Event type: Festival

Liverpool Sound City 2022

Sound City is the home of new music discovery in Liverpool and 2022 marks its 15th anniversary in the city. Acts performing across the weekend include The Lathums, Self Esteem, Mae Muller, Brooke Combe, Tim Burgess and many more fantastic artists.

Emerging across the streets of Liverpool back in 2008 as a heralded celebration of new and exciting music, Sound City has become an essential date in the diary for music fans far and wide to come together and discover the sounds of the future. Nestled in a European capital of music culture, its storied alumni who have made those first steps at Sound City reads as a who’s who of the biggest and brightest names in modern music (from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, The xx, Alt-J and Courtney Barnett to The Wombats, Royal Blood, Catfish & The Bottlemen and many more). Continuing to champion and elevate the sounds that’ll come to define the years ahead, Sound City celebrates its 15th Anniversary by doing what it does best. Pointing to the here and now.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

Liverpool’s Chinese New Year celebrations are back with a ‘roar’ as the city marks the Year of the Tiger.

Returning this year after 2021’s virtual event, the in-person spectacular will celebrate Europe’s oldest Chinese community by bringing together traditional celebrations such as the dragon and unicorn parades and combining them with brand new, free commissions such as 3D projections, fire performances, new artwork, dance and live music.

Culture Liverpool has commissioned all of the new pieces of work to complement the free traditional Chinese New Year celebrations which includes dragon, unicorn and Lucky Man parades, firecracker displays, family workshops, Tai Chi demonstrations, a small fairground and food stalls. Activity will take place from 11am-5.30pm on Sunday 6 February.

The ambition is for the contemporary element to excite, inspire and delight the thousands expected to head in to the city centre.

New for this year are:

From Friday 4 to Sunday 6 February, a 3D animated Water Tiger will prowl around the tower inside St Luke’s Church (the Bombed Out Church). Taking place from 6-9pm each night, the projections will transform the tower into a Chinese pagoda, complete with lanterns designed by local schools and community groups. The show, which lasts for ten minutes and will run on a loop each evening, is free but there is an ask for donations for the venue.  The work has been created by Focal Studios, Scenegraph Studios in collaboration with the Bombed Out Church.

Work is under way on a new mural will take pride of place in Great George Square playground courtesy of Zap Graffiti which is bringing together an award-winning Beijing artist, Tang Shou, and local youngsters who will create a piece of art which symbolises what the Year of the Tiger means to them.

New commissions taking place on Sunday 6 February

Pagoda Arts will shine a spotlight on Tian – an up-and-coming young band made up of east/southeast Asian artists who perform a blend of original east-meets-west tracks. They will take to the stage in Great George Square at 2.20pm and 3.50pm, and will play a ticketed event at the Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music Room that evening.

From 5.15pm, Bring The Fire Project will showcase their incredible skills at the Chinese Arch with a specially created Chinese New Year performance which will incorporate traditional martial arts. They will be joined by Hung Gar Kung Fu’s illuminated dragon and lion.

Dance company Movema explore the cultural history of Chinese New Year and have produced contemporary work which embraces our diverse communities and celebrates what makes Liverpool so unique and special.  A series of pop-up performances will take place in the afternoon, in and around Chinatown with on-stage activity at 3.10pm and 4.25pm.

Visually stunning Feng Huang (Chinese Phoenix) street animation will appear at the Bombed Out Church at 1.45pm.

The Black-e Youth Circus present, Triumph of the Tiger, a short story told through circus skills, illuminations and costume involving young people aged 6 to 18 years. Involving ground-based and aerial performance, it will create a beautiful illuminated spectacle to tell a simple tale of how we can overcome adversity.

The costumes and LED illuminations will be coloured to represent the five tigers from Ancient Chinese myths. The performance involves a collaboration with Bring The Fire Project. Throughout the day The Black-e will also be offering circus skills taster workshops on Nelson Street for members of the public to participate in and a beanbag making workshop.

Building up to the main day of activity, from this week thousands of Chinese lanterns will adorn the city centre streets, and from Sunday 30 January a number of buildings will be illuminated in red in honour of the new year – signifying good fortune and joy to everyone.

These buildings include the Cunard, Port of Liverpool, Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall, Central Library Picton Colonnades, Toxteth Library, Everyman & Playhouse Theatres, the Martin Luther King building, Mersey Gateway Bridge and University of Liverpool’s Yoko Ono Centre. The Royal Liver Building and the Radio City tower will light up on Tuesday 1 February which is Chinese New Year.

For those who can’t make it in person, there will be plenty to enjoy online with suggested activities and archive footage. Head to www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/cny or keep up with the latest news by following Culture Liverpool on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the conversation on socials with #CNYLiverpool.

The event has been organised by Liverpool City Council’s Culture Liverpool team in partnership with the Liverpool Chinese Business Association. The new commissions have been made possible thanks to support from Liverpool City Council.

Africa Oyé 2022

A Grammy Award-winning Malian musician, an Afrobeats pioneer, and a reggae legend will headline The Africa Oyé Festival this summer.

The festival team are delighted to announce that Oumou Sangaré, Fuse ODG and Eek-A-Mouse will top the bill at this year’s free celebration of African and Caribbean culture in Liverpool, along with a host of other acclaimed acts appearing on the line-up.

Following a two-year hiatus brought on by the pandemic, the festival returns to Sefton Park on June 18th and 19th 2022 – the organisation’s 30th anniversary year.

Beginning in 1992 as a series of gigs in the city centre, Africa Oyé has evolved into one of Liverpool’s most beloved annual events, attracting artists and attendees from across the globe.

Oumou Sangaré was just 21 when her first album, Moussoulu, with its groundbreaking songs championing female empowerment and condemning inequality and polygamy, rocketed her to national stardom in her home country of Mali in 1989.

Since then she has become internationally recognised as one of Africa’s greatest voices, performing at prestigious venues and festivals around the world, receiving honours and awards and releasing a string of acclaimed albums. Her music is contemporary yet stays true to her musical roots of Wassoulou – a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from age-old traditional song.

British-Ghanaian superstar Fuse ODG made his name in the London rap scene after growing up in the UK capital. Born Nana Richard Abiona, the producer and artist has been a pioneer of the rise of Afrobeats across the world, as well as an active influence in helping young people in his local communities realise their musical aspirations through a mobile studio.

Fuse – who will be bringing a full live performance to Oyé –  also helped found the TINA (This Is New Africa) movement that set out to encourage Africans to use their skills in rebuilding their communities and take pride in their cultural heritage.

Described as ‘ludicrous, bizarre, and uniquely original’, few artists have made such a splash in the dancehall scene more than Eek-A-Mouse. He became a household name in Jamaica in the late 70s and early 80s having invented a whole new vocal style, sing-jay, flooding the airwaves with his catch phrases and going on to become a respected toaster. His set at Oyé will see him backed by British reggae rhythm section and production team, Mafia & Fluxy.

The eclectic line-up for this year’s festival also includes the return of DR Congo’s Kanda Bongo Man, who previously played Oyé back in 2009 and 2003; Cape Verdean singer-songwriter, Elida Almeida; one of Guinea-Bissau’s most influential bands, Tabanka Djaz; the Ghanian modern highlife stars, Santrofi; French-Cameroonian songstress, Valérie Ékoumé; and Congolese electro music ambassador, Kizaba, with more acts set to be revealed soon.

The festival will see one of Merseyside’s most beautiful green spaces filled with the music and culture of Africa, the Caribbean and the diaspora, for two free days of live music, DJs and dance, as well as workshops, food stalls and a range of traders in the Oyé Village.

The festival this year will be the main event of a year-long programme of events to celebrate Oyé’s 30th anniversary.

Now a cornerstone of the festival, 2022 sees The Oyé Active Zone head into its second decade of providing festival-goers with free workshops across the whole weekend, suitable for all ages, while the ever-popular DJ stages Trenchtown and Freetown are also confirmed to return.

The line-up for this year’s Oyé Introduces programme, which sees up-and-coming local talent showcased on the line-up alongside the international heavyweights, is set to be announced alongside the next wave of artists and community performances.

The Africa Oyé festival will take place on June 18th and 19th 2022, in Liverpool’s Sefton Park from 12:30pm til 9:30pm both days and entrance is FREE.

Photo Credit Mark McNulty

Liverpool Now Festival 2022

Join in with the 7th year of the Liverpool NOW Festival, which will be hosted at the magnificent Black-E!!!

The festival will take place on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of February 2022. Head along and see some of Liverpool’s children and young people showcase their pieces all around the theme of mental health and ”What needs to change to bounce forwards?”

This year we also have a very exciting guest performance from Wired Aerial Theatre who will be performing their piece of ”Me vs Me”.

The pieces you will see at the festival are created by the children and young people themselves. Each evening will showcase pieces from primary, secondary and special schools, as well as youth and voluntary organisations.

Winterfest: A White Party For Sickle C...

If you’re looking for an event to go to this December, Winterfest is a must — with incredible live music, a gospel choir, Caribbean food and loads of boss prizes on offer!

Local grass roots Black Arts organisation, BlackFest, are putting on an amazing showcase of multi award winning talent in memory of Naomi Loy who recently died from sickle cell.

The show is from 7pm on Saturday 18th December at District and sees a host of  extremely talented Merseyside artists come together to collaborate and raise awareness and money around sickle cell. Live acts on the night include Amique & The Ecstasy, Wavertree Gospel Choir, iamkyami, Ni Maxine, Remée, Sorelle, Shak Omar, DJ Shenice and Tyrone Lewis and tickets are just £15!

For tickets to the event see here.

If you would like to donate to Rebecca’s GoFundMe see:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/winterfest-fundraiser-for-sickle-cell-disease?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

Profits raised from Winterfest will go to The Sickle Cell Society, with a portion of proceeds also going to the Haemoglobin Unit at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Naomi Loy’s sister, Rebecca, has also set up a GoFundMe page for the cause with the aim of raising £5000.

 

 

Convenience Gallery Christmas Festival

Convenience Gallery are throwing a massive Christmas Festival and you are all invited.

On the day they’ve got a boss line-up of local talent and live music from Astles, Louie Miles, Spilt Milk Society, Nace x2 b2b and E&M b2b.

Dripped Goods will be leading a drop in workshop too! They will also have an art auction with work for sale from local artists we’ve worked with and supported across the last two years. They also have a huge raffle with some incredible prizes all donated from independent businesses across the area.

They’ve also got food from Forked Up Vegan, and the Bloom bar will be open and they’re really looking forward to kicking off the festive season with you all.

This event is free to attend (donation based and raffle tickets available) and the first 50 pints of AloeBirra will be free thanks to the AloeBirra Team as well – they’re a new independent brewery on the Wirral and you’re going to love them.

This festival is also an opportunity for them to fundraise for Convenience too. As a not for profit any money they make goes back into delivering the work, project and support what they do in the community. Part of the push for this will be their Christmas Raffle(who doesn’t love a raffle).

They have prizes from: Future Yard, Make Hamilton, Zero Clucks Given, Adams & Russell, Be Well Learning, FINSA, Where Are The Girl Bands, Amerton Pottery, CASS Art, Jostles Bakery, Glen Affric, BIFF, Astles, Rendova Farm Shop, Wirral Wellbeing, 10 Street Cycles, Essen Minimal, Hoylake Pantry, ODC Ts, Convenience Ts/ Life Drawing. Follow the ticket link to get you early raffle tickets.

A second part of their fundraising and a major part of the day will be their art auction. You will have the chance to bid on and hopefully own original work from Joana de Oliveira Guerreiro, Patric Rogers, Andy Wolfenden, Georgemma Hunt, Millie Toyin Olateju, Jon Edgley, Ryan Gauge, Dripped Goods, Ry Dilkes, Rosa Kussabi, Lois Tierney, Fred Franke, Dan Chan, Stephen Forge, Max Mallender, Ellie Brennan, Faye Hamblett-Jones, Dan O’Dempsey with more to be announced!! It’s a fantastic line up of amazing northwest creatives.

They’d love to see you down on the day, the day’s programme starts from 4pm with plenty to get involved with. This event is family friendly too. So pop down for a bit or dance the night away it a day for everyone.

The event is free to attend and they have free tickets available but they also have raffle tickets available via the link here.

They have appreciated everyone’s support this year and can’t wait to celebrate with you all on the 4th.

Follow the White Rabbit – Fire S...

Zest Event Management and Bring the Fire Project are joining forces to bring “Follow the White Rabbit”, a series of free, family-friendly Fire Street Theatre performances to the streets of Liverpool.

Kept secret until the very day, the locations of the fire pop-up performances will be revealed by following the White Rabbit, who will roam the city centre with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat and, of course, Alice.

The characters will ‘lead the way’ to the next performance, transforming familiar places into scenes from Wonderland as the story unfolds.

Based on the characters from ‘Alice in Wonderland’, this brand-new bonfire celebration will take place across Liverpool City Centre on the 5th and 6th November between 4.30pm and 7.30pm.

Chester Literature Festival 2021

Chester Literature Festival will return in autumn 2021. Benjamin Zephaniah is this year’s Artist in Residence, and his work will be emblazoned across Storyhouse.

The festival returns to Storyhouse this autumn with three weeks of fun and thought-provoking events, performances and conversations.

This year’s festival, which is one of the longest-running annual literature events in the country, takes place from 6-19 November with a packed programme of visiting poets, writers, broadcasters, wordsmiths and actors.

Gravity Festival

Gravity is a new festival taking place online and in person from 5 – 7 November, and hosted by The Reader.

Taking its theme from writer, Jeanette Winterson, who wrote: ‘Inside books there is perfect space and it is that space which allows the reader to deal with the normal problems of gravity’, the hybrid literature and wellbeing festival aims to create a place where the serious problems of life can be spoken about, cried over and laughed at.

A weekend of headline talks, panel discussions, Shared Reading groups and wellbeing workshops will address the inevitable toughness that life in the Covid-era throws at us through literature, laughter, art and beyond.

The programme is part online and part in person, with physical events taking place at the Mansion House in Liverpool’s Calderstones Park.

Friday 5 November

Reading with Care online, 1.30pm

Ways to Care online, 5pm

Tea and cake with friends from the North in person, 3pm

Saturday 6 November

Yoga for Mindfulness in person,11am

Ways to Grieve online,12noon

One Step At A Time in person, 12noon

Homer’s Guide to Being Alive Now online and in person, 3pm

Ways to be Alone online, 5pm

(M)otherhood with Pragya Agarwal online and in person, 5pm

An evening with Jimmy McGovern, talking Time with Erwin James and Kate Bramhall online and in person, 7pm

Sunday 7 November

Panel Discussion: Caring, and Reading, during Covid-19 online and in person, 11am

Ways to Cope online,12noon

One Step At A Time in person, 12noon

Not Always A Happy Ending: Maxine Peake reads from Hamlet and Happy Days online and in person, 3pm

Ways to Grow Old online, 5pm

Routes & Roots

A new festival comes to Liverpool this month and it includes the annual Katumba Halloween Carnival.

The events are held across L8 and L1, 16 – 31 October, various times/venues. See here for full details.

Routes & Roots will see two weeks of free family-friendly cultural, arts and wellbeing activities & events across Liverpool, created to celebrate Black History Month and to include the iconic annual carnival.

Every October, Liverpool drumming and movement troupe, Katumba holds events across L8 and L1 that culminate with the Katumba Halloween Carnival in Liverpool City Centre.

This year, Katumba is partnering with other organisations from the newly-formed BlaST network of Black and Brown Social Traders, including Cycle of Life and Centre of Development. Together, they’re delivering ‘Routes & Roots – Festival of the African Diaspora’ and they’re welcoming the whole community to join.

From drumming and dancing to lantern making; slavery tours and bike workshops to wellbeing, this is your chance to connect with the heritage, culture and wellbeing practices of people of the African Diaspora.

Line-Up:

Festival Opening Day
Saturday 16th October / 12 – 5pm
at The Bombed Out Church / St Luke’s
Dance, Drumming, Spoken Word, Slavery Tours, and more for all ages.

Community Workshops in L8 & Online
17th – 30th October
Samba, African & Afro-Brazilian Drumming, Capoeira, Cycling skills, Fitness, Yoga, and more!

Katumba Halloween Carnival & BlaST’s launch
31st October, 5pm – 9pm
at the Bombed Out Church, Church St and Liverpool One

Transforming the Liverpool City Centre into a playground of imagination, with pop up performances inspiring, and engaging audiences by creating big, bold, visual shows and performances through unexpected spectacle of drums, fire, lights, dance, theatre and more!