Liverpool European Festival 2026 most ambitious yet

Liverpool European Festival returns for 2026 with a wide-ranging programme of community-led events and activities.

The festival, a legacy of Liverpool’s hosting of the 2023 Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine, is now in its fourth year and organisers are promising the 2026 event is the most ambitious to date.

It runs from May 9 to July 5.

The festival is set to officially open on Europe Day this Saturday (May 9) with a large-scale public event at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church featuring stalls, crafts, performances and interactive heritage activities representing more than 20 European communities.

That will be followed on Sunday, May 10 by a colourful city centre European Parade in collaboration with Liverpool ONE, featuring participants in traditional national dress and live performances of dance and music from Ukrainian, Polish, Italian, Greek Cypriot and Irish groups at key public locations.

This year’s festival also includes music events, community photography workshops, a Little Italy History Ride, a family festival celebrating Polish History Day, the annual Ukraine Community Centre concert, parades, symposiums, storytelling, creative workshops, poetry, puppetry, folk evenings, film screenings and Midsummer Celebrations with the city’s Nordic community.

The festival is led by the Liverpool European Partnership and shaped and delivered by the city’s European communities.

New for 2026, the festival is working with European cultural institutes, including the Cyprus High Commission Culture Section and the Dante Alighieri Society in Rome, and Polish Culture Institute in London bringing new depth to the programme. Three major cultural organisations are also supporting the festival this year - the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Open Eye Gallery and National Museums Liverpool.

Gosia McKane, Director of Liverpool European Partnership, said: “I am incredibly proud of the commitment and achievements of Liverpool’s European communities since we began this journey in 2023. The Liverpool European Festival is, in many ways, what cultural diplomacy looks like in practice - built on sustained collaboration, shared purpose and long-term commitment.

“We are delighted to be working alongside Liverpool City Council Our Liverpool team, as well as an expanding group of cultural, diplomatic and commercial partners. Together, we are not only delivering a festival, but demonstrating the vision of the Liverpool European Partnership in action—creating meaningful connections, strengthening communities, and positioning Liverpool as a truly international city grounded in collaboration and cultural exchange.”

Liverpool European Festival runs from May 9 to July 5. Full details and booking HERE

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