Get ready for a magical weekend of festive films and creative workshops as FACT’s Cinema in the City heads to Liverpool Lighthouse in Anfield. On Friday 6 and Saturday 7 December, enjoy family-friendly film screenings and activities that will spark your imagination.
Come and watch an enchanting film and take part in exciting creative workshops for all ages. Learn how to make a stop-motion animation where you can bring your stories to life, or join a puppet-making workshop that lets you craft your own character. Plus, enjoy face painting to transform into your favourite festive character!
Christmas isn’t complete without a festive movie outing, so grab your tickets for the whole family and join FACT at Liverpool Lighthouse for something special. Discover all listings below.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (PG)
Friday 6 December | 1993 | 1h 15m
Doors: 17:00 | Drop-in Workshop: 17:30 | Film: 18:30
Tickets £5
MOG’S CHRISTMAS + THE SNOWMAN AND THE SNOWDOG (U)
Saturday 7 December | 2023 & 2013 | 23 & 24 mins
Doors: 9:00 | Face painting: 9:00 | Films: 10:30
Tickets £3 *tickets do not include face painting
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (U)
Saturday 7 December | 1992 | 1h 25m
Doors: 15:30 | Puppet Making: 16:00 | Film: 16:45
Tickets £5
In Star of Wonder at the Unity Theatre in the city centre, audiences of all ages and abilities are invited to join three friends on a wondrous journey to follow a star.
What follows is a hilarious, magical and memorable show for all the family, full of clowning, magical interaction and brilliant puppetry.
Created by the award-winning Liverpool-based collective Teatro Pomodoro in partnership with Theatre Porto, and performed by a cast of international actors, Star of Wonder is the perfect way to make memories this festive season.
Through working alongside the charity Kind, the Unity Theatre have been able to provide free performances and discounted tickets to SEN schools, lower income schools, and local schools for several limited Schools Performances.
Made with the ideas of children from local primary schools, the show is ‘relaxed by design and not adaptation’, meaning children can enter and leave as necessary.
In celebration of UK Parliament Week, Liverpool Hope University invites you to an inspiring panel discussion on the importance of public engagement in culture. From museums and theatre to music, explore how these cultural connections can foster a more democratic, diverse, and inclusive society, and learn about the transformative power of the arts in shaping a vibrant civic life.
The event will begin with an opportunity to connect over afternoon tea at 3:15 PM. The panel, chaired by Professor Claire Ozanne, Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool Hope University, will begin at 4 PM. Following the panel discussion, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Richard Kemp, will deliver an address.
A Q&A session will be held at the end, providing an opportunity for attendees to engage with the speakers.
International icon Holly Johnson forged his way through the 1970s music scene with a unique sense of style, exploding to national fame in the 1980s. Shocking, unique, original a lot of the iconography he used played with gay and fetish subcultures which were not popularly understood at the time.
From the infamous and banned music video for ‘Relax’ to the shocking BDSM images taken by photographer John Stoddart, Holly was never one to shy away from controversy.
In this special event take the opportunity to visit the Holly Johnson story after hours when the rest of the museum’s visitors have left, and the building is cloaked in darkness. Explore the life and work of Holly before joining a life drawing session with a twist.
The model will be in fetish wear and take on poses inspired by dominant and submissive positions. A playlist reflecting the nightlife of the 21st Century gay fetish scene will accompany the session, creating an atmosphere unlike any other life drawing session you’ve been to before!
Participants must be aged 18 or over to attend.
Tickets will cost £20 and will include exclusive small-group access to the exhibition after hours, a life drawing session with an experienced fetish model, and all art materials required.
Christmas Trail at Liverpool ONE
16 November 2024 – 1 January 2025
Free to enjoy
Grab a map from the Information Centre on Wall Street and embark on a festive journey with your little ones following clues to discover lots of magical installations including illuminated reindeers, angel wings, Christmas trees, and festive characters hidden in shop windows, waiting to be found!
Link for more information – https://www.liverpool-one.com/christmas/
Festive Thursdays at Liverpool ONE
21 Nov, 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec & 19 Dec
3pm-7pm
Free to enjoy
Make those late-night shopping adventures sparkle with Christmas magic! When you visit on Thursday evenings, each week something new and enchanting will take over Liverpool ONE – from ice carvings to giant penguins!
Link for more information – https://www.liverpool-one.com/whats-on/thursday-shopping-activity/
Each year DaDa present the Edward Rushton Social Justice Lecture on the United Nations International Day for People with Disabilities (3rd December) to keep alive the passion and fire demonstrated by Rushton, a Liverpool poet, activist, abolitionist and disabled man.
This year they are thrilled to announce that we have secured a fantastic and insightful keynote speaker for the event, Kaite O’Reilly, who will be exploring ‘Rage’ which will be the theme for their 40th anniversary celebration during DaDaFest International coming in March 2025.
If you are passionate about disability rights, equity and inclusion within the arts and beyond, this event will resonate with the “quiet riot” within.
This is a live in-person event that will be BSL interpreted, but will also be streamed online for those who can’t attend in person, so please book an online ticket if you would like to receive the links for this.
Exploring ‘Rage’
Their keynote speech this year will be delivered by Kaite O’Reilly, award-winning writer and dramaturg. Kaite advocates the importance of righteous rage – knowing when there is nothing left to do but rage because the injustice is so great, drawing from her own experience of growing into a maturity of knowing when turning your rage into quiet action is more likely to influence change and to benefit in the long run.
Kaite reflects on works such as The War on Disabled People written by Ellen Clifford which reflects the scapegoating and marginalisation of disabled people that has evoked a vibrant movement of disabled activists and their supporters determined to hold systems and system-makers to account – making the slogan ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ more apt than ever.
The keynote social justice lecture this year will open discourse around disabled rights (or lack thereof), injustice and activism they hope will continue into DaDaFest 40.
Are you an artist looking for a desk space for the day? Do you want to meet other creatives and digital practitioners? Then join FACT for a Studio/Lab co-working day!
Co-working days are held on the last Friday of every month and run between 9:30-17:30. This is when FACT welcomes you to explore Studio/Lab and experience what the space has to offer.
Here’s what you can expect →
* Access to Studio/Lab for up to 8 hours, including a desk space and complimentary tea and coffee.
* Opportunities to meet and connect with digital artists, practitioners, researchers, and other creatives interested in Studio/Lab, as well as current members who can share the inside scoop.
If you have any questions about Studio/Lab or our co-working days, please email FACT at studiolab@fact.co.uk.
ABOUT STUDIO/LAB
Studio/Lab is a space for creative experimentation that nurtures a vibrant community of artists, researchers and technologists. Located on FACT’s top floor, Studio/Lab is dedicated to supporting your practice, creating new work, and providing opportunities to present and test your ideas. With Studio/Lab membership, enjoy access to a large city-centre workspace including video and sound editing studios, new-generation technology, entry-level immersive kit, and digital production tools. You’ll be able to attend knowledge-sharing opportunities with artists and creatives who have expertise in a wide range of practices, as well as community meetings and socials.
Doors open at 5.30pm. The film starts at 6.30pm as will be followed by a live Q&A with the film’s director Pablo Navarrete.
The Q&A runs from 8pm to 8.45pm and will be chaired by Francisco Carrasco (Luma Creations). There will be live music after the Q&A from Members of Grupo Luma. Chilean food (empanadas) will be available on the night.
FILM SYNOPSIS
Pablo Navarrete’s parents were forced to leave Chile after a military coup on 11 September 1973. They arrived in the UK as political refugees after spending time in the Pinochet dictatorship’s torture centres. They didn’t know it then, but Britain would be where they would settle, have a family, and still live, nearly 50 years later. Filmed over more than three years, Mother, Country is a deeply personal film that follows the director as he travels to Chile with his parents in 2020 to witness a people’s uprising and finally confront their past.
The Floral Pavilion & Star EFX Theatre Productions Limited are delighted to present Star EFX Sunday Night Live at 6.30pm on Sunday 27th April 2025.
The show will feature local professional and upcoming performers from the Northwest, and also stars former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer, singer and actress Joanne Clifton.
And that’s not all! Hosting the evening will be pantomime favourite and Blood Brothers star, Sean Jones.
Also appearing will be comedy legend Jimmy Cricket, Britain’s Got Talent Finalist, Ben Nickless, BGT & AGT’s The MerseyGirls, and BGT & AGT’s Jamie Leahey.
Add to them dance and performance troupes from the Northwest and hand-picked solo performers and you won’t want to miss this unforgettable night of variety entertainment.
This production is proud to raise awareness for the local Wirral-based charity Autism Together.
Tickets are available in person from the Floral Pavilion box office or BOOK IT NOW online from:
Star EFX Sunday Night Live – Floral Pavilion
