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Big gigs in Liverpool during 2026
Liverpool isn’t the official capital of pop, a UNESCO City of Music AND the birthplace of the most famous band the world has ever seen for nothing. Music runs through Liverpool’s veins like the Mersey runs into Liverpool Bay, and you can hear it wherever you go, on the streets, in the parks and spilling out of venues from tiny bars to giant auditoriums. So it’s no surprise that some of the biggest, best and most loved bands and artists make sure they include it on their touri
Music
Review: Rachmaninov with Sir Stephen Hough at Philharmonic Hall ****1/2
It’s turning into a season of homecomings in Hope Street. Earlier this month, Sir Simon Rattle brought his acclaimed Bavarian orchestral outfit to the Philharmonic Hall to kickstart a pre-Christmas European tour in fine fashion. And in the spring, Huyton piano genius Paul Lewis returns to play Beethoven on the hall’s Steinway. Sandwiched in between, Sir Stephen Hough, whose formative years were spent in the Art Deco auditorium – surrounded by its ‘daring’ gold relief of naked
Christmas events in Liverpool for 2025
Christmas comes but once a year – even if it does seem to get earlier and earlier with festive treats and decorations popping up in shops as soon as the August Bank Holiday had finished. But now we’re through Halloween and Bonfire Night, and with the weather turning noticeably colder, it’s definitely time to break out the mulled wine, mince pies, spiced hot chocolate and the tinsel. It’s all seasonal systems go in Liverpool this year with a host of festive fun and yuletide jo
Review: Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra at Philharmonic Hall *****
Monday is not a usual music-making night at the Phil, but when one of Liverpool’s most famous sons (Sir Simon Rattle) drops in with one of the world’s foremost orchestras (the Bavarian Radio Symphony), it would be rude not to break with convention. And there was certainly a real sense of occasion in the auditorium for this bonus highlight of the 2025/26 season. Rattle, who turned 70 earlier this year, and his latest crack German outfit, are on a whistlestop European autumn to
Review: Liverpool Mozart Orchestra at the Tung Auditorium ****
How do you mark 75 years of music making in Liverpool? How about by inviting the city’s most famous (non-Beatle) musical export to launch your special anniversary? Wishful thinking? Reaching for the stars? It turned out not for the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra whose opening concert of its 75 th season serendipitously coincided with a rare visit home for its illustrious president Sir Simon Rattle, in town to open a European tour with his own current outfit the Bavarian Radio Sy
Review: Shostakovich Symphony No.7 at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall ****1/2
‘Keep calm and carry on’ seems to have been the order of the day at the Philharmonic Hall over the weekend. And indeed, if it hadn’t been for the email that popped into hundreds of inboxes on Saturday afternoon mentioning a ‘slight’ change of programme because the Phil’s truck had broken down somewhere between Bristol and Liverpool, no one would have been any the wiser. The main casualty of this unexpected occurrence was Victoria Borisova-Ollas. The poor Swedish composer must
Africa Oyé returns to Sefton Park in 2026 as a ticketed event
Africa Oyé will return to Sefton Park next year – but for the first time it will be as a ticketed event. Organisers say rising costs mean it has been increasingly difficult to keep running the annual festival, the UK’s biggest celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture, for free. The 2025 event was put on hold while they looked at ways to continue to run the Oyé while making it as affordable as possible for festivalgoers. The 2026 Oyé will be held in the park on t
Liverpool Irish Festival 2025 programme of events
Liverpool Irish Festival returns to city venues next week with 10 days of cultural events and activities. The 2025 event runs from October 16-26, and this year has the theme of Liverpool Irish Festival is the UK’s largest arts and culture-led festival and marks its 23 rd anniversary this year. It is set to be officially launched at Liverpool Irish Centre on Thursday, October 16 where there is the opportunity to meet the team and hear more about the 2025 programme. There will
Kraftwerk announces Liverpool date on 2026 Multimedia tour
Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk come to Liverpool in 2026 as part of a tour of the UK and Ireland. The hugely influential German band will appear at the Liverpool Empire on Sunday, June 7 as part of their Multimedia tour. Tickets for the show - part-performance, part digital installation - are not yet on sale. The constantly upgraded 3-D concert series began in 2012 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) and city audiences promised an unmissable audio and technological
Hope Street Blend Festival brings live music to Liverpool audiences this weekend
The Hope Street Blend Festival will bring live music to venues up and down the popular Liverpool cultural area this weekend. The new...
Victoria Gallery presents Toxteth: The Harlem of Europe
Liverpool’s influential Black musicians are being celebrated in a new exhibition at the Victoria Gallery & Museum this autumn. Toxteth:...
Penny Lane Weekender returns for 2025 with packed programme
The Penny Lane Weekender returns to South Liverpool with live music across three days this weekend. The annual festival event takes place...
Review: Another Seven Symphonies at the Tung Auditorium ****
If you’re going to stage a Beatles world premiere, there’s only one place you really want to do it. And Liverpool rolled out rousing...
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