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WoWFest 2026 explores the 'New World Disorder'
Author Colm Tóibín is among the first names announced for WoWFest which returns to Liverpool venues this May with a month-long programme of events. The theme of the 2026 festival is New World Disorder, with organisers Writing on the Wall describing it as ‘bold, urgent and unmissable’ and a 'festival of resistance'. Events take place from May 1-31 at venues including the Black-E, British Music Experience, Philharmonic Hall Music Room and online. Actor Cathy Tyson, playwright H
Leap Dance Festival returns to Liverpool for 2026
Liverpool’s Leap Dance Festival returns to city venues next month with a programme of performances, workshops and free public events. The festival, which was revived and relaunched by Chaos Arts CIC in 2024 after a five year break, this year runs from April 24 to May 9 and encompasses National Day of Dance on April 29. It aims to showcase local and regional talent and nurture and support the next generation of dancers as well as bring top dance companies and artists to the ci
Up Next Festival returns to the Unity Theatre this month
The Up Next Festival is set to return to the Unity Theatre this month for a fifth year. The 2026 festival takes place from March 25-28 and will feature 20 new and diverse performances – many of them work-in-progress, readings, workshops and a guided walk, created by Merseyside artists. The Hope Place theatre started the festival in 2021 as a response the Covid pandemic and the seismic effect it had on live performance, providing a vital platform for new work with the aim of s
May announced as Liverpool Music Month with events across the city
May has been designated Liverpool Music Month with a host of live performances and other events planned across the city. The new initiative, a collaboration between Culture Liverpool and Sound City, will celebrate Liverpool’s world-famous music scene – with the programme also twinned with New York Music Month which has taken place annually in the American metropolis since 2017. Music lovers will be able to enjoy performances, cultural events and community activities, highlig
Liverpool Improvisation Festival 2026 dates and performers
Liverpool Improvisation Festival (LiF) returns to the Unity Theatre for a fourth year. The annual event, which attracts some of the world’s leading improvisers to the city, takes place from May 7-9 and promises no fewer than three world premieres. Tickets for both individual shows, along with a limited number of one, two and three-day all access passes, are available now. Improv fans are set to enjoy 18 live shows across the three-day festival weekend, with performances takin
Liverpool Year of the Horse celebrations announced
Liverpool will mark Year of the Horse with events and activities this month including performances, parades and two huge lantern installations. The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, officially begins on February 17 for 2026, with celebrations taking place in Liverpool’s Chinatown on February 21 and 22. Ahead of that, from February 14 onwards, thousands of red lanterns will return to Liverpool streets around Chinatown, Liverpool ONE and the Royal Albert Dock, while key city
Africa Oyé announces first acts for 2026 festival
Africa Oyé has revealed its first two big name acts for this year’s music weekend in Sefton Park. Multi-award-winning Nigerian singer-songwriter Patoranking and Congolese collective Fulu Miziki will both appear at the Oyé in June. Patoranking, who is making his Africa Oyé debut, is described as a ‘visionary’ of the African music scene and cultural ambassador for Afrobeats, blending the genre with reggae and dancehall to create a unique sound. He is an MTV Africa Music Awards
Liverpool International Jazz Festival 2026 line-up
Liverpool International Jazz Festival returns this month with a line-up of music talent from the UK, Europe and the US. The annual festival, which began in 2013, will be staged at Liverpool Hope University’s Capstone Theatre between February 26 and March 1. Stellar jazz musicians and singers set to take part in the 2026 festival include Tim Garland and Geoffrey Keezer, David Helbock and Julia Hofer, Zoe Rahman and Arun Ghosh, Robert Mitchell's Little Black Book, Martin Taylor
Smithdown Litfest reveals Roger McGough as first guest of new-look annual festival
Smithdown Litfest is marking its 10 th anniversary in 2026 with a new format – and a welcome for one of Liverpool’s literary greats. The annual festival of the written word, which usually runs for a week each September, is now set to become a year-round literary festival which organisers say will enable it to offer even more fascinating events with top authors and rising star writers. The first event in the new format takes place at Ullet Road Unitarian Church on January 24
River of Light 2025 installations and where to find them
The Liverpool waterfront comes alive with sound and colour over the next 10 days as the annual River of Light returns – this year with the theme the Science of Light. Follow a trail of light sculptures and installations along the banks of the Mersey and through the city’s business district between tonight and November 2. The installations will be lit up from 5-9pm each night, with two quiet hours on October 26 and October 29, from 4-5pm. Ten largescale artworks are on show i
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