Event type: Festival

The Druids

The Druids Irish Folk Band are back with another master show, featuring captivating new blends of traditional Irish folk music and storytelling. This type of performance highlights the band’s rich musical heritage, weaving together timeless Irish ballad songs with the powerful narratives that have been passed down through generations.

The combination of music and stories would give audiences a deep dive into Ireland’s cultural history, offering a mix of lively jigs, heartfelt ballads and tales that reflect the country’s folklore, struggles, and triumphs. Irish folk bands often use this format to connect with their audiences on a more emotional level, while also providing an immersive, entertaining experience.

Mr Blackpool | Homotopia Festival 2025

7:30pm

Mr Blackpool is a seaside rave at the end of the world. A brand new theatrical installation from award-winning theatre maker Harry Clayton-Wright embedding the history of ‘end of the pier’ entertainment, cabaret, variety, drag and dance music. Exploring the past and future of this iconic seaside town through a contemporary performance lens, come prepared to dance, sweat and escape into this tongue-in-cheek extravaganza.

Created and performed in collaboration with Oliver Gregory, aka Miss Titty Kaka, an international showgirl sensation who started their performance career at Blackpool drag institution Funny Girls when they were 18 years old. Also featuring Aish Bell Docherty and Sam Bell Docherty on the decks and on stage. A married dancing duo from Blackpool whose work has been seen on stage and screen.

Material (developed and created in a recent research and development process at ACCA in October 2024), will be performed and tested for the first time with an audience in an exciting evening of presentation and conversation, including a post performance Q&A with the artists.
Commissioned and presented by Marlborough Productions and Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts. Research and development commissioned by Marlborough Productions, Homotopia, Shoreditch Town Hall and Cambridge Junction with support from The Old Electric and using public funding by Arts Council England

An Evening with Dross | Homotopia Festival 2025

7:30pm

In a time defined by division – what might happen if we allow ourselves space to dream? How do the stories we tell to & about ourselves shape the world around us? How might the voices of our queer ancestors forge our future?
Having cut her teeth across the UK cabaret circuit developing a unique performance style that blends spectacle with deep vulnerability, these are the questions at the heart of Dross’ solo theatrical debut. It’s a show about radical empathy, deep listening & re-membering ourselves.

Weaving a thread that is equal parts biography and fantasy – AN EVENING WITH DROSS is a kaleidoscopic multimedia patchwork that seamlessly blends film, physical theatre and lip-sync – ‘elevating the craft of Drag into a place of collective hallucination’.
Dross’ physical performance is the locus of this work, acting as a conduit for forgotten and familiar voices from queer activism & cultural history. Here, the Drag Queen is repositioned as a living archive; a way-finder in a constellation of contradictions.
Audiences have called it a ‘masterclass in the art of lip-sync’, a ‘queer séance’, an ‘intelligent and thoughtful reflection on LGBTQ+ identity and community’ & ‘beautiful, smart and hilarious in waves.’

The project was developed with the kind support of FACT Studio/Labs & Homotopia QueerCore artist development programme. First scratched as part of the Homotopia QueerCore showcase at the Everyman Theatre, & then at QUARRY, Liverpool in August 2023. Since then, working iterations/excerpts of the show have been presented at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Preston Fringe, & at None of the Above Cabaret: In Conversation with Travis Alabanza.

The completed work has been presented as part of Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival, The Arts Centre, Edge Hill University & at The Divine, London. We are looking to tour the work nationally from Autumn 2025 into 2026.
DROSS is a neurodiverse, queer performance maker, activist, producer and scholar, living and working in the Liverpool City Region. She was Director & Co-Producer for EAT ME (Liverpool’s radical queer performance collective & production house) from 2019 to 2024. Most recently she starred in Katarzyna Perlak’s art film The Land Beneath Sleeps Lightly presented for Liverpool Biennial 2025.

She has produced, hosted and presented work in an array of queer performance contexts nationally – including galleries, clubs, festivals & theatres. In 2023 she hosted the Liverpool Eurovision Finale party at Pier Head for 20,000 revellers. She has recently produced the sixth month drag and queer performance artist development/incubator project Pink Pony Club, for emerging queer performance makers in Liverpool nightlife.

Her contemporaries (many of which also EAT ME alumni) include Sharon le Grand, Lasana Shabazz, Dan Chan, Midgitte Bardot, Franz Genau & Auntie Climax.
She is interested in horror, camp, magic & liberation. She is an interdisciplinary magpie, with wanton disregard for genre & form.

 

CREATIVE TEAM:
Devised and performed by Dross
Dramaturgy: Alice Holland
Script Advisor: Brendan Curtis
Musical Elements: Emily Meghan Lansley & Alex Germains
Animation Elements: Laura Spark
Costuming: Lizzie Biscuits
Show Manager(s) Danielle Scharpf & Evyn Seaton-Mooney

Liverpool Literary Festival 2025

The University of Liverpool’s Liverpool Literary Festival is back to celebrate a major milestone – its 10th anniversary.Taking place from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 October 2025, the Festival brings together bestselling authors, sharp minds, and passionate readers for a weekend of inspiring conversation, readings, and a shared love of literature.

Headlining the 2025 programme is Mark Kermode – renowned writer, film critic, and musician – who will appear in conversation with collaborator Jenny Nelson. The pair will discuss their forthcoming book, Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music.

Liverpool Literary Festival 2025: full line-up

Bestselling author Emma Jane Unsworth in conversation

Friday 17 October, 6pm, £12 

BAFTA-nominated and BIFA-winning screenwriter Emma Jane Unsworth opens the Festival with her acclaimed new novel Slags, a Vogue ‘Book of the Summer’. A University of Liverpool alumna, Unsworth is known for Animals, The Outlaws, and The Buccaneers, and is currently developing Slags for TV. Emma will be in conversation with Dr Danny O’Connor, Colm Tóibín Lecturer in Creative Writing.

How do we write about the Climate Crisis? John Ironmonger discusses his new novel The Wager and the Bear

Saturday 18 October, 10am, £8 

Author, zoologist and alumnus, John Ironmonger joins the Festival to discuss his latest novel The Wager and the Bear, a gripping tale of a dangerous bet and climate collapse.Best known for the international bestseller Not Forgetting the Whale, Ironmonger’s work explores environmental themes. He’ll be in conversation with Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics, Dr Jessica Hampton.

Exterminate/Regenerate: blowing your understanding of the Doctor Who universe wide open

Saturday 18 October, 1pm, £8

Writer, journalist and cultural historian, John Higgs discusses the hidden history behind one of the UK’s most beloved shows, Doctor Who.

The author of books on topics such as The Beatles, James Bond, William Blake and The KLF, Higgs will focus on his latest book Exterminate/Regenerate: The Story of Doctor Who – the first biography of the Time Lord. Interviewing Higgs will be Dr Matthew Bradley, Senior Lecturer in English Literature.

Fundamentally: Nussaibah Younis exploring love, radicalism and identity

Saturday 18 October, 2.30pm, £8 

Peacebuilding expert Dr Nussaibah Younis discusses her satirical novel Fundamentally – shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction – which follows an academic tasked with rehabilitating women linked to ISIS.Younis is a former Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a widely published commentator on Iraq.

Searching for My Slave Roots with Malik Al Nasir

Saturday 18 October, 4pm, £10

Liverpool-born author, poet, and filmmaker Malik Al Nasir reads from his new book Slave Roots: From Gyana’s sugar plantations to Cambridge – published in August this year.Born in Liverpool to mixed parentage, Malik started tracing his roots back through Caribbean slavery over 20 years ago. His acclaimed research has earned recognition from leading historians and institutions.

Juno Dawson: talking witchcraft and confronting the good and evil in Human Rites

Saturday 18 October, 5.30pm, £10

Juno Dawson joins Dr Matthew Bradley to discuss Human Rites, the long-awaited final instalment to her number one bestselling fantasy series Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. 

Dawson is a novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and a columnist for Attitude magazine, whose books include the global bestsellers This Book is Gay and Clean. She won the 2020 YA Book Prize for Meat Market.

She also writes for television, including the much-praised ‘Interstellar Song Contest’ episode of Doctor Who, and has multiple shows in development both in the UK and US.

The stories of movie music: Mark Kermode and Jenny Nelson, on their new book Surround Sound

Saturday 18 October, 7pm, £12 

Mark Kermode, one of the UK’s most recognisable film critics, discusses his forthcoming book Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music.

Co-authored with radio producer Jenny Nelson, Surround Sound is a deep dive into the world of movie soundtracks, giving an insight into the emotional connection audiences form with film music.

As well as an award-winning film critic, Mark is a musician and radio and television presenter and hosts a popular film review podcast Kermode & Mayo’s Take with former BBC Radio broadcaster Simon Mayo.

Short Story competition winners – staff and student categories

Sunday 19 October, 10am, FREE

Join Dr Danny O’Connor, Colm Tóibín Lecturer in Creative Writing, for a special event celebrating the winners and runners-up of the Liverpool Literary Festival Short Story Competition.

This year’s theme was ‘anniversaries’, marking the Festival’s 10th year. Writers submitted stories of up to 1,500 words, with the very best published in an online anthology.

This competition, sponsored by Liverpool ONE, was judged by a panel including Festival Director Professor Greg Lynall, King Alfred Chair in English Literature.

The event will also feature readings from this year’s School of the Arts Literary Magazine.

Adele Zeynep Walton discusses Logging Off: The Human Cost of Our Digital World

Sunday 19 October, 11.30am £8

Journalist Adele Zeynep grew up online, building a career through social media – but after losing her sister to online harm, she began questioning the digital world’s impact.She joins the Festival to discuss her powerful new book Logging Off, in conversation with Dr Mark McGlashan, an expert on the language of online safeguarding.

Hattie Williams, in conversation about her debut novel Bitter Sweet

Sunday 19 October, 1pm, £8

Musician-turned-publisher Hattie Williams joins the Festival to discuss her debut novel Bitter Sweet – a gripping story of power, control, and silence in relationships.After touring Europe and releasing three albums, Hattie spent over a decade in publishing. Her second novel, Beginning. Middle. End., is already in the works.

The impact of crimes and abuse on families: Dorothy Koomson discusses her latest novel Give Him To Me

Sunday 19 October, 2.30pm, £10

Bestselling author Dorothy Koomson joins Senior Lecturer in English Literature, Dr Melissa Raines. Here Koomson will discuss her latest thriller Give Him To Me, out in paperback this August, and the theme of domestic abuse that runs through much of her work.

With over 2.5 million UK sales, Koomson is a literary trailblazer, featured on the 2021 Powerlist as one of the most influential Black people in Britain and was a former Women’s Prize judge.

Chris Shepherd takes us along Anfield Road, his debut graphic novel

Sunday 19 October, 4pm, £10

Artist and filmmaker Chris Shepherd joins Senior Lecturer in English Literature Dr David Hering to discuss his acclaimed debut graphic novel Anfield Road – a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Liverpool and named Observer Graphic Novel of the Month.

Shepherd’s award-winning career spans film, music, and teaching, with British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) and BAFTA recognition and collaborations with artists including Holly Johnson, and Reverend and the Makers.

Simon Hughes: Chasing Salah – the biography

Sunday 19 October, 5.30pm, £10

Simon Hughes is an award-winning journalist and author and covers Merseyside football for The New York Times’ The Athletic.He joins this year’s Festival to discuss his new book Chasing Salah, a definitive biography of Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah, the most famous Egyptian footballer in the history of the sport.

His book Red Machine won the Antonio Ghirelli Prize for Italian Soccer Foreign Book of the Year 2014, and his other titles include Secret Diary of a Liverpool Scout, Men in White Suits and Ring of Fire.

 

 

LA FERIA 2025

 

La Feria is the North of England’s leading International Festival of Latin American Arts & Culture, returning from 1 – 5 October 2025 with an extraordinary festival that unites people through the power of creativity, diversity and culture.

The theme for this year’s event is “Experience, Belong, Celebrate” with audiences invited to dive into a vibrant celebration of Latin American music, art and culture.

The festival will feature thought-provoking theatre, an exhibition of Latin American artists’ work and past festivals, a takeover of World Museum Liverpool, and a chance to experience the sounds and taste of the continent with authentic workshops, traders and cuisine at The Black-E.

From powerful live music to stories that stir the soul, the events have been curated by Liverpool’s own Luma Creations to transport audiences across borders and ‘connect them with the beating heart of Latin America’.

La Feria is more than a festival—it’s a cultural bridge, a meeting point for the Latin American diaspora, the Liverpool City Region, and audiences from across the UK. It’s a space where heritage is honoured, stories are shared, and everyone is welcome.

Discover the full programme and join them for a truly unforgettable celebration. Everyone is welcome. Let’s celebrate together.

Latin American Artists Exhibition 1st – 31st October, Stable Gallery, St George’s Hall, FREE

Storytelling, Music & Poetry: La Charawilla & Eating Myself 1st October, Unity Theatre, £16.50

Antonio Monasterio Ensamble and Saranne 2nd October, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music Room, £19/£16/£14

Grupo Luma & Seba Barrientos Trío 3rd October, The British Music Experience, £16.50

Museum Takeover & Entrada 4th October, World Museum LiverpoolFREE

Kumbia Boruka & Chapuline 4th October, Future Yard, £16.50

A Taste of Latin America 5th October, The Black-E, FREE

You can also read our La Feria 2025 feature here

 

 

 

Trustee Recruitment

Liverpool Irish Festival is seeking skilled, experienced and enthusiastic individuals to join our Board of Trustees.

Do you possess the vision, time and commitment to help shape the future of LivIrishFest? We’re a dynamic forward-looking organisation looking to build on our annual Festival and year-round heritage offers.
Help us to flourish
Liverpool and Ireland’s powerful connection fires our project. You may have exactly the skills we need to move forward and thrive. Expressions of interest welcome until 14 Sept 2025. More details can be found here: https://www.liverpoolirishfestival.com/engage/board-trustee-vacancies.

 

Volunteering Opportunity

We are seeking volunteers for this year’s Liverpool Irish Festival.
Each year, our amazing volunteers bring their unique energy, warmth and knowledge to LivIrishFest. This year will be no exception… Volunteers are the ‘welcoming face’ of the Festival and the practical lynchpins behind the scenes. If you feel that you could be part of 2025’s cohort then don’t hesitate to apply!
Welcome!
This year’s Festival runs 16-26 October. We’d love to have you on the team. The closing date for applications is midnight, Sun 14 Sept 2025. You’ll find all the information you need here: https://www.liverpoolirishfestival.com/engage/volunteer.

 

British Science Festival

The British Science Association, founders of the British Science Festival, have announced the programme for the 194th annual celebration of science, running in Liverpool from 10-14 September 2025.

From comedy shows to art installations, dynamic performances to hands-on workshops, insightful talks to interactive experiences, the British Science Festival programme of over 100 events is FREE and has something for everyone.

Booking is open now at www.britishsciencefestival.org.

Talks by influencer and Bionic Arm ambassador Tilly Lockey, leading geneticist Giles Yeo, and Time Team genealogist Sophie Kay; artwork made from thousands of human teeth; and a carnival style dance performance on the theme of migratory birds are just some of the highlights of this year’s Festival.

Earth Scientist Anjana Khatwa, mathematician Kit Yates, and engineer Robin Saxby are also among the speakers lined up for this year’s event.

Working in partnership with the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, the British Science Association is bringing its flagship event to the city of Liverpool for the first time since 2008.

The Festival celebrates science in all its varied forms, including health and sport, space, forensics, animals and nature, psychology and lots more.

The British Science Festival is one of Europe’s longest-running science festivals and is hosted at a different location each year. The Festival provides a platform for scientists and social scientists, innovators and inventors, researchers and artists, to share their work to the public.

From the 10 – 14 September 2025, the Festival takes place at cultural venues across Liverpool city centre, the docks and university campuses.

Many of the Festival’s events sees scientists working in collaboration with local community groups, collectives and creatives. This year’s Festival also includes two co-commissioned performances in partnership with the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art exploring the theme of ‘BEDROCK’.

Talks and experiences from Liverpool’s host universities include:

A city centre walking tour uncovering connections between science and slavery in Liverpool; a collaborative mapping of Liverpool’s music scene; a talk and creative workshop exploring the beginnings of human language and how this might help us in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence; a panel discussion and ‘zine making activity giving voice to refugee stories; and an evening of performances on perceptions and illusions at Quirky Quarter.

Just some highlights from the rest of the programme are:

  • Can the science of death help us find new ways to mourn? Join anthropologist and playwright Naomi Westerman and panellists for a frank discussion on dying and what happens after.
  • 11 talks or panels led by the Festival’s Scientific Section Presidents, with subjects including autistic joy, the school to prison pipeline, trees’ communication networks, the ethics of at-home ancestry testing, and science’s hidden women.
  • Talks by the Festival’s Award Lecturers – seven innovative early-career researchers, chosen for their commitment to sharing their work with non-specialist audiences. This year’s subjects range from junk food advertising in digital gaming to defeating tuberculosis to the past, present and future of prosthetics.
  • As part of the UN Year of Quantum, a series of discussions including Mark Thompson, Director of CERN, and a public artwork exploring all things particle physics and quantum.

Performances and experiences:

  • Taking Flight, dance company Movema’s exploration of freedom and flight will explore both human and birds’ desires and take place beneath an installation by visual artist Maria Loizidou, which responds to the architecture of Liverpool Cathedral.
  • Jon Chase, rapper and science communicator, street busking with a dinosaur theme to coincide with the new Jurassic World movie.
  • Wake up and rave! A morning dance experience at the Museum of Liverpool
  • MOONFACE, a clowning performance that explores the space-race and colonial, capitalist mining of the solar system.
  • Geophonic: A rock and walk performance. Geology, sci-fi and rave culture come together in a guided tour through the fascinating geological processes that continually shape Liverpool’s landscape.
  • An exploration of astronomy, space and the planets through film, painting and drawing, tailored to learning disabled and neurodivergent adults.
  • Self preservation – Create your own DNA jewellery. A creative workshop, that invites visitors to extract their own DNA using a simple, safe method then suspend it in resin to create a bespoke piece of jewellery.

LMF Short Film Sandbox Showcase

 

The Sandbox Showcase – Edition Four

Presented by Let’s Make Films CIC

? Picturehouse @ FACT – Liverpool

The Sandbox Showcase is Liverpool’s alternative creative film night. A vibrant evening built around the bold and exciting short pieces of work, the emerging filmmakers and creatives and a community-led night that is bursting with creative energy and life. All here to celebrate the work on the biggest screen. 

Now in its fourth edition, The Sandbox has become a creative home for filmmakers who are doing things differently! First-timers, grassroots crews, DIY Storytellers and new voices that have exciting stories to tell! 

The event takes place at Picturehouse @ FACT and features a carefully curated lineup of 10-12 short pieces of work. Some are emotional, some are experimental, some are terrifying, but most importantly, all of them bring a unique voice to the big screen. You will get a chance to hear from the creatives about their work and process before screening their work. The night will also include the winner of our special DIY challenge, a quarterly filmmaking challenge that pushes creatives to make something from nothing. 

The Sandbox isn’t just a screening either. We offer a pre-creative mixer before the show starts where you can get yourself a drink and relax and mingle with your fellow creatives and community. And even better, after the final film rolls, you can continue the conversation in the bar in the post-creative mixer and meet the creatives behind the work that you loved seeing. 

What to expect throughout the night:

  • A packed cinema screening 10-12 bold peices of creative work.
  • A DIY film made for our Trial & Error challenge. 
  • Meet the creatives behind the work in our creative mixers.
  • Music, good vibes and a community-first atmosphere. 

 

If you’re an emerging filmmaker, creative, artists, storyteller, or just a film-fan looking for something different in the city, then the Sandbox is perfect for you. 

So, come along, bring a mate, come by yourself, grab a drink and be part of special night that belongs to the creatives.