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Liverpool 2018 will be a cultural celebration past and future


An Easter Fire spectacular, celebrations of contemporary Chinese culture and the ‘beautiful game’ in football World Cup year, a special commemoration for the centenary of the end of the Great War, and the return of British Style Collective are among the events being planned for Liverpool in 2018.

The city is marking the 10th anniversary of its Capital of Culture title with a year of special events and commissions that, while harking back to 2008, also look very much to the future.

And with recent news about the proposed 2023 entry for Capital of Culture being cancelled by the EU, Liverpool could be the last UK city ever to claim the title.

Events already announced for 2018 include the arrival of the famed Terracotta Warriors, the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta, the return of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the 10th edition of Liverpool Biennial and Tate Liverpool’s 30th birthday celebrations.

FACT is teaming up with Leeds’ Invisible Flock to present Rewire, a state-of-the-art immersive experience inside and on top of Toxteth Reservoir, and the city will also look at the Future World of Work.

Toxteth Reservoir. Photo by Clive Haynes.


Easter Fire will see the return to Liverpool of Walk the Plank, and will be staged at St George’s Hall over the Easter holidays, creating a world of fire, entertainment and food.

And there will also be a ‘piano festival like no other’, as well as a visit to the RLPO by Wirral-born, international piano virtuoso Stephen Hough for a series of concerts. Meanwhile the RLPO and Bootleg Beatles will mark the 10th anniversary of the Echo Arena by performing their sell-out Sgt Pepper tribute. Alongside the arrival of the Tall Ships during the late May Bank Holiday, the city will be transformed in to three cultural festivals – Liverpool Festival in the city centre, Irish Festival at the Albert Dock and French Festival on the Pier Head, each with their own unique atmosphere and cultural experience.

In addition, the city’s annual festivals, including LIMF, Sound City, Africa Oye and Milapfest will be pulling out all the stops with their 2018 programmes.

The Clipper Race will return to the Mersey


Claire McColgan, Liverpool’s Director of Culture, said today: ‘Liverpool has been defined by culture for centuries, from our incredible architecture and galleries to major live events which turn city into a playground. It is the most powerful way to tell our story across Europe and the world, and is central to the image of modern Liverpool.

“The last decade has seen such incredible growth in our cultural scene, it is right that we use this anniversary to celebrate the extraordinary organisations which make this city the most exciting in the UK, but also it is crucial that we use it as a chance to look forward to the next ten years and challenge ourselves to imagine what we might look like and can achieve by 2028.”

More details of all the events will be revealed in January.

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