Wyrd Wyrale

Wyrd Wyrale is a one-day cultural festival rooted in Wirral’s liminal identity, celebrating the wyrd, the overlooked, and the half-told histories of this hidden corner of England.

Taking place at Bidston Observatory, high on Bidston Hill and overlooking the Rivers Mersey and Dee, the festival brings together live music, performance, talks, storytelling, and unexpected encounters across the site. Once a place of watching and measuring the world, the Observatory becomes a gathering point for sound, story, and the unseen.

Across the day, performances will unfold from local artists including Common Folk, Flowershow, Grace Elizabeth Harvey, The Del Roswells, Wooden Tape, OORYA, and more still to be announced. Music, performance, conversation, and ritual move through the building and grounds, inviting audiences to wander, listen, and linger in the wyrd.

Wyrd Wyrale takes place within and around the Observatory building, home to the Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre (BOARC) — a self-organised, not-for-profit space dedicated to experimentation, communality, and unfixed ideas. For one day, Bidston Hill becomes a site of gathering: a celebration of Wirral’s wyrd culture, its in-between nature, and the stories that still cling to the land.

**It’s still possible to book accommodation for the night at BOARC.**

Prices start from £22 pp for a space in our 8 bed dorm.

£33 pp for a bed in a dorm of 3 or 4.

£44 pp for a double room (1 remaining).

Contact to book: enquiries@bidstonobservatory.org

Summer Family Weekend

Our popular Bluecoat Family Weekend returns this August! Join us for two days of FREE family-friendly fun, including creative activities inspired by Debjani Banerjee’s exhibition Jalsaghar. Suitable for all ages.

Get creative with badge making, block printing and textile activities based on Banerjee’s colourful and playful work in our Gallery, explore your own dreams and create your own handmade journal, and more!

Suitable for all ages

Free, drop in

Wonder in the Street 2026

Join us in Church Square, St Helens for a day of outdoor entertainment the whole family will love!

All absolutely FREE and all absolutely WONDERFUL

Featuring:

KatumbaCelebrate diversity, wellbeing and mindfulness with the huge infectious rhythms, bold visuals and serious crowd energy.You’ll be wowed by the performance then have the opportunity to interact and dance as you lose yourself in the rhythm with Liverpool based Katumba.HUG by Levantes Dance TheatreHUG & HUG EXPERIENCE is a vibrant outdoor contemporary circus theatre performance and living installation that promises to engage audiences in a unique exploration of relationships – between people, objects and the environment that surrounds us.Through a fusion of aerial dance, physical theatre and striking visuals, the audience is invited to rediscover the power of touch, connection and the simple act of a hug.HUG is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Ensemble Festival, Brighton Festival, Stockton International Riverside Festival. Supported by Centre 151. Supported by 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space.

Liverpool Poetry Space: Pig Data with Anne Vegter

We are delighted to welcome Anne Vegter and translator Astrid Alben to Liverpool, in partnership with UK publisher Prototype. This event is part of New Dutch Writing, supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature.Pig Data is a collection that exposes the raw nerves of power and desire, and is the winner of the Ida Gerhardt Poetry Prize.

Anne Vegter is the author of numerous poetry collections, children’s books, theatre monologues, and erotic stories. Her first poetry collection, Het veerde, appeared in 1991, followed in 1994 by Ongekuiste versies, a book of erotic tales. Since then, she has published widely across genres. Her work is characterised by an elastic style that is playful, erotic, enigmatic, and disturbing.

Vegter regularly works as a performer, collaborating with composers and musicians. She has received numerous awards for children’s literature, theatre, and poetry, including the Woutertje Pieterse Prize, the Awater Poetry Prize, the Anna Blaman Prize, and the Ida Gerhardt Poetry Prize. In 2013, she became the first woman to be named Poet Laureate of the Netherlands, a role she held until 2017.

Astrid Alben is a poet, editor, and translator. She is the author of Ai! Ai! PianissimoPlainspeak, and Little Dead Rabbit. Alben self-translated Little Dead Rabbit, published as Klein dood konijn by PoëzieCentrum. Her poetry and non-fiction have appeared in literary journals including Granta and the Times Literary Supplement. She has worked with BBC Radio, the Serpentine Gallery, and Wellcome Collection, as well as across performance and animation.

Prototype is an independent publisher of fiction, poetry, anthologies, and interdisciplinary projects, founded in 2019. It is committed to expanding the possibilities of contemporary publishing through distinctive book design and cross-genre publishing. In 2022, it published Astrid Alben’s translation of Vegter’s Island Mountain Glacier, which won an English PEN Translates Award.Thu 19 Nov, 6-8.30pm£2-5, booking required

A limited number of free tickets are available for those who are unwaged or experiencing financial hardship. Please select this option if it applies to you.

Family Weekend

Our popular Bluecoat Family Weekend returns this August! Join us for two days of FREE family-friendly fun, including creative activities inspired by Debjani Banerjee’s exhibition Jalsaghar. 

Suitable for all ages.

Canopy FEST

Immerse yourself in the culture, heritage and science of trees. There will be activities for the whole family to enjoy as well as live music to enjoy in the courtyard. Join us for a guided Farm Tour to discover the trees that make up our landscape and the vital role that they play here, and beyond. We’re joined by local experts who will teach you how to ID different tree species and better understand the conditions they need to thrive. Explore tree folklore by taking part in art activities or reconnect with a tree’s history by participating in heritage crafts. You must register to come to this event as facilities and parking are limited. Please make sure that you register everyone who will be coming along on the day – thank you!

There are two opportunities to attend this event; you can attend in the morning from 10.30am-12.30pm or the afternoon from 2-4pm. Please make sure you are booking for the right time slot when registering your place.

Big Butterfly Saturday!

Big Butterfly Saturday returns to Kindling Farm for 2026! This family-friendly event coincides with The Butterfly Conservation’s annual nationwide survey of butterflies and day-flying moths. Our ever-popular Pollinator Walk will be back, offering families the chance to see butterflies up close. There’ll be green crafts as well for the kids, and Kindling Farm’s Big Butterfly Count – we can’t wait to see how many species you spot here. You’ll also meet the volunteers from Victoria Park Butterfly House and learn about nurturing butterflies at home from The Butterfly Conservation Trust. There are two opportunities to attend Big Butterfly Day; you can attend in the morning from 10.30am-12.30pm or the afternoon from 2-4pm. Please make sure you register for the right time slot on our website and book a space for everyone who will be attending on the day.

Phoenix classic car rally

Start your motors! Come down to the Museum of Liverpool where a stunning display of around 30 classic cars will be shining in all their glory outside our museum.  

Chat to the owners and restorers from Phoenix Classic Vehicle Association, St Helens, to learn about the magnificent mechanics of a classic car.

This event is outside the museum so please be prepared for the weather!

Please note that the date of this event has changed to 18 July. It is not on 20 June as previously advertised.

Liverpool’s Pride

Join thousands of people across the city for a day of joy, music, community, and colour. From the streets to the stages, Liverpool’s Pride 2026 is a celebration of who we are, who we love, and everything we stand for.

Your host for the day is the incomparable Debbie Darling, one of Liverpool’s most beloved characters, keeping the energy high, the laughs coming, and the whole thing moving from start to finish.

This year’s lineup brings together some of the most iconic names in LGBTQ+ culture. The multi award-winning House of Suarez dance company bring their signature glamour, fierce performances, and theatrical magic to the main stage.

And if you grew up dancing in your bedroom in the ‘90s, get ready to lose it completely. Sonia is back, bringing every bop with her. Plus Jester Boy, unpredictable, electric, and guaranteed to have the crowd in the palm of his hand.

More acts will be announced soon.

Alongside our headliners, expect a packed programme of community performances, local acts, food, art, and everything that makes Liverpool’s Pride feel like home, whether it’s your first time or your fifteenth.

The Community Expo

The vibrant heart of Liverpool’s Pride

Hosted inside the LEX and organised by LCR Pride Foundation and Sahir House, the Community Expo brings together charities, community groups, independent traders, and brands under one roof.

Join us to connect, shop, and discover everything the Liverpool LGBTQ+ community has to offer.

Whether you’re looking to find local organisations, pick up something special from an independent maker, or simply soak up the community spirit, the Expo is not to be missed.

Get your tickets now.

Because Pride isn’t just a party, it’s a statement. And Liverpool makes it loud.

Storybarn Holiday Club

School’s out! Discover a Holiday Club with a difference. 

Every day we will venture out into the gorgeous Calderstones Park, dive into the realm of storytelling in the magical  Storybarn, play games and much more. 

Every ticket purchased  helps support our charitable work with children and young people across the UK. 

What the day looks like

Each day children will embark on new adventures with our Storyhunters, inspired through our diverse range of picture books. They will use their imagination to create new story worlds and characters as part of a team. Past activities have included knitting workshops inspired by the book Extra Yarn by John Klasson, a gardening workshop inspired by the picture book The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham or a session creating and decorating our own robot characters out of cardboard tubes after reading Nobot Robot by Sue Hendra. Each session is designed to be fun, playful and engaging and is adapted to suit a range of ages from 5-10 years old. We will be as one group for the entire day. 

 

All children are constantly supervised by members of our team who all have a valid and enhanced DBS check as well as safeguarding training.