Event type: Other

Due to
popular demand, we have introduced two Variety Lunch Clubs every month. The two events in each month will feature the same artists so just book one per month if
you want to see a new show each time. 

The Royal Court Variety Lunch Club runs throughout the year
with matinee performances in the main theatre. Variety Lunch Club is open to anyone who wants to enjoy an afternoon of
entertainment, a bowl of Scouse, a cup of tea and maybe a sweet treat all in
the very best company.

Tickets are just £5 or £8.50 including a bowl of finest
home-made Scouse with bread roll and red cabbage. And NEW for 2026 by popular
demand you can now enjoy a dessert for just £3. So, you can get
your ticket, Scouse, cup of tea and Raspberry Frangipane (VE/GF) or Gluten free pastry base filled with raspberry & apple
jam, almond frangipane & topped with raspberries & almond flakes.
Served with a red berry coulis for £11.50.

There is a special discount for groups with a free ticket
for every 10th person (please call Box Office for details).

Variety Lunch Club features the best in local entertainment
with a variety of comedians, actors, singers and entertainers. Performers such
as Pauline Daniels, Pete Price, Eithne Browne and Sean Styles have already made
an appearance and the whole proceedings are compered by one of Liverpool’s
brightest comedy stars, Sam Avery.

Performance
Information

Stalls
tickets are available with a bowl of Scouse for an extra £3.50 and an
additional £3 for dessert.

Tickets
are available for the show alone in stalls, circle and balcony.

If you
are bringing a large group, every tenth ticket is free. Please call the box
office on 0151 709 4321 to book. 

Please
note – the bar will close 15 minutes before the advertised start time.

Growler takes audiences on a ritualistic, theatrical journey through grief, loss and exile through storytelling, song and comedy.

A dying man’s last wish: for his friends to create a show about death. Will it be subtle? Will it be sophisticated? Probably not, but it’s his funeral. Literally.

Multi award-winning physical comedy company Ugly Bucket process the death of a friend in the only way they know how – through outrageous clowning, personal testimony and a thumping techno soundtrack.
Please arrive from 6.45pm for the performance to start at 7pm. After the show, there’ll be a chance to meet the cast, to chat over a cuppa.

‘A gorgeous depiction of finding light in the dark’

– Audience member

Content warning

This show is about grief and contains personal accounts of bereavement. Every story has been treated with love and respect and, in sharing these stories, Ugly Bucket and the voices featured in the show hope to spark healthy and open conversations about grief, to help audiences feel less isolated. For more information on bereavement please see the NHS website for charities that can support you through this.
We recommend this show for audiences aged 14+

The project has been funded through Arts Council England, thanks to funding from taxpayers. The event is delivered in partnership with Heart of Glass and St Helens Borough Council through the Arts in Libraries programme, and Culture Knowsley.

Halloween at the Storybarn, a family theatre show and nine spooky films on the big screen will be taking place at The Reader’s home in Calderstones Park, Liverpool from Friday 24 October – Saturday 1 November.

This October half term The Reader is hosting its first ever season of Spooky Cinema in Liverpool’s biggest open-air cinema under a giant canopy, plus family theatre and Halloween fun.

The national Shared Reading charity based in the historic Grade II listed Mansion House in Calderstones Park, Allerton, will be running a wide range of events for all the family from Friday 24 October – Sat 1 November.

As primary schools break up for half term, families are encouraged to dig out their favourite PJs after hours for Bookshop Bedtime Stories on Friday 24 October, 5.30pm –7pm, in The Reader Bookshop. All children will receive a complimentary babycino. For an extra easy evening out, reserve an early-bird table and pre-order tea in the Bookshop Café for 4.30pm before the stories begin.

Halloween at the Storybarn, will run throughout half term (Monday 27 October – Friday 31 October), 10am and 1pm, where children can enjoy ghostly stories and games, and create a spooktacular craft to take home.  

Liverpool’s non-profit Altru Drama will be staging a re-telling of classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood on Thursday 30 October at 11am and 2.30pm. This lovely performance is presented by two actors and packed with live, original music and songs, storytelling, fun and audience interaction.

Spooky Cinema For Families: What’s On

After a summer of sell-out screenings at Liverpool’s newest outdoor cinema eight hand-picked Halloween favourites from award-winning animations for children and top family-friendly picks to an iconic Hitchcock mystery thriller and cult classics will be screened under a giant canopy during the October half term week. 

But the season starts with a 30-minute animation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved picture book, Room on the Broom, about a witch, a broomstick and a jealous cat, aimed at the youngest of cinema-lovers. This will be showing indoors in the cosy Mansion House Theatre Room on Tuesday 28 October and Wednesday 29 October, at 11.30am.

Four family-friendly films will each be screened outdoors under the cover of a huge canopy in the Mansion House Garden at 4pm. They include Hocus Pocus (PG) Disney’s beloved Halloween comedy starring Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker on Tuesday 28 October and Friday 31 October, and Hotel Transylvania (U), the first in the animated vampire series will be showing on Wednesday 29 October. 

 

Fans of Netflix’s Wednesday will also enjoy the dark humour of witty 1990s movie sequel, The Addams Family Values (PG), on Thursday 30 October, starring Anjelica Huston and Christina Ricci. As we say goodbye to Halloween and start to look ahead to the festive season, the family-friendly Spooky Cinema ends with The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG) – Tim Burton’s 1993 stop-motion masterpiece – on Saturday 1 November.

 

Spooky Cinema For Grown Ups: What’s On

 

In the evenings five films will be showing for grown ups in the atmospheric open-air cinema under the giant canopy at 8pm. The week opens with Hocus Pocus (PG) on Tuesday 28 October, and continues with Practical Magic (12) on Wednesday 29 October, based on Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel, this funny, mischievous film turned cult classic sees Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters from a line of witches bound by a family curse – with a killer soundtrack.  

See Hitchcock’s classic 1954 thriller Rear Window (PG), for the ultimate masterclass in tension and suspense starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly, on Thursday 30 October, followed by Tim Burton’s offbeat afterlife comedy Beetlejuice (15), with Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, on Friday 31 October. 

Dig out your fishnets and get ready to time warp for the grand finale on Saturday 1 November, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (15), which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. 

Treats & Seats

Doors will open 30 minutes before Room on the Broom at 11am for a 11.30am screening in the Mansion House Theatre Room. For all other films gates to the Mansion House Garden will open an hour before screening, except for The Rocky Horror Picture Show when gates will open 90-minutes before the film. 

Arrive early and soak up the atmosphere with music, food and drinks. Pre-orders will be taken for Hot Dogs (VE available) £8, Nachos with cheese, salsa, and guacamole, sour cream and optional jalapenos, (VE available), £8, and Pizzas (Margherita or Pepperoni, VE available), £14.

Treat yourself to a bottle of fizz for £25 or a bucket of Peroni beers (six bottles) for £20. Book a deckchair for £5 or bring your own picnic blanket. 

Tickets cost £14.50 for adults and £9.50 for under 16s. Calderstones members will be able to save 10%. All bookings can be made here. 

The new outdoor cinema has been made possible thanks to a grant by social investor Livv Investment, part of Livv Housing Group, based in Prescot. All profits will support The Reader’s charitable work transforming lives through literature in Liverpool and beyond.

For further information and film bookings please visit thereader.org.uk/cinema

 

Celebrate Christmas under the palms this December, as the Palm House in Sefton Park announces another incredible programme of events to suit young minds, party animals, super shoppers, festive foodies and music lovers alike.
 
From story time with Father Christmas to party time with friends and colleagues, this beautiful, iconic venue, which marks its 130th anniversary next year, continues to be a focal point for events and a free community programme, taking Christmas hosting to another level.
 
With sparkly lights a plenty, events at the Palm House are always set against the most beautiful backdrop, but the venue takes things up a notch at Christmas. The team has put together a programme of wonderful free events, along with some not-to-be-missed ticketed events, including their Christmas Party Nights (12 & 19 December) and Disco Night (13 December) and musical evenings with a variety of renowned choirs. There is also a Festive Afternoon Tea (14 December) and the Little Frost Fair (20 & 21 December), which is taking place the weekend before Christmas – the perfect time to shop for some last-minute gifts while soaking up the Christmas spirit and indulging in some festive food and drink.
 
As a charity, buying tickets to any paid for event at the Palm House supports the free community programme, the preservation of the botanical collection and keeping the building open and accessible year-round, for free. More importantly, at this time of year, it also means that children and families can join Father Christmas for the Palm House’s free Story Time events (7 & 23 December), allowing those who might not be able to afford expensive Christmas experiences to create memories to cherish for years to come.

Shelly’s a County Road girl, born and bred, through and through. Once upon a time, she had it all – the looks, the talent, the fire in her belly. But now she’s forty-something, and life’s all gone a bit… naff. Work is fine, her mates are sound, and her hubby Mick is always there when she needs him, but something’s missing. 
She knows deep down, she was born to be singer. Back in the day – before she was Mick’s missus – she had a song and a dream.

This isn’t how her story ends… there’s still a song in her – and it’s dying to be heard. Anthony next doorstep thinks Shelly’s got what it takes to make it… so he’s entered her into ‘The Next Big Thing’ (like Pop Idol, but less fake tears and glitter).

Could Shelly really swap the streetlamps of County Road for the spotlights of stardom? Or is she destined to save her singing talents for a once-in-a-blue moon karaoke night down at The Black Horse?
She just might be the best Country & Western singer the North West’s ever seen – better than Dolly Garston, better than Garth TueBrooks, and definitely better than Manc Williams.

Come and join Shelley on her journey from Wavertree to Tennessee (or thereabouts) in Adam McCoy’s brand-new comedy. We’ll have you laughing and singing until the cowboys come home!

 

 

 

Liverpool, get ready to step into the future! The Royal Academy of Engineering is bringing its fun-packed Innovation Late to the city for the first time on the evening of Tuesday, 4 November 2025. Come along to see the vibrant Camp and Furnace transformed into a playground for the UK’s boldest inventions and brightest minds, ahead of National Engineering Day on 5 November. 

This is a chance to see, touch, and experience the future of engineering firsthand. Explore jaw-dropping demos, interactive exhibits, and inspiring talks from some of the nation’s most visionary innovators. This evening extravaganza is a chance to experience and discover ideas and innovations that are already making the future a better place for people and the planet. 

Discover how engineering is shaping a more sustainable world, solving challenges big and small, and making the seemingly impossible an everyday reality. 

Drop in anytime and dive into a full programme of hands-on activities, talks, and cutting-edge exhibits; it will be an evening guaranteed to inspire, amaze, and spark your curiosity. 

What to expect? 

·       Movie maker Exoskeletons: Try your hand at operating cutting edge camera tech from Mr Helix, used in the Oscar-winning film The Favourite 

·       Robotic fun: Check out agile micro-robots from Icenine Robotic Solutions  

·       Levitating cocktails: See gin & tonic float in mid-air with ultra-haptics from Acoustofab 

·       Brain scanners for wellbeing: Watch your thoughts light up as University of Nottingham researchers reveal the blood flows in the human mind 

·       Self-powered smart textiles: Discover wearable fabrics that generate energy and track movement to support rehabilitation with University of Loughborough  

·       Coding with embroidery: Turn code into art as your digital patterns are stitched live by an automated embroidery machine from the University of Warwick 

Join us for amazing talks hosted by Jackie Bell, renowned physicist, TEDx speaker, and BBC2 Astronauts finalist. Jackie will guide our audience through a series of inspiring talks by some of the UK’s most innovative engineers, revealing how their breakthroughs are reshaping industries, tackling global challenges, and driving a more sustainable future. 

After each talk, take part in live Q&A sessions, where you can ask questions, gain insider insight, and hear directly from the minds behind some of the nation’s most exciting engineering innovations. 

Speakers include: 

·       Kate Black (University of Liverpool, Founder of Atomkik) is transforming manufacturing with sustainable innovation solutions 

·       Yusuff Yussuf (Founder of Aeroknite) is exploring how drones together with AI can improve lives, helping to fight fires and creating holograms for aerial communication.  

·       Aled Roberts (Founder of DeKiln), is creating low-carbon ceramics and even “concrete for Mars” using his own blood and kitchen ingredients for inspiration  

·       Carl Grainer (Founder of Viz Box Ltd) is using immersive VR to improve patient rehabilitation 

Event details: 

Date: Tuesday, 4 November 2025Location: Camp and Furnace, 67 Greenland St, Liverpool L1 0BYTimings: Between 5 – 9 pm (talks 6 – 8 pm) – the first 100 people to sign up will receive a free drink

This is a drop-in event – you’re welcome to come and go at any time, no need to stay for the whole evening. 

Age Restrictions 

·       Minimum age: 14+ 

·       Attendees aged 14–18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (18+). 

If you can’t make the event in person, we will be able to share photography and media assets after the event.