Community Post Type: News

English families seek asylum in a 2025 touring theatre show depicting a dream to ‘make Britain Great’ that goes horribly wrong. The tour includes a homecoming show at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre.

Looking to change the narrative surrounding refugees in the UK, Afloat is a ‘theatre for social change’ project based on real stories collected by members of Liverpool organisation, Asylum Link. The show puts the audience in the position of seeking asylum and facing the daily struggles that come with that process.

Following a successful premiere last year, the tour of Afloat will include homecoming shows in Liverpool, 23 – 24 May.

By experiencing their journey first hand, the show aims to foster a deeper sense of empathy and compassion for those navigating the asylum process.

The show itself has been put together by industry professionals working alongside members of Asylum Link in workshops on all aspects of devising theatre. Together, they have crafted a performance that not only educates audiences on the asylum process but also highlights the importance of community cohesion and the transformative power of the arts.

Asylum Link Merseyside is an organisation dedicated to helping Asylum Seekers and Refugees, offering ‘a warm welcome, friendship and a place to belong’. Their vision is to build a society where Asylum Seekers are accepted, understood and welcomed, for the benefit of the whole community. The group provide resources and support, such as a food bank, courses, one-to-one support.

Following each performance, the audience will be able to engage in a thought-provoking post-show discussion, opening up a dialogue to explore how local people can collectively support asylum seekers in their own communities.

Phoebe McSweeney – Lead Artist on Afloat,said: I’m thrilled to be taking Afloat on tour and the process of adapting the show has been an amazing upskilling opportunity for our ensemble members. We are empowering their voices and educating audiences, and delivering hard-hitting messages in a format that allows our audience to digest.

Afloat is a show that encourages audience members to develop empathy for individuals seeking asylum, by putting them in the shoes of someone fleeing for safety, and exploring the effects this can have on a person.

Afloat is especially important now with the uprise of Reform UK, and is a response to the rise in right-wing sentiment and troubling riots that happened in 2024″

See the Unity Theatre’s website for more details and tickets

Liverpool-based Transmission Studio is helping local independent businesses to join the digital retail revolution by opening three professional studio spaces, which are designed specifically for hosting live events on TokTok Shop. The innovative livestreaming studio, located at Brunswick Business Centre, is the first in the city to introduce affordable pay-as-you-go style studios dedicated to TikTok Shop.

Providing small business owners with prime facilities to help grow their presence on TikTok Shop, Transmission Studio is offering studio hire within its social shopping hub from just £100 for a three-hour session. The broadcast-ready studios include essentials such as professional grade lighting, interchangeable backdrops, sleek furniture and high-speed internet access. To help local entrepreneurs maximise sales on the platform, sister company Virtuopo, which is a certified TikTok Shop Partner Agency, is also offering bespoke coaching in presenting and producing live content, as well as social shopping strategy workshops.

“Our goal is to provide a studio environment where businesses of all sizes can come along and create high quality live content on TikTok Shop,” said Chris Holmes, Director at Transmission Studio and Virtuopo. “Most small businesses don’t have access to professional lighting, styled studios or experts they can turn to for advice on how to get started on TikTok Shop. We’re about to change this by introducing a social commerce hub, with studio hire on a pay-as-you-go model and professional support on hand.

“We aim to make it easier for small businesses to tap into the live shopping trend, which can have a huge impact on generating engagement, increasing sales and driving growth. Our new studios have been specially created for TikTok Shop LIVEs and would be perfectly suited to local fashion retailers, beauty brands and tech start-ups who are keen to explore the business potential of the platform.”

According to Neilson IQ, TikTok Shop was the fastest growing online retailer in 2024.

Transmission Studios opened in 2023 as a space for livestreaming large-scale corporate events, webinars and virtual conferences. The green screen enabled virtual studio is also used for social shopping events, influencer livestreams, celebrity interviews, live music sessions, podcasts and photoshoots, as well as video and film production.

Studio spaces dedicated to TikTok Shop are available for hire across three prime slots daily, seven days a week. For further information, please visit here

Liverpool Celebrates is returning to the city for its second year across this summer’s Bank Holiday Weekend from Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th August.

Following on from last year’s wonderful debut, Liverpool Celebrates is back for three days of amazing music at one of the world’s most iconic settings, with the Three Graces and River Mersey forming an irresistible backdrop at the Pier Head. Across the entire weekend, Liverpool Celebrates will feature lots of family entertainment across the 3 days and with more to be announced. Tickets go on sale Friday 9th May at 9am.

 For 2025 there are three packed days to relish, opening the weekend with the Legends Day on Saturday 23rd August with incredible talent from across the ages. The first headliner is Tony Hadley who fronted 80s New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, earning himself the accolade of being one of pop music’s greatest vocalists; his unmistakable voice still brims with passion and urgency as it first did all those years ago.  And with dance floors all over the world set alight with contagious joy and expression in their music, Sister Sledge Ft. Kathy Sledge are responsible for some of the biggest dance anthems of all time, including Lost in Music, He’s The Greatest Dancer and Thinking of You.

 Next up, The Gipsy Kings by Diego Baliardo have toured the world for decades and have sold more than 20 million albums in their thirty-five-year career, including winning a Grammy. Their infectious energy is channelled through their combination of Gipsy culture, flamenco, rumba and pop in their globally celebrated sound. And The Real Thing enjoyed huge success in both the 70s and 80s with three Top 10 singles and they are still very much a force to be reckoned with live on stage. 

Liverpool’s party-starters Bongo’s Bingo headline Pop At The Pier on Sunday 24th August with a unique family-friendly show and tribute acts across the day include Planet ABBA, Taylor 2, Sweet Like Sabrina, Michelle Lawson’s Whitney Houston tribute and Tanya Alboni as Amy Winehouse. 

Then Bank Holiday Monday 25th August honours The Matthew Street Festival curated by The Cavern with a day of epic performances from tributes covering Run In The Shadows as Fleetwood Mac, Matt Byrne as Robbie Williams, Coldplace as Coldplay, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Noel Gallagher, and The Old Time Sailors.

Daniel Sanders from Liverpool Celebrates says: “We’re immensely proud to announce we’re coming back with a bang to the city for the second year of Liverpool Celebrates. It’s a fantastic lineup in a truly world-class location, and this year we’re making the festival family friendly across the whole weekend. It’s really important for myself and the team to showcase these headline artists and renown tributes to the city and also to give the next generation the chance to experience them with their families and friends and make amazing memories. It’s going to be a massive celebration down at the Pier Head this Bank Holiday August and we can’t wait to welcome everyone.” 

 Liverpool Celebrates 2025

Saturday 23rd, Sunday 24th and Monday 25th August

Liverpool Pier Head, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 1HT

Tickets go on sale Friday 9th May at 9am from:  https://liverpoolcelebrates.co.uk

Saturday first release: £45 adult / £15 child

Sunday and Monday first release: £25 adult / £10 child 

Family ticket: Saturday £90 (2 adults and 2 children)

Sunday and Monday: £55 (2 adults and 2 children)

Full weekend tickets available

Group ticket offers for 4 people

VIP tickets available

IG: @liverpoolcelebratesfestival

 

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At a reception in Delhi on 2 May, the Secretary of State for Culture, Lisa Nandy, announced that the first major retrospective by Chila Kumari Singh Burman, one of the UK’s most celebrated artists, will reopen Tate Liverpool in 2027 following the gallery’s transformation.

Chila Kumari Singh Burman has a widely recognised, unique visual identity that has been shaped by her working-class childhood growing up in Bootle, Liverpool. A self-described ‘Punjabi Scouser’, Chila will be celebrated at Tate Liverpool with the first retrospective of her career, spanning five decades of her innovative work.

Chila explores her female and British-Indian identity through her vibrant work, spanning drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, photography, video and more recently neon installations. Weaving together traditional and popular Indian culture, family memories, self-portraiture and music influences ranging from punk and reggae to Bhangra and Bollywood music, Chila’s politically-charged work has been formed in direct response to her environment.

Tate Liverpool director, Helen Legg, said: “Chila Kumari Singh Burman was always the artist we wanted to show on reopening, as part of a celebration of the rich culture of the North. She is renowned for creating irreverent pop and punk inspired works in kaleidoscopic colour, infused with glitter and neon, that draw on aspects of Indian and British cultural heritage. Her works are just as striking for their subversive treatment of gender, class and identity.”

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said: “I’m delighted to announce that Tate Liverpool will reopen in 2027 with the first major retrospective of Chila Kumari Singh Burman’s remarkable career. The exhibition will honour one of Britain’s most innovative artists and marks an exciting new chapter for Tate Liverpool as it transforms into a modern day museum at the heart of the city.

“Chila’s vibrant work celebrates the rich diversity of British identity. Her powerful artistic vision, spanning five decades and bringing together influences from her working-class Liverpool roots and Punjabi heritage, has already brightened our cities and lifted spirits during difficult times.

“I am grateful for the support of the Bagri Foundation, enabling artists like Chila to reach a wider audience and I hope their generosity inspires others to follow their philanthropic lead.”

Chila Kumari Singh Burman said: “I’m made up to be coming back home to Liverpool with an exhibition that spans my whole career, from the River Mersey to the Land of the Five Rivers in Punjab. It is a real honour to be reopening the gallery and I hope the exhibition inspires a whole new generation of visitors”.

The Chila Kumari Singh Burman retrospective is the first exhibition to be announced for the transformed Tate Liverpool, with further exhibitions and displays to be revealed in the coming months. Tate Liverpool will reopen in 2027, welcoming visitors into a 21st century museum with spaces designed to showcase the incredible diversity of Tate’s collection and host world-class exhibitions, as well as establishing a new art hall on the ground floor. These galleries will sit seamlessly alongside public spaces for play, relaxation and learning, while spectacular views across the Mersey will connect the gallery to its historic context on the region’s waterfront.

One of Chila’s most renowned works Remembering a Brave New World was created for Tate Britain in 2020, a stunning technicolour installation which lit up London, bringing light and hope during the Covid pandemic. Her other recent exhibitions include Chila Welcomes You, IWM North 2025, Spectacular Diversions, Compton Verney 2024; Illuminating India, Science Museum 2017; Beyond Pop, Wolverhampton Art Gallery 2017. Her recent commissions include Liverpool Love of My Life adorning Liverpool’s town hall; Blackpool Light of My Life decorating the Grundy Art Gallery in Blackpool; and Do You See Words in Rainbows? at Covent Garden, all 2021. One of Chila’s trademark neon Tiger sculptures will shortly be on display at India House on invitation from the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami.

Chila Kumari Singh Burman is curated by Leanne Green, Head of Exhibitions and Displays, Tate Liverpool and Tamar Hemmes, Curator, Tate Liverpool. Supported by Bagri Foundation.

Three of the world’s best flamenco stars are coming to Liverpool for what’s set to be a stunning cultural showcase.

From 7.30pm on Saturday 10th May at The Capstone Theatre, 3 De Corazones will feature flamenco dance, song, and guitar performed by award-winning artists, Andres Peña, Jesús Guerrero and David Carpio.

Hailed as a dancer ‘who never disappoints’ (deFlamenco.com), Andrés Peña is a director, choreographer and dancer, with a personal style rooted in the streets of Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain. When he’s not presenting shows at the most prestigious flamenco festivals, Andrés runs his own studios and classes at academies across the world.

Performing alongside him will be David Carpio, a highly respected singer also from Jerez, known for his rich, commanding voice. Completing the trio is Jesús Guerrero, a guitarist from Cádiz whose technical precision and emotional depth will resonate with even the most seasoned music lovers.

The show is presented by Espíritu Flamenco, who for ten years have been dedicated to promoting world-class flamenco performances, fun community events and regular classes. The show this month at The Capstone is set to be a triumphant return to the city following previous sell-out shows at the same venue.

Espíritu Flamenco’s Sarah Chambers said: “Whether you’re an experienced flamenco enthusiast or new to this art form, this performance offers something for everyone. Expect a show that’s as accessible as it is authentic – engaging, vibrant, and impossible to ignore.“

Andres Peña said: “This show is committed to transmitting flamenco in its most authentic and natural state. A direct flamenco without additives or preservatives, a flamenco where every movement, every groan, every chord is full of truth. A truth that is born from the artist’s feelings and that flutters across the stage until it touches the audience’s heart.”

3 De Corazones takes place on Saturday 10th May 2025 at The Capstone Theatre in Liverpool. Tickets are available now via Skiddle.

Join WoWFEST for an unmissable night of music, spoken word, and unity as they celebrate diversity and stand strong against racism — right in the heart of one of Liverpool’s most iconic venues, St George’s Hall Liverpool!

🎶 Featuring UK hip-hop legend SKINNYMAN, returning in a powerful show of solidarity, alongside a line-up of electric local talent:
💥 Haydog
🎤 Blue Saint
📝 Amina Atiq– Yemeni Scouse poet
📖 Roy – storytelling like you’ve never seen
🎭 Jay Farley
🎸 Sam Millne & the Virant
…and more to be announced!

The night kicks off with a thunderous Batala drummers performance outside the North Entrance — don’t miss it!

This is more than just a gig — it’s a movement. In the proud spirit of Rock Against Racism, they rise with rhythm and resistance to show the world: Liverpool stands for inclusion, for culture, for sanctuary.

📍 Be there. Be loud. Be proud.

20 Stories High and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse present RTYDS’ Class Assembly (Northwest) – a gathering for organisations to understand the deep-rooted socio-economic inequity in the arts and come away with tangible action points to make change.

Together, they will explore how arts organisations and industry leaders can take positive steps to dismantle barriers and create a more equitable cultural sector—one where working-class artists can thrive as both creatives and leaders.

Date: 14th May 2025
Time: 11am – 4pm
Venue: Liverpool Everyman Theatre, Hope Street, L1 9BH

For more information, please contact:
harriet@20storieshigh.org.uk

The Liverpool European Festival returns in 2025 with its most ambitious programme yet, building on the success of the inaugural festival that captured hearts and minds during the 2023 Eurovision celebrations.

This year’s festival, a co-production of Liverpool’s European diaspora communities in collaboration with Liverpool City Council, will showcase the rich cultural tapestry that European heritage has woven throughout the Beatles City. From vibrant folk dances to avant-garde cinema, the festival highlights the stories of European migrants who have made Liverpool their home and shaped new generations.

“In today’s world defined by global uncertainty, the Liverpool European Festival stands as a beautiful and much-needed symbol of hope, unity, and belonging,” said Gosia McKane, who has been leading the organisational team since 2023. “It brings people together through the vibrant and diverse cultures of Europe — serving as a reminder of where we come from and inspiring us to build a kinder, more understanding future together. Right now, we need that more than ever.”

Communities from Albania, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, and beyond will open their hearts and share their unique cultural traditions through an extensive programme of events running throughout May and June.

Festival Highlights:

• May 8: VIP Launch at Liverpool Town Hall, bringing together European communities with diplomatic representatives for music, dance and conversation 
• May 9: VIP meetings with LCR leaders, business and culture sector followed by a sightseeing tour of Liverpool for diplomatic guests 
• May 10: Community Launch – Free daytime celebration at the Bombed Out Church (St. Luke’s) featuring stalls, music and dance performances, followed by two ticketed Fire Galas in the evening 
• May 17: “Little Italy History Ride” explore Liverpool’s Italian heritage by bike

• May 31: International Children’s Day celebration, co-produced by European communities at Mini Roads, Liverpool 
• June 15: Midsummer Celebrations with the Polish community at the Palm House 
• June 21: German Summer Fete at the German Church (“Lederhosen” optional) 

The full programme can be viewed at www.liverpooleuropeanfestival.co.uk.

Tickets for the Fire Gala can be booked here: https://bit.ly/Fire_Gala_Tickets_BombedOutChurch 

“Together, let’s celebrate the power of unity in diversity,” added Gosia McKane. “This festival offers an opportunity for people of all ages to connect through dance, arts & crafts activities, and the powerful stories that unite us across cultures and generations.”

About Liverpool European Festival

Initially delivered during Eurovision 2023, the Liverpool European Festival celebrates the city’s deep connections to European culture and the vibrant diaspora communities that call Liverpool home.  In 2024, alongside the festival, the partnership hosted a conference “Europeans and European Culture in the Liverpool City Region” at the University of Liverpool, School of Law.

The Liverpool European Festival dates are 8th May – 28th June 2025.

Instagram @liverpooleuropeanfestival 

Facebook liverpool european festival

Website: www.liverpooleuropeanfestival.co.uk