Sat 13 Sep, 11am – 4pm
Explore our open studios, meet some of the Bluecoat’s creative community and find out about their practices, which range from painting and photography to jewellery and illustration.
Free, drop in
Event type: Days Out
Garden Party
Join Lady Lever Art Gallery for a laid back family afternoon in our garden, on what they hope will be a sunny start to the summer holidays!
Head along for their story time, crafts and sand play.
Although they’ll be out on the grass we ask that beloved four legged furry friends are kept outside of the gates to ensure the space is kept clean and clear for children playing.
As they will be outdoors please remember to dress appropriately. If the typical English weather turns they’ll head indoors to their activity rooms instead.
Liverpool Philharmonic Open Day
Liverpool Philharmonic throws open its doors for a day filled with music! Everyone’s welcome, so drop in, enjoy a packed programme of musical taster sessions and experiences, and discover everything we’ve got on offer…
Whether you’re a regular, or you’ve never been to the Hall before, come along and explore a whole world of musical opportunities right on your doorstep.
This is a free event. Please note, there is no advance booking available for this event and seating is unreserved
Independents Biennial 2025: Preview
By Abbie Billington
Liverpool Biennial returns this summer once again showcasing cutting-edge contemporary visual art across the city region. Running alongside it is the Independents Biennial, with 22 newly commissioned works by 64 artists. Independents Biennial sets out to highlight the incredible work of the city’s grassroots artists, an integral part of the backbone of Liverpool’s creative scene.
Independent galleries and Liverpool’s creative networks are placed into the spotlight, as artists are given a chance to make a name for themselves in the UK’s largest and longest-running free festival of art, as well as celebrating Liverpool’s creativity and cultural significance.
What makes the Independents Biennial truly special is its commitment to non-traditional spaces. Art isn’t just confined to galleries – the festival utilises all spaces to showcase its artists work, including Hilbre Island off the coast of the Wirral, Belle Vale shopping centre and empty units in St Helens town centre. It celebrates the versatility of art, and how artists can use any space and turn anything into phenomenal, thought-provoking pieces of art.
Independents Biennial will span each of Liverpool’s six boroughs, with each location offering something unique and inspirational. Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens, Halton and Liverpool city centre will host these 64 independent artists and provide them and their work with a home for the summer.
Independents Biennial: Our Highlights
While the entire programme promises to be unforgettable, we’ve picked out a few exhibitions that are especially worth checking out…
The Right Map by Ghost Art School
You won’t want to miss The Right Map by Ghost Art School, a collective that exists between margins and creates art that challenges the conventions of traditional institutions. The Right Map is described as “a constellation of art exhibitions across Liverpool, unfolding under the banner of the Independents Biennial.” It brings together a series of exhibitions across the city region, including UNSTABLE in Port Sunlight, In Search of Swallows and Amazons in Kensington, Account in Birkenhead, and Slipstream on Blundell Street in the city centre.
Tom Stockley and Ruaíri Valentine
Building on this theme of place and disruption, Tom Stockley and Ruaíri Valentine bring their deep dive into Wirral psychogeography to the festival with Weird Wirral. Inspired by a gothic poem, the duo turns to folklore and legend, guiding us through the shorelines and landscapes of the Wirral to uncover traces of magic and forgotten stories hidden in the land.
Claire Beerjeraz
Meanwhile, at the Victoria Gallery, Claire Beerjeraz offers a powerful reflection on the legacies of colonialism and slavery. Their multidisciplinary exhibition explores how these histories are displayed, contained, and remembered within institutional spaces. With a tapestry of spoken word and clay, Claire weaves together personal and collective memory, urging us to look beneath the surface of memorials and museum walls—and to reimagine how art institutions can hold space for difficult truths.
Amy Flynn Technofossils
In another standout piece, artist Amy Flynn invites us to consider the legacy of our modern waste through Technofossils—human-made objects and materials that will persist in the geological record for millions of years. Her pewter cast sculptures are deliberately alluring at first glance: sparkling gemstones and shiny metals entice the viewer in. But look closer, and you’ll find the contours of outdated mobile phones and discarded plastic food containers—rubbish masquerading as treasure. This journey through desire and disgust mimics the cycle of consumerism, exploring themes of duality: artificial/organic, worthless/precious, temporary/permanent, growth/decay.
Venus in Transit: A Cosmic Journey Through Liverpool
Explore Liverpool’s history through a cosmic lens in this bold, multi-part project that blends astrology, storytelling, and live art. Back in 1639, Toxteth-born astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks became the first person to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun—a pivotal moment in the history of astronomy. In astrology, Venus is associated with beauty and creativity, and this project asks how these Venusian themes have helped shape Liverpool’s identity across the centuries. This is part one of a collaboration between Independents Biennial and the Museum of Liverpool’s Global City series—and promises to be an unforgettable deep dive into the city’s star-studded past and artistic present.
Discover the full Independents Biennial programme
Independents Biennial will take place across Liverpool from 7 June to 14 September 2025. This year’s festival is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet. With so much to explore, experience, and be inspired by, Independents Biennial is a must for anyone looking to make the most of the city’s creative summer—it’s definitely at the top of our plans!
Visit independentsbiennial.com/events to explore the latest announcements, event details, and artist highlights.
Liverpool Biennial 2025: Preview
Liverpool Biennial returns this summer, transforming the city with bold and thought-provoking contemporary art across public spaces, galleries, and unexpected venues.
What is Liverpool Biennial?
Founded in 1998, Liverpool Biennial is the UK’s largest free festival of contemporary art. Since then, it’s presented over 560 artists and created nearly 400 artworks — many of which remain permanently in the city, like Liverpool Mountain at the Albert Dock or The Hummingbird Clock in Derby Square and even The Dazzle Ferry that takes visitors too and from the Wirral every day. The Biennial has presented work by over 560 leading artists, delivered 34 collaborative neighbourhood projects, and received over 50 million visits.
2025 Theme: BEDROCK
This year’s theme is BEDROCK, inspired by Liverpool’s sandstone geology and its deeper social foundations — from family and heritage to community and colonial legacies.
Liverpool Biennial curator, Marie-Anne McQuay said: “The city’s geological foundations and its psyche have provided the starting point for the conversations of Liverpool Biennial 2025, with the invited artists bringing us their own definition of ‘BEDROCK’.”
Three Programme Weekends
The festival unfolds across three key weekends, each focusing on a different layer of BEDROCK:
- 7–8 June: Civic and colonial history
- 25–27 July: Family and the things that ground us
- 12–14 September: Geology and the passage of time
Liverpool Biennial 2025 events and exhibitions:
Here is an insight in what kind of artwork and artists to expect at this year’s Liverpool Biennial 2025.
Outdoor Works:
- Alice Rekab — A multi-city (Liverpool and Edinburgh) billboard project with students, exploring identity and belonging. In partnership with Edinburgh Art Festival. (Liverpool ONE).
- Anna Gonzalez-Noguchi — Botanical-themed sculpture inspired by the historical import of ‘foreign’ plants into Liverpool, engraved with records of the city’s botanical collections. (Mann Island).
- Petros Moris — Mosaic works inspired by abandoned playgrounds and personal history (The Oratory, Liverpool Cathedral).
- Isabel Nolan — A steel and concrete sculpture inspired by a drawing of a stained-glass window held in the St Nicholas Pro-Cathedral archive and the leadwork in the windows of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral’s Lutyens Crypt. (St Johns Gardens)
Further works will be exhibited in some unexpected places around the streets of Liverpool:
Anna Gonzalez-Noguchi – Eurochemist, Berry Street.
ChihChung Chang 張致中 – Chinatown.
Kara Chin – Berry Street.
Odur Ronald – SEVENSTORE, Jamaica Street.
Liverpool Biennial 2025 Venues
Bluecoat
The artists at Bluecoat will be focusing on family, chosen family and the cultural heritage which they carry with them and that grounds them.
- Alice Rekab – A layered installation on intergenerational Irish, Black and Multi-Heritage family life.
- Petros Moris – Mosaic work exploring cultural memory, also on view at Walker Art Gallery.
- Amy Claire Mills – Interactive, sensory installation and performance prioritising disability representation.
- Amber Akaunu – New film Dear Other Mother exploring matriarchal community in Toxteth.
- Odur Ronald – Large installation of aluminium passports reflecting African migration.
- ChihChung Chang 張致中 – Ship model-based work reflecting family and naval history, also at Pine Court.
FACT
- Kara Chin – Interactive installation combining urban motifs with manga and gaming aesthetics.
- DARCH – Sound and ceramic work with Sefton residents about land, roots and belonging.
- Linda Lamignan – Film exploring animism, palm oil extraction and Nigeria–Liverpool histories.
Liverpool Cathedral
- Ana Navas – Glass collages inspired by historic female portraiture and local embroidery archives.
- Maria Loizidou – Crocheted tapestry of migratory birds highlighting themes of migration and survival
Liverpool Central Library
- Dawit L. Petros – Dawit presents a research project at Liverpool Central Library that aims to re-read a historic military expedition to the River Nile from 1884-1885 – a British-led expedition which included 379 Voyageurs from across Canada and Quebec including French Canadians, Western Canadians and First Nations. The installation, which has been developed through a residency at Liverpool John Moore’s University, includes sound, video, books and archive material gathered and created in response to Liverpool’s own archives related to shipping and empire.
Open Eye Gallery
- Nandan Ghiya – Sculptural photographs inspired by Hindu mythology and colonial resource extraction.
- Widline Cadet – Photographic exploration of Haitian-American diasporic memory.
- Katarzyna Perlak – Horror-inspired queer film set in Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel. Co-created with local award-winning filmmaking organisation First Take and participants from their REEL: Queer programme, the film adopts a non-linear, poetic narrative and references the genre of horror to explore longing and Queer identity.
Pine Court
- Karen Tam 譚嘉文 – Multimedia piece on Cantonese opera and sonic memory in diaspora.
- ChihChung Chang 張致中 – Charcoal rubbing artwork depicting Liverpool’s Chinese Arch. The resulting film documenting the process will be exhibited at Pine Court.
Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
- Hadassa Ngamba – Congo cartography-inspired paintings using colonially extracted materials.
- Mounira Al Solh – Drawings based on dialogues with displaced communities.
- Fred Wilson – African flag paintings stripped of colour to question identity and representation.
- Sheila Hicks – Textile ‘memory balls’ made from garments of friends and family.
- Christine Sun Kim – Infographic drawings on sound, communication and Deaf culture.
- Where the Work Begins – A display curated by RIBA that explores the connection between art and architecture.
Further highlights include sculptural works by Cevdet Erek which measure the passing of time and relationships, photography and sculpture by Dawit L Petros and a new textile work by Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic.
The Black-E
- Elizabeth Price – Film on post-war Catholic Modernist churches and architectural trauma.
Walker Art Gallery
- Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic – Concrete Roots, textile and dub-based installation on resilience.
- Leasho Johnson – Vivid paintings challenging narratives around the Black queer body.
- Nour Bishouty – Multimedia work on tourism, memory and fictional landscapes.
- Jennifer Tee – Tulip-petal collages inspired by Tampan textile patterns.
Further highlights include cast resin works of Dream Stones by Karen Tam 譚嘉文; a new, large-scale textile and embroidery work by Katarzyna Perlak; wall-based works by Cevdet Erek inspired by football stadia layouts; paintings and tapestries of fictional landscapes by Isabel Nolan; and a mosaic work by Petros Moris presented in the Sculpture Gallery.
20 Jordan Street
- Cevdet Erek – Immersive sound installation replicating the energy of a football stadium.
- Imayna Caceres – Clay-based installation imagining Liverpool’s lifeforce through mud and nature.
Learning Activities
For families, a storybook designed with input from attendees at Liverpool Biennial’s regular family workshops at Liverpool Central Library, will help children and young people explore ‘BEDROCK’. Elsewhere, artist-led workshops, inspired by Biennial projects will happen throughout the summer holidays.
For schools and the wider community, the Liverpool Biennial Learning Programme also includes a selection of online and physical resources developed with teachers across the city to bring Liverpool Biennial 2025 to life in the classroom.
To find out more about the full Liverpool Biennial programme and plan your visit, head to the Liverpool Biennial website.
To discover more events happening across the Liverpool city region visit our What’s On listings.
9 Things To Do In May Half Term In Liverpool and The City Region
Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained this May half term in Liverpool? Whether you’re staying local or heading into the city for a day out, there’s a packed programme of free and low-cost family events happening across Liverpool and the wider region. From musical mornings and interactive theatre to hands-on science shows and crafty workshops, there’s something to spark every imagination. Here’s our top pick of activities that promise fun, creativity and adventure for children of all ages – without breaking the bank.
1. Mini Maestros, Everyman Theatre Cafe (17 May – 28 June)
Mini Maestros is an excellent music session for 0-5s on Saturday mornings. The session is an interactive, multi-sensory music workshop for children and their grown-ups.
With percussion, signing and dance, the sessions present an engaging platform for children to explore sound and song whilst learning and having fun! Head along on Saturday mornings and join them making music at the Everyman Theatre Cafe.
Mini Maestros is run by RISE Music Education CIC, a local collective of professional musicians working to deliver engaging creative arts projects in the community.
2. Fowl Play – May Half Term Workshops, Tate Liverpool + RIBA North (24 May – 4 June)
Swoop into Tate Liverpool’s Learning Space this half term holiday for free Fowl Play avian art activities!
Flock together for crafty family fun, constructing multi-coloured replicas of your favourite birds. Play with print stamping blocks and collage to recreate intricate feathered patterns and textures. Using their easy-to-follow templates, make a 3-D model of your bird and dive into their pick ‘n’ mix recycled craft box to add finishing touches to personalise your bird.
There will be a free facilitated workshop on Thursday 29 May from 14.00-16.00 led by artist Colette Whittington.
3. Animal adventures – Little Liverpool special, Museum of Liverpool (27 May)
Are you ready to explore the wild world of animals? Welcome to Animal adventures! Join Museum of Liverpool’s animal-themed Little Liverpool special combining a visit to the popular Little Liverpool gallery, with extra animal-themed activities for their younger visitors to enjoy.
Animal adventures takes place on Tuesday mornings at 11.15am and on Sunday afternoons at 2.15pm.
4. Beanstalk! Shakespeare North Playhouse (27 May)
Beanstalk! is a fantastic tale for kids, big kids and everyone in between! Stuffed with outlandish mischief, magic, music and maybe a bean sprout or two…
Jack is stuck working in his Mum’s greengrocers and all he wants is to go on adventures! When a huge beanstalk starts sprouting between the shelves – maybe the biggest adventure isn’t so far away after all!
A classic slice of family theatre and ideal for a half term visit.
5. Aquarium Behind The Scenes Tour, World Museum (27 / 28 May)
Ever wanted to know what it takes to look after all the amazing animals in the World Museum’s aquarium? Wonder no more! Why not book onto this 20 minute Aquarium Behind The Scenes Guided Tour with one of the museum’s knowledgeable aquarium team members.
You’ll be taken into their back of house facilities to see how they look after the animals in their care. Each tour will have a maximum of 10 visitors and is for years 6+. They also ask for a minimum ratio of 3 children to 1 adult.
6. Big Art special: Art Sparks, Walker Art Gallery (27, 28 and 31 May)
Spark your creativity and have fun with Walker Art Gallery’s fabulous friendly facilitators in Big Art special: Art Sparks! Big Art is a very special place for young children and their grown ups to discover arty things together.
Explore your creativity as a family with their special facilitated activities and make a marvellous masterpiece to take home. Plus you’ll have some time to explore Big Art and all the wonderful resources for yourself.
There is a small charge of £2 per child with up to two accompanying adults who can attend free of charge.
7. Garden Cyanotypes: Family Print Session, Bluecoat (28 May)
Join Bluecoat as they explore this photographic printing process in a Family Friendly Print Session. Collect leaves and flowers from their beautiful spring garden to create your prints, or you can bring your own.
A cyanotype is a blue print made by placing an object on paper coated with iron salts. The silhouette of the object is transferred onto the paper as it is exposed to light, and appears after washing the paper in water. Suitable for ages 3+, just drop-in on the day.
8. Pirates Love Underpants, Liverpool Playhouse Theatre (28 – 31 May)
Pirates Love Underpants is based on the beloved book by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. Join their swashbuckling party of pirates on their quest to find the fabled Pants of Gold for the Captain’s Treasure chest!
Dodge hungry crocs beneath Long-John Bridge, bob upon the waves of Big Knickers Bay, spot sharks in fancy underpants and trek across Three Pants Ridge.
Filled with music, puppetry and glittering pants of gold, arrr you ready to set sail for a family adventure?
9. Exciting Science, The Atkinson (30 May)
This brand new, Exciting Science educational show will amaze and astound all ages from 4 years and upwards, as they put the ‘Exciting’ back into ‘Science’.
With fun and fact filled experiments, watch in amazement as they recreate a volcanic eruption; turn a vacuum cleaner into a missile launcher or take aim at you with their smoke blaster!
So, stand clear and prepare to be amazed!
For even more things to do in Easter half term in Liverpool and the city region check out our What’s On Listings.
MAKE YOUR OWN CYANOTYPE JOURNAL
MAKE YOUR OWN CYANOTYPE JOURNAL
with Little Vintage Photography and Paper & Spine
Date: Friday 6th June 2025
Time: 9.30AM – 5.00PM
Location: BALTIC CREATIVE CAMPUS, LIVERPOOL L1 0AH
Join us for a day of creativity in a great location at the centre of Liverpool’s vibrant creative quarter!
Learn new skills in a relaxed and friendly space with experienced practitioners. Have fun making your own A5 hand-bound journal with beautiful blue and white cyanotype print detail.
Work with analogue photographer and darkroom educator Little Vintage Photography, who will introduce you to the beauty of Victorian cyanotype prints. You will then make your own cyanotype paper and create your own prints. Then, with artist facilitator Paper & Spine, learn how to incorporate your cyanotype prints along with other decorative paper and materials to create a unique 120 page hand-bound journal with a soft-cover.
You will
– Mix chemistry and learn how to make your own cyanotype paper
– Create beautiful cyanotype sun-prints and a bookmark!
– Make personalised ‘signatures’ from your cyanotypes and other decorative papers
– Add a hidden pocket!
– Hand-stitch and bind your pages to a soft vegan-leather cover
– Add a secure fastening.
No previous experience necessary. Small group workshop with limited places.
18+
All Tuition and materials are included and tea, coffee & cake.
£140.00
For Bookings & Info https://www.
or Email rachel@
Gift Vouchers are available. Email: workshops@paperandspine.co.uk
MAKE YOUR OWN CYANOTYPE JOURNAL
MAKE YOUR OWN CYANOTYPE JOURNAL
with Little Vintage Photography and Paper & Spine
Date: Friday 6th June 2025
Time: 9.30AM – 5.00PM
Location: BALTIC CREATIVE CAMPUS, LIVERPOOL L1 0AH
Join us for a day of creativity in a great location at the centre of Liverpool’s vibrant creative quarter.
Learn new skills in a relaxed and friendly space with experienced practitioners. Have fun making your own A5 hand-bound journal with beautiful blue and white cyanotype print detail.
Work with analogue photographer and darkroom educator Little Vintage Photography, who will introduce you to the beauty of Victorian cyanotype prints. You will then make your own cyanotype paper and create your own prints. Then, with artist facilitator Paper & Spine, you will learn how to incorporate your cyanotype prints along with other decorative paper and materials and create a unique 120 page journal with a soft-cover and fastening.
You will
– Mix chemistry and learn how to make your own cyanotype paper
– Create beautiful cyanotype sun-prints and a bookmark!
– Make personalised ‘signatures’ from your cyanotypes and other decorative papers
– Add a hidden pocket!
– Hand-stitch and bind your pages to a soft vegan-leather cover
– Add a secure fastening.
No previous experience necessary. Small group workshop with limited places.
18+
Included: All Tuition and materials. Tea, coffee & cake
£140.00
For Bookings & Info https://www.littlevintagephotography.co.uk/cyanotype-journal/
or Email rachel@littlevintagephotography.co.uk
Gift Vouchers are available. Email: workshops@paperandspine.co.uk
Animal adventures – Little Liverpool special
Are you ready to explore the wild world of animals? Welcome to animal adventures!
Join our animal-themed Little Liverpool special combining a visit to the popular Little Liverpool gallery with extra animal-themed activities for our younger visitors to enjoy.
Little Liverpool special sessions have a limited number of tickets available so we recommend that you book in advance. Tickets cost £2 per child (aged 5 years and under) with a maximum of two accompanying adults and can be booked below or in person at the Museum of Liverpool.
Animal adventures takes place on Tuesday mornings at 11.15am and on Sunday afternoons at 2.15pm.
Liverpool Biennial Family Workshops at Liverpool Central Library
We’ll be storyboarding, collaging and diving into the inspiring work of Liverpool Biennial artists, creating ideas for our Liverpool Biennial 2025 Children’s Guide. Your artwork and ideas could be featured as part of the guide!
Whether you’re a budding artist or simply looking for a fun family activity, this workshop is a fantastic opportunity to unleash your creativity.
Workshops will take place at Liverpool Central Library on the below dates:
Saturday 7th December 2024, 11am-4pm
Saturday 4th January 2025, 12pm-4pm
Saturday 1st February 2025, 12pm – 4pm
Saturday 1st March 2025, 12pm – 4pm
Saturday 5th April 2025, 12pm – 4pm
Saturdays 3rd May 2025, 12pm – 4pm
Saturday 7th June 2025, 12pm – 4pm
Drop in anytime for a day of exploration and artistic expression.
We can’t wait to see you there!