conscious collaboration.

Friday 24th July 2026
Philharmonic Music Room

Tickets are on sale now

“A poised, atmospheric fusion delivered by two master players”
The Observer

LAAF Family Day

Taking place on the final day of the festival, Sunday 26th July, the long-established LAAF Family Day is a celebratory showcase of Arab arts and culture.

Creating a moment of togetherness and community, Sefton Park’s Palm House will play host to a free afternoon of music, performance and authentic Arab culture, complemented by a range of stalls offering Arabic and Middle Eastern food, arts and crafts, traditional practices such as calligraphy and dance, as well as activities for children, including storytelling and workshops.

“The jewel in the festival’s crown, this free event has something for all the family”
The Guide Liverpool

Get Involved

LAAF welcome applications to trade at this event, and would especially like to hear from sellers whose product or service closely aligns with the objectives of LAAF and is suitable for a family audience. This year they’re particularly interested in hearing from authentic Arab & Middle Eastern food traders, but all applications will be considered.

Across ten days, a bold and diverse programme will trace the emotional and political dimensions of home: from the comfort of closeness to the ache of distance, and the possibilities in exploring new ground.

Through sound, performance, visual art, and personal narratives, LAAF 2026 invites audiences to reflect on the places that shape us, and on how families, social networks, and communities continue to build foundations of cultural connection and inclusion.

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival takes places across Liverpool venues from 17th to 26th July 2026. Tickets for all events as they are announced will be available via arabartsfestival.com.

Mark Leckey launches music and art union for Tate Liverpool and Future Yard

Mark Leckey. Photograph by Alessandro Raimondo

Tate Liverpool and Future Yard have today announced a new collaboration that will merge the worlds of contemporary art and contemporary music. Selector will present the artist ‘In Conversation’ at Tate where the musical inspirations on their work are explored, followed by a series of live music events curated by visual artists to celebrate the influence music has on their art. The series will launch with Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey in June.

Visual and performing artists have been combining their artforms for centuries. Since the latter half of the 20th century the relationship between music and art in contemporary culture has become increasingly intwined. Artists across genres are inspiring each other, breaking boundaries and experimenting with their practices.

Originally from the Wirral, Mark Leckey returns to his roots in leading the curation of three nights of performances, drawing on his love of musical subcultures, sound systems, and collective experiences of sound.

The series opens at Tate Liverpool with an evening of conversation as Mark discusses the influence of music culture on his art. The event will be hosted by DJ, curator and multidisciplinary cultural producer Thristian, the founder of Global Roots, and co-founder of both Boiler Room and Worldwide FM.

The live programme at Future Yard features a line-up that spans national figures and local innovators. Many of the acts are multidisciplinary artists who trace a strong northern narrative through their music, expressed through hypnotic layering of electronic beats and sound collages that are both intimate and expansive. Expect a mix of DJ sets, artists performing to visuals in real time and acts that will create a shared, immersive experience including Aya, Richie Culver, Rainy Miller and Moolakii Club Audio Interface, as well as a DJ set from Mark Leckey.

Mark Leckey (born 1964) is a British contemporary artist whose work looks at the relationship between popular culture and technology as well as themes of youth, class and nostalgia. He works with sculpture, film, sound and performance⁠ – and sometimes all four at once – often using found object art in video pieces.

Music, in particular rave and pop, is central to some of Lecky’s best-known works, including Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, 1999; Industrial Light and Magic, 2008; and Dream English Kid, 1964 – 1999 AD 2015. His work Exorcism of the Bridge@Eastham Rake 2018 has been performed at New York’s MoMA PS1 and Tate Modern. Lecky is also a member of several bands including Jack 2 Jack and donAteller.

The collaboration between Future Yard and Tate Liverpool strengthens the cultural offer across the Liverpool City Region with two organisations from across the Mersey joining for this series of events. The multidisciplinary approach blends the worlds of music and art in an innovative and creative way that audiences will find exciting and reinforces the region’s status as a Cultural Capital.

Selector with Mark Leckey will begin with a Meet the Artist at Tate Liverpool + RIBA North on Wednesday 10 June from 18.30 – 20.00, followed by three nights of performances at Future Yard from 11 June to 13 June 19.00 – midnight.

Shaun Curtis, Head of Learning, Tate Liverpool, said: “Tate Liverpool is delighted to be collaborating with Future Yard on this programme, continuing Tate’s long tradition of boundary-pushing projects that bring contemporary visual art and music together. We are also thrilled to be working with Mark Leckey on Selector —an artist whose influential work and ongoing practice consistently blur the lines between music and art, the museum and the club, and the experimental and the popular.”

VG&M Late: A Music Celebration, held 30 Apr ’26

Step into Liverpool 8 after hours for a special late opening that brings the sounds, stories and spirit of Toxteth’s Black music scene to life. at The Victoria Gallery & Museum

They invite you to explore the exhibition “Toxteth: The Harlem of Europe” in a new way — with live music, DJ sets, conversation, and hands-on experiences across the gallery.

In the 1950s and 60s, while Merseybeat defined Liverpool’s global image, another powerful musical movement was thriving in Toxteth. Rooted in soul, jazz and rhythm & blues, Black musicians in Liverpool 8 helped shape the city’s sound — mentoring early Beatles members and introducing American influences that would transform British music forever. Despite facing racial inequalities and barriers to recognition, their legacy is profound, influential, and long overdue for celebration.

What’s on:

• Live DJ sets in the café from Kerri Ankrah-Lucas (Decks in the City), plus a record fair to dig for vinyl treasures
• Ramon “Sugar” Deen, L8 music legend and member of The Harlems, sharing first-hand stories from the era
• A rare chance to work with the Institute of Popular Music Archive (IPM) — explore archive vinyl and help catalogue records
• A talk from Dr Mike Brocken on jazz pioneer Gordon Stretton for International Jazz Day
• Music performed from across eras and genres with University music students

Whether you’re into music history, vinyl culture, live performance, or just looking for something different to do in the evening, this VG&M Late is your chance to experience the gallery in a whole new way.

Free, drop in, and open to all — especially students and young people.
Come for the music, stay for the stories.

VG&M Late: A Music Celebration
FREE
Thursday 30 April | 5–8pm
More info & reserve a spot

National Museums Liverpool celebrate 40 years with decade-hopping video

National Museums Liverpool (NML) has released a new video to celebrate 40 years since becoming England’s first national museum group outside of London.

Spanning four decades, the video offers a fun, nostalgic look at moments from National Museums Liverpool’s history, from the 80s up to the present day.

The video celebrates moments including the opening of the Merseyside Maritime Museum at Liverpool’s now iconic Albert Dock, as well as a transformative ‘Into the Future’ funding appeal that led to the opening of the vitally important Transatlantic Slavery Gallery.

It pokes fun at some of the more far-fetched ideas, such as calling Lady Lever Art Gallery ‘The Taj Mahal of Merseyside’, failed PR stunts and a long-standing confusion over venue names.

Concluding by looking to the future – the video also shines a light on the next 40 years and National Museums Liverpool’s bold plans to transform Liverpool’s waterfront.

Its release coincides with the opening of the new exhibition National Museums Liverpool at 40, which opens to the public from 3 April. The exhibition focuses on objects from the diverse, powerful and important museum and galleries collection that the organisation is responsible for.

From something as simple as a front door, to artistic masterpieces, the free exhibition highlights the vast range of objects cared for by National Museums Liverpool and the stories they have to tell. The exhibition also includes some never before showcased objects from National Museums Liverpool’s collection.

Joe Brook, head of audiences and media at National Museums Liverpool, said: “Marking 40 years of National Museums Liverpool provides us with an opportunity to look back on highlights of the past four decades, and celebrate our city’s huge impact on UK and international culture.

“It is also an opportunity to look forward to the future. To think about the purpose and role of museums and galleries in not just telling stories of the past but shaping how we continue to change lives in the future.”

National Museums Liverpool: The Story So Far is available to watch on National Museums Liverpool’s YouTube channel.

PACK & SEND opens Liverpool service centre helping artists

PACK & SEND has opened a new service centre in Liverpool to help local artists, antique dealers and other businesses to safely ship fragile, large, unusual and valuable items worldwide.

The opening marks a new direction for store owner and PACK & SEND franchise partner Matthew France, who has developed a strong knowledge of shipping while working with Royal Mail since returning to the UK from France, where he spent more than two decades building and running a business in Val-d’Isère.

Berkshire-born Mr France lived in his namesake country from 2000, where he set up a small bar in the Alpine ski resort with his sister and ran it for 18 years, before buying out her share in 2018. He and his Liverpool-born wife later moved back to the UK after his wife secured a place at the University of Liverpool to study nursing.

On arriving back in the UK, Matthew worked in the parcel department of Royal Mail to supplement his income from his ownership of the bar and while he looked for new business opportunities in the Liverpool area.

Based on his understanding and passion for the world of specialist shipping, PACK & SEND stood out as a perfect fit. With locations across the UK, PACK & SEND offers a range of postal, freight, courier, packing and removal services, concentrating on the shipment of items that require special handling.

Across its network of centres, PACK & SEND has previously handled packing and shipping of artworks by some of the world’s most famous artists, including Banksy, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin and Jeff Koons, and is an approved service provider to LAPADA, the largest association of professional art and antiques dealers in the UK.

Other types of item commonly handled include hi-tech parts, IT and electronic units, manufacturing components, medical and lab equipment, and musical instruments.

On launching PACK & SEND in Liverpool, Mr France said: “Having decided to move on from the hospitality trade and gaining valuable experience with Royal Mail, I was looking for a business opportunity that combined the skills and knowledge acquired through both of my previous roles.

“What attracted me to PACK & SEND was the opportunity to move into a service-led business with strong demand and real variety from one day to the next. In the shipping and courier market, it fills an important niche, specialising in handling items of any size, value, or fragility with precision and care.

“From delicate artworks to large machinery, we ensure items are securely packaged and safely transported to destinations worldwide. We also help people when they are, for instance, relocating overseas, or sending exotic gifts.

“With ecommerce continuing to grow, it felt like the right time to make the move, and Liverpool felt like the right place to do it. It’s an amazing place with such fantastic culture and music, and a vibrancy you don’t find anywhere else. It is exciting to start a new chapter here and to build a business serving both local people and companies across the Liverpool city region and surrounding areas.”

For more information go to www.packsend.co.uk.

Gender Stories exhibition announced for Walker Art Gallery, opens 16 May ’26

Gender Stories, a major exhibition about identity and self-expression, opens at Walker Art Gallery on 16 May 2026. The exhibition brings together artwork from Grayson Perry, David Hockney, James Tissot, and Antonia Showering, photography by Catherine Opie and Zanele Muholi, new film by Ebun Sodipo and Ree Bradley, and personal objects from a Suffragette teapot to a Liverpool LGBTQ+ football scarf.

The exhibition covers centuries of history through oil paintings, etchings, ceramics, textiles, sculpture and video. Historical works include a watercolour by Sarah Biffin, a celebrated miniaturist who was born without arms and painted using her mouth. Biffin won a medal from the Society of Arts, took commissions from the Royal Family, and spent her final years in Liverpool, where she is buried in St James’s Cemetery.

Among the personal objects on display is a linen smock worn by the artist Gluck in 1930s London. Born Hannah Gluckstein in 1895, Gluck adopted a single, gender-neutral name and insisted on “no prefix, suffix or quotes.” They rejected gendered titles such as Mr or Miss, dressed in menswear, and had their hair cut at a gentlemen’s barber on Bond Street. In 1936 Gluck painted Medallion, an iconic double portrait of themselves and their lover Nesta Obermer, which later became one of the most widely reproduced images of a same-sex relationship in British art. The smock, on loan from Brighton & Hove Museums, is shown alongside a 2023 photograph by Jenny Lewis made in response to Gluck’s life.

Also on display is a ceramic teapot bearing the emblem of the Women’s Social and Political Union in the Suffragette colours of purple, white and green. The teapot was designed by Sylvia Pankhurst in 1909, part of a set originally produced as campaign merchandise by Williamsons of Longton, Staffordshire. It is a reminder that arguments about gender have been fought through everyday objects as well as art and politics.

Contemporary works featured in the exhibition include Ree Bradley’s 16mm film and drawings The Mind is a Group Muscle, in which a group of men take part in body-based therapies including breathwork and dance movement psychotherapy to open up questions about masculinity and mental health. London-based artist Ebun Sodipo’s film ‘So, what are you doing here?’ centres trans experience. The exhibition also features content from National Museums Liverpool’s What Artists Wear video series, including an episode with Sister Sister from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK on identity, drag and fashion.

Catherine Opie’s photograph The Gang (1990), from the Walker’s own collection, captures a group of the artist’s friends in Los Angeles – part of the queer community she has spent her career documenting with warmth and dignity. Grayson Perry’s vase Difficult Background (2001) depicts 1950s children playing with gendered toys, while David Hockney’s etching The 7 Stone Weakling (1961–3) takes on body image and masculinity. Zanele Muholi’s Miss Lesbian VII, Amsterdam (2009), also from the Walker’s collection, is part of their series addressing beauty, race and the Black gaze.

Gender Stories was developed by Bristol Museums, Brighton & Hove Museums and National Museums Liverpool, and draws on collections and community voices from all three cities. In Liverpool, the curatorial team worked with a number of local organisations to bring new perspectives and personal stories into the show.

Charlotte Keenan, Head of Walker Art Gallery, said:

“Everyone has a lived experience of gender, and this exhibition creates space for visitors to reflect on their own while hearing from others. Working with communities across Liverpool has been central to bringing Gender Stories to the Walker, and we hope it will be a place for honest conversation and genuine connection.”

Gender Stories is part of MAGNET (Museums and Galleries Network for Exhibition Touring), a network of 12 museums and galleries sharing their collections with regional audiences. The exhibition toured to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery in 2025 and Brighton Museum and Art Gallery earlier in 2026 before arriving in Liverpool.

This exhibition is supported by MAGNET and Art Fund, with funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Gender Stories opens at Walker Art Gallery on 16 May 2026 and runs until 31 August 2026.

For more information visit liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/genderstories

Sefton Open 2026 at The Atkinson, runs from 30 May ’26

It was standing room only at Friday night’s opening of this year’s Sefton Open at The Atkinson in Southport. 2026 marks the centenary of The Southport Palette Club who organise the event that will feature 700 artworks.

Birkdale based professional artist and current Chairman of Southport Palette Club, Peter Owen, reports: “The selected works highlight both the diversity and the exceptional quality of creative practice taking place across Sefton, offering audiences a vibrant and compelling snapshot of the local arts scene”.

This year’s Sefton Open runs until 30th May 2026. Entry is free and The Atkinson is open Monday through Saturday 10.00am – 4.00pm.

Picture Caption:

SPC Chairman, Peter Owen, presenting raffle winner, Patricia Greaves, with one of his paintings at Sefton Open’s Private View

Grenfell by Steve McQueen to be shown in Liverpool

Steve McQueen Grenfell 2019 (still) courtesy the artist

Tate Liverpool are collaborating with the Bluecoat to bring Steve McQueen’s film installation Grenfell to Liverpool. Tate has been coordinating a national tour of the artwork since 2025, and it will be presented at the Bluecoat from 16 May to 21 June.

In December 2017, artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen (b.1969, London) made an artwork in response to the fire that took place earlier that year on 14 June at Grenfell Tower. 72 people died in the tragedy. Filming the tower before it was covered with hoarding, M^cQueen sought to create a record so that it would not be forgotten.

Following the fire, a Government Inquiry was launched that was conducted in two phases. The findings of the first and second phase of the Inquiry have been reported, the recommendations of which are yet to be implemented, meaning a similar tragedy could happen again. There is an ongoing criminal investigation.

Steve McQueen said “I knew once the tower was covered up, it would start to leave people’s minds. I was determined that it never be forgotten.”

Grenfell was first presented in 2023 at Serpentine in London’s Kensington Gardens, following a period of private viewings, prioritising bereaved families and survivors. The work was then placed in the care of Tate and London Museum.

Bringing Grenfell to Liverpool has long been an ambition as it speaks to the city’s history with social justice campaigns to tackle inequalities in housing, health, welfare, and crime. The city has a rich history of social action and Grenfell United have worked alongside the Hillsborough families to support the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law.

The presentation of Grenfell by Steve McQueen is free but tickets should be booked in advance as the work is intended to be seen from the start, so latecomers cannot be admitted. Following a period of community outreach and private viewings with the bereaved and survivors and the local community, the artwork will be on view to the public.

This national tour is being coordinated by Tate in collaboration with the partner venues and is made possible thanks to support using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and from Art Fund. The presentation will be accompanied by a public engagement programme of talks, workshops and community events supported by the Grenfell Foundation.

For more information and to book tickets visit thebluecoat.org.uk/whatson/grenfell-by-steve-mcqueen.

Future Yard Crowdfunder Raises Over £95,000 for Major Venue Expansion

Future Yard has successfully raised more than £95,000 through its Build Our Future – Realising Future Yard 2.0 Crowdfunder campaign, bringing the organisation one step closer to creating an expanded live music venue and creative hub in the heart of Wirral.

The campaign, which closed on 29 March 2026, received support from 419 backers, demonstrating strong public backing for Future Yard’s ambitious plans to develop a 600-capacity venue, alongside 12 new studios, rehearsal spaces and learning facilities designed to support artists and young people across the region.

Future Yard opened in 2020 as a community-focused CIC (Community Interest Company), providing a platform for live music, skills development and creative opportunities. Since launching, the venue has welcomed more than 120,000 visitors, while its training programmes have supported hundreds of emerging artists and young people pursuing careers in music and event production.

Through initiatives such as Sound Check, Propeller and Mosh Tots, Future Yard has built a reputation as a space where music and community meet.

In the past year alone:

166 young people gained hands-on industry experience through Sound Check
75 local artists received tailored development support through Propeller
450 regional artists performed on Future Yard’s stage
3,500 children accessed a reimagined music curriculum
1,443 children attended Mosh Tots events

The total cost of the Future Yard 2.0 project is £3 million, with 95% of funding already secured through public investment including the UK Government’s Local Regeneration Fund, managed by Wirral Council, and support from Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme. The Crowdfunder campaign aims to raise the final £150,000, with funds split between construction costs and the venue’s Neighbourhood Tickets Scheme, which provides free and subsidised access to live music events for local communities.

Once complete, the expanded venue is expected to significantly increase opportunities for local artists and audiences, with plans to:

Increase audiences by 50% within three years
Deliver 50 additional shows per year
Provide 2,000 extra hours of training
Create jobs and skills opportunities for local people
Distribute 1,000 free Neighbourhood Tickets
Provide 200 tickets for Mosh Tots events

Future Yard says the project represents a long-term investment in Birkenhead’s cultural future, positioning the town as a destination for live music, creativity and opportunity.

Supporters can still contribute to the campaign following its successful funding deadline, helping Future Yard reach its full £150,000 target and bring the next phase of the venue to life.

The campaign highlights the continued importance of grassroots music spaces and the role they play in nurturing talent, supporting communities and strengthening local identity.

For more information and to donate visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/future-yard-build-our-future.

Pioneering arts and crafts innovator May Morris spotlighted at Lady Lever Art Gallery, held 25 Apr – 1 Nov ’26

The Lady Lever Art Gallery will spotlight the talents of May Morris (1862-1938), one of the most pioneering women of the Arts and Crafts movement and daughter of the artist and designer William Morris, in a new exhibition.

May Morris: Crafting a Legacy (25 April to 1 November 2026) reveals May’s exceptional ability as a designer, maker, tutor, lecturer, editor and writer – and a socialist ahead of her time.

The exhibition will showcase May’s interests and talents across a selection of embroideries, wallpapers, designs, sketches, books, costume and jewellery. Developed in partnership with The William Morris Society, it will feature around 50 objects from museums and private collections across the UK – including the William Morris Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London – as well as items from National Museums Liverpool’s own collection.

For more information, visit here

Held: 25 April – 1 November

Community Post Type: News