Get ready for a joyful, next-generation Céilí. Movema dance company, in league with live-band Saltcutters, lead an evening of dance and music born from their experiences as multiple-heritage artists, working with Irish traditional forms in Liverpool, made in response to the Liverpool Irish Festival’s theme, I am here.
In the spirit of the old meanings of ‘Céilí’, ‘neighbour’, ‘visit’ or ‘gathering’, Movema and Saltcutters invite you to come together with your neighbours to celebrate our shared humanity through group dances that connect us to others and celebrate our similarities and our differences. Expect dances and tunes from Ireland, England, Scotland and beyond. Guests will also hear the surprising stories of how music and dance travel, adapt, change and upend what we think we know about identity.
No experience is needed. No partner is required. Everyone’s welcome to dance any role. The evening’s calling is gender-free, so instead of ‘ladies and gents’ you might hear terms like ‘larks and robins’ or ‘ones and twos’. Dance whichever part feels right for you. Ideal for ages 16 and above.
Ticket price includes a hearty Irish stew with vegan and gluten-free options and a bar will be operating serving refreshments.
Proceeds will go towards supporting Movema’s charitable work with women, children and resettled communities in Liverpool.For more ways to support and donate to Movema’s work with women, children, families & communities visit https://movema.co.uk/support-movema/
If you have any access needs or concerns or want to know more before you come? Get in touch: info@movema.co.uk
Book now!
Saturday, 17 October 2026
- 6.30–11pm
- St Bride’s Church, Percy St, Liverpool L8 7LT
- £20 (includes hearty Irish stew – vegan & GF options)
- No experience or partner needed – everyone welcome, all roles are gender-free.
- Ages 16+ (over 12s welcome to attend with an adult.
- Bar available.
- Proceeds support Movema’s charitable work with women, children and resettled communities in Liverpool.
Anfield People’s Cinema (APC), the volunteer-run community cinema that has hosted free monthly film screenings across Anfield since January 2025, is launching its first-ever film festival this month: The Anfield People’s Cinema Festival, running from Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th September.
The four-day festival will bring six screenings to five different venues across Anfield, with every screening free to attend, accompanied by a free meal sourced from local businesses, and an optional donation at the end to support future programming.
The festival has been made possible by funding from Cinema For All and local councillors, and, in keeping with APC’s founding ethos , has been entirely programmed and designed by a team of around 20 local volunteers, with the organisation’s two lead coordinators supporting behind the scenes with logistics and admin. From day one, APC’s vision has been for its audience to take the lead in shaping its programme, building skills in curation, event production and community organising along the way. This festival is the clearest expression of that vision yet.
The programme:
- Thursday 24 September, 7- 10pm — Letter to Brezhnev, a beloved Scouse ’80s classic
- Friday 25 September, 6:30–9:30pm — Back to the Future, a family screening
- Saturday 26 September, 1:30–4:30pm — The Long Day Closes, Terence Davies’ Liverpool masterpiece
- Saturday 26 September, 6:30–9:30pm — Kes, Ken Loach’s timeless classic
- Sunday 27 September, 1–3:30pm — Wolfwalkers, an Irish animated children’s screening
- Sunday 27 September, 6:30–9:30pm — Black Girl, the landmark Senegalese film
Full listings and free tickets are available via APC’s Linktree: linktr.ee/anfieldpeoplescinema
The festival launch comes as APC has been named a finalist for Emerging Community Cinema of the Year at the Cinema For All awards, recognition of the organisation’s rapid growth and impact since launching just 18 months ago.
About Anfield People’s Cinema
Anfield People’s Cinema is a volunteer-run community cinema based in Anfield, Liverpool. Since January 2025, it has hosted free monthly film screenings across the area, with a free meal provided at every event and an optional pay-what-you-can donation. APC is currently transitioning to a cooperative structure, with a long-term vision of building a permanent, community-owned cinema venue for Anfield.
This Autumn Equinox, the gardeners and cooks of the Grapes Community Food Garden welcome you to find your balance in our beautiful urban paradise! There’ll be garden tours, tasty food made from garden-grown produce, and delicious herbal teas.
We’re also hosting a mini harvest auction – to get our juices going for the Harvest Auction that evening! It’s also your chance too to see our Co-Labouring with Soil clay exhibition. Bring your friends and family for some gentle autumn lunchtime togetherness!
BlackFest returns for 2026 with an exciting line-up of artists and events, including 90s pop trailblazers Cleopatra, Ceramicist Nina Edge and Jamaican musician KingFast.
BlackFest is a grassroots Black Arts festival piloted and founded in 2018. The annual combined arts festival platforms, empowers and develops work by Black artists across community spaces and established venues running at the end of September. The programme includes music, theatre, film, visual arts spoken word and poetry across community spaces and established venues.
The L8 Activism Walking Tour invites you to take a stroll down the beautiful, tree-lined Victorian boulevard and explore the rich history of Liverpool 8 — the traditional home of the Black community since the mid-20th century. This tour traces the area’s development from its origins as a merchant-class neighbourhood in the mid-to-late 19th century, when Liverpool was considered the second city of the British Empire — its prominence largely built on the Transatlantic Slave Trade — through a period of economic decline, and finally to its resurgence as one of the most desirable places to live in 2025.
As the tour progresses, we cover the vibrant nightlife and culture of the 1950s and 60s and the Black and anti-racist activism that developed throughout the 1970s and early 1980s and which responded to local and international issues. We consider the discrimination faced by Liverpool’s Black community, which Lord Gifford in his enquiry into the causes of the 1981 uprisings, described as ‘uniquely horrific’ which brought worldwide media attention to the area. At the Rialto which, during the uprisings, was set ablaze, we view the area where battle lines were drawn and consider why certain buildings were targeted.
The L8 Activism Walking Tour culminates on the former site of the Liverpool 8 Law Center, an organisation which arose out of the ‘81 Uprisings and which played a key role in the support and empowerment of L8 and the Black communities and then onto empty plinth where William Huskinson once stood. Join us to find out what happened to him and much more history that you won’t find in books.
Starting point: Princes Park North Gates, L8 3TA
End point: Former site of Huskinson statue, Princes Road, L8 1TH
Testimonials
“The tour was excellent, really informative and guides were very well informed.”
“Fantastic. Would love more things like this.”
“Very good + interesting.”
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
After the success of Jim Stanton’s year-long Ulysses reading group, he returns with Sean O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy. Three plays, three evenings, three chances to laugh at people having a terrible time! Across the series, Jim will guide readers through The Shadow of a Gunman (12 Oct), Juno and the Paycock (2 Nov) and The Plough and the Stars (9 Nov), exploring the plays’ harsh realism, sharp humour and unflinching portraits of working-class Dublin.
O’Casey’s relationship with Ireland’s nationalist audiences and the Abbey Theatre was famously volatile. Were his unsparing satires of tenement life an authentic working-class perspective, or caricature that played into anti-Irish tropes? Come and argue it out.
Shared reading builds connection, sharpens language skills and supports mental well-being. Please note: booking is a commitment to all three sessions with limited spaces available.
Image credit: Sean Casey © Mina Turn (1924), colourised in Dola AI.
7:30pm
NIDA is an invitation to step away from the stresses and challenges of everyday life and to be welcomed into a world where beautiful and uplifting Kathak dance and soulful Indian music meet by the intimacy of candlelight.
This brand-new work is a guiding hand for those who have lost their way, illuminating the path and awakening inspiration.
Feel worries and uncertainties melt away as you are drawn to the intricate rhythms and melodies woven by dancer and musician as they perform. Featuring live music from the rare and hypnotic Santoor, this feel-good show is a treat for the senses and beautifully demonstrates the connection between music and dance
Be taken on an emotional journey through wordless storytelling, beatboxing, mime and percussive dance with upbeat audience interaction. Join our world-class artists for a nourishing, affirming and enriching experience that will stay with you.
Artists
Sonia Sabri MBE – Artistic Director, Choreographer and Kathak Dance Artist.
Sarvar Sabri – Musical Director, Composer and Tabla Maestro.
Gulfam Sabri – Vocals, Santoor and Harmonium.
Pulkit Sharma – Duff and Chendra drums
“Such an incredible musicality, it was impossible not to gaze in wonder and adoration.
An uplifting crescendo of music and dance”
~Dance Europe
“It was emotional, warm, honest and incredibly beautiful. In a world that is full of things
that we don’t know what’s real anymore, this was like pure gold.” ~ Audience Member
Presented by Milap.
Funded by Arts Council England.
Professor Stephen Small returns to Liverpool to launch Black History Month with a special discussion of his acclaimed new book, Black Liverpool: ‘the real thing’. West African, West Indian and Afro-American culture at the end of the twentieth century.
The 1970s saw giant waves of cultural and artistic creativity, resourcefulness and vision from individuals and organisations in Liverpool 8. The L8 community defiantly refused to accept the silence and denial around the city’s massive involvement in the slave trade and slavery; they refused to accept the silence and denial around how Liverpool exploited the people and lands of West Africa during slavery and imperialism. They refused to accept the lies and contempt for Africa and Africans inflicted upon them in Liverpool schools and schoolbooks. In other words, they refused to let them colonise their minds. Instead, they used their initiative, determination and perseverance, and they reached out to Afro-Americans, West Indians and (West) Africans, for motivation, inspiration, consciousness and self-respect.
Community elders shared insights into the truth about Liverpool’s role in slavery and imperialism. L8 residents listened to soul and funk music, to reggae, Calypso and West African music. They watched Shaft and Superfly, The Harder They Come and Rockers, and read books by Angela Davis, Huey P Newton and Walter Rodney. Some organisations and individuals highlighted how Black women were at the forefront of so many activities. Reggae music, the Rastafari movement, and L8 reggae sound systems enriched our lives with music, knowledge and faith. Visitors from America, Africa and the Caribbean came to the city to share knowledge and insights; and L8 residents visited America, the West Indies and nations across Africa to make connections and raise awareness. And the distinctive African presence in the city became more and more visible.
In this presentation – based on his recently published book – Black Liverpool: ‘the real thing’. West African, West Indian and Afo-American culture at the end of the twentieth century – Professor Small brings to life the memories and achievements of the L8 community; and highlights some of the people and organisations that made them happen. Professor Small’s book draws on interviews with over seventy people and on information from documents and reports produced by the organisations themselves. This is a story that has never been told in full before. It is Liverpool 8’s legacy. And it is a stark reminds that no history of Black Britain is complete without a history of Black Liverpool.
Date: October 1st
Time: 7pm
Venue: Kuumba Imani Millenium Centre
Tickets £5
[Photo credit Dave Clay]
Physical Fest is Liverpool’s international festival of contemporary physical theatre, celebrating some of the world’s most exciting visual and movement-based performance.
Produced by Tmesis Theatre, the festival brings bold new work from across the globe to the North for the first time, alongside a vibrant seven-day programme of performances, workshops and events. This year, they’re delighted to present the performance programme at Unity Theatre, featuring an exciting mix of clowning, physical theatre and circus from Belgium and Italy, captivating Japanese physical performance, and outstanding new work by local and national artists.
Full programme at:https://www.tmesistheatre.com/physical-fest/
What’s on?
Ungirlfriended | Peta Lilly Tuesday 8th September | 7:30pm
“Kurogo Me, Together!” | Izumi Ashizawa Wednesday 9th September | 6:00pm
Clown Double Bill Thursday 10th September | 7:30pm
Demonology: Tmesis Theatre and Lizzie Nunnery Friday 11th September | 7:30pm
PESSADILLA | Piergiorgio Milano Saturday 12th September | 7:30pm
UPON A STALE SUN | ZOE MCWHINNEY Saturday 12th September | 6:30pm
Female Bursaries/Training Company Sharing Wednesday 9th September | 8:00pm
Also explore their workshops here
As part of their UK wide Change the Scene tour, Club Soda are teaming up with Liverpool’s inclusive arts communities and showcasing three artists for their first appearances in Liverpool.
Performers from inclusive theatre company RAWD will introduce an action-packed line-up featuring Club Soda musicians Theophilus Ajayi, Luminous Starchild and DJ Flukey Dook.
Blue Room artist and musician Joshua Henderson will premiere his debut music video, inspired by the Bluecoat, while Young Blue Room artists will share their work and invite you to create your own prints.
Join us for a relaxed and joyful evening of music, dancing and making, where everyone is welcome.
General Admission: £7Carer / Essential Companion Ticket: £0
Ages 14+ (Young people aged 14-18 must be accompanied by an adult)
Easy read information can be found here.
