Building on the success of Eurovision, 2024 saw Culture Liverpool setting the stage for another year of unforgettable live shows, festivals and concerts.
Inviting visitors from around the world we provided the perfect backdrop for established and emerging talents to captivate new audiences and redefine the city’s commitment to cultural expression. Everyone was welcome to be part of Liverpool’s world famous cultural events programme.
Malmö Handover
Following ground-breaking research to understand the power and impact on global cultural relations that the UK and Liverpool had when hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 – an official report concluded the City has revolutionised the hosting of the contest.
After being hailed as one of the most successful Eurovision host city programmes ever, Liverpool handed over the Eurovision key to 2024 hosts Sweden during the official Insignia event in Malmö on Tuesday 30 January.
Chinese New Year – 25th Anniversary of Shanghai Twinning
In 2024, we welcomed the Year of the Dragon during our Lunar New Year celebrations which took place from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 February.
This year, we were thrilled to be able to host this age-old tradition in person once again, expanding the celebrations. Crowds enjoyed new and exciting commissions by outdoor art experts Walk The Plank and Focal Studios and fiery thrill-seekers Bring The Fire, which saw vibrant Dragon inspired action with fire, flames, projections and street animation taking place across St Luke’s Bombed Out Church, Liverpool BID, Liverpool ONE and the Royal Albert Dock.
LIMF Academy Orchestrated
Celebrating talented young music creators of our city, this annual collaboration brought together musicians from Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company with the best of Liverpool International Music Festival Academy’s (LIMF) singer-songwriters.
On Saturday 3 February, friends and family came together with audiences far and wide to join us for this showcase event featuring a range of specially arranged cross-genre originals and covers.
Flower Streets
Flower Streets in Kirkdale was a Safer Streets initiative created with local Councillors and colleagues in Streetscene to help address issues of anti-social behaviour in the area. An element of this initiative was to improve the look of the area and help bring back a sense of pride in the community.
dot-art were commissioned to deliver eleven large scale murals on the gable ends of the ‘Flower Streets’ houses, working with visual artist Madeleine Pires. Representing the names of the flowers of each of the streets, the murals were designed and co-created by and for residents during a specially curated community engagement programme led by Madeleine.
Free workshops incorporating storytelling, writing, drawing, painting, and ecology were held at the local community centre, with schools, groups and individuals invited to come along to share their experiences and stories.
Nine commissioned murals were complete by May 2024, with a further two in the September.
Liverpool Loves Eurovision
Last year Liverpool was the centre of the Eurovision Universe, and it was incredible. So, this year special plans were put in place to re-live its hosting of THE most successful Eurovision Song Contest of all time!
Under the umbrella of Liverpool Loves Eurovision, the city came alive once again with a range of major screening events, club nights, live performances and family friendly activities all taking place on Saturday 11 May.
The popular Blue and Yellow Submarine Parade took to the Pier Head for a deep-sea disco, ‘Crafty Fish’ workshops were available to make ‘fishy’ accessories, Katumba Drumming brought the beats for the giant performing octopus alongside roller skating Jellyfish, sea puppets and dance performances.
Meanwhile on Castle Street, Liverpool ONE and Royal Albert Dock Liverpool ‘Beats on the Streets’ provided a line-up of some of the best local talent performing Eurovision hits from across the years throughout the day.
Elsewhere, the Bluecoat showcased ‘Fly High’, a special art installation by artist Andrea Ku from B4 Biodiversity, which displayed beautiful blue and yellow butterfly lanterns created during family sessions. A rainbow carpeted premiere of feature documentary QUEEROVISION by First Take also took place and Exhibition Centre Liverpool was the place to be to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 grand finale, headlined by the one and only Vengaboys!
Cunard Naming
Cunard’s spiritual home hosted the spectacular Naming Ceremony for its newest ship Queen Anne on Monday 3 June. Arriving on the Mersey soon after sunrise, there was a buzz of excitement as crowds gathered to take photographs. From 2.30pm, street theatre and choir performances popped up around the Pier Head and Princes Parade with musical maritime performances entertaining the crowds.
The special naming ceremony began at 4pm, hosted by much-loved TV personalities Emma and Matt Willis. An impressive line-up of Liverpool’s finest talent, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and performers from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts took to the stage, as well as special guests and the official Godparents for the naming of Queen Anne – distinguished women, representing the City of Liverpool Ngunan Adamu, Natalie Haywood, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Melanie C, Jayne Casey.
The traditional smashing of a bottle of champagne against the 249th ship to carry the Cunard name was witnessed by thousands, with the event drawing to a close with a special performance by operatic superstar Andrea Bocelli.
The evening saw Craig Charles bidding farewell to Queen Anne with his funk and soul set surrounded by thousands whilst fireworks lit up the Liverpool skyline.
Taylor Town Trail
One of the biggest stars on the planet arrived in the birthplace of pop this year – and to mark this musical moment for the ages, plans were put in place to give Swifties a proper scouse welcome.
In June, Taylor Swift played three sold-out shows at Anfield stadium, and the team that helped deliver the best Eurovision in history, planned a special city experience for the tens of thousands of fans that travelled from across the world.
The Taylor Town Trail was the centrepiece, comprising 11 art installations, each inspired by a different Taylor Swift Era: ‘Taylor Swift’ by Design Laser Play, ‘Fearless’ by Molly Mural, ‘Speak Now’ by Mulberry Workshop and Quirky Design Co, ‘Red’ by Anna Mulhearn and Mulberry Workshop, ‘1989’ by Xyleia, Hannah Ng, Quirky Design Co and Submarine Studios, ‘Reputation’ by Submarine Studios, Xyleia and Mulberry Workshop, ‘Lover’ by Bethan and Quirky Design Co, ‘Folklore by Quirky Design Co, ‘Evermore’ by Local Florist,’ ‘Midnights’ by Xyleia, Mulberry Workshop and Quirky Design Co and ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ by Catherine Rogers.
Island of Foam
German artist Stephanie Lüning headed to Liverpool for the very first time this August to present her unique, multi coloured and mesmerising artwork entitled ‘Island of Foam’.
Taking place at the iconic Liverpool ONE Sugar House Steps, opposite John Lewis, audiences were welcomed to join Stephanie to delve deeper into the fascinating world of foam as she skilfully interwove the history of the urban landscape with a personal story to create a fascinating visual narrative.
Crowds delighted as the foam turned into a live art installation – growing and reproducing as it changed the face of the architectural features of the public space it inhabited before finally disappearing.
‘Island of Foam’ formed part of ‘The Last Day of Summer’ waterfront festival, organised by Liverpool BID Company, Culture Liverpool, Royal Albert Dock Liverpool and Peel.
The Flowers Still Grow
The Flowers Still Grow brought together a series of projects that showcase long-term collaborations between photographers, creative writers, and local communities in Anfield and Garston. Each project celebrating the people who make up these communities whilst reflecting their concerns, experiences, and aspirations of the society around them. The series was displayed at Open Eye Gallery from 13 September – 28 October for all to see.
‘People of Anfield’ and ‘Childhood is a Garden’, co-created with communities in Anfield and Garston, are the result of two-year creative residencies commissioned by Open Eye Gallery and Culture Liverpool. The show also included ‘Next Up…’, an annual graduate showcase of work from the MA in Socially Engaged Photography course at the University of Salford, and Social Lens: Celebrating Creative Collaborations (exterior walls), a celebration of collaborative projects produced over the past 8 years.
SGH 170
Celebrating its momentous 170th anniversary, St George’s Hall played host to a summer-long series of events to welcome audiences into the grandeur of this iconic venue.
From comedians to singer-songwriters from jazz to rock’n’roll, the final programme of events for the SGH170 Festival was unveiled and took place from August until September.
Thousands of visitors enjoyed the stunning Eonarium Enlightenment which brought Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to life in a breathtaking audio-visual extravaganza in the Great Hall. Hundreds also came along to The Jacaranda’s Rock N’ Roll Circus, Comedy in the Concert Room (featuring Adam Rowe, Josh Pugh, Laura Lexx, and hosted by award-winning comedian Sam Avery), The Narrative singer songwriter showcase and networking event (with local musicians ZUZU, KOF, and MT Jones) and The Wombat Jazz Festival uniting the city’s finest jazz talent (with the legendary The Grapes Band, special guest vocalist Ni Maxine, rising star drummer Skye Ambrosius and the great Andrew Ibi, along with Parabhen Lad, Buster Swaby, Robasca, David Kayode, Bop Kaballa, Monkey Paw and Dharma Collective).
River of Light
River of Light is an annual free event that provides an outdoor illuminated gallery on Liverpool Waterfront, featuring light and sound from local, national and international artists.
In 2024, 12 large scale installations were presented by some of the best light artists in the world from 25 October until 5 November, all inspired by the theme of ‘Play’.
Some of the works turned the waterfront into a playground, while others offer a deeper question around play and what it can mean for individuals, communities and the city as a whole.
The installations included: ‘Bubblesque’ by Atelier Sisu, ‘Bunch of Tulips’ by Koros Design Studio, ‘Checkmate’ by Amigo & Amigo, ‘Firefly Field’ by Studio Toer, ‘Illusion Hole’ by UxU Studio, ‘Impulse’ by Lateral Office & CS Design, ‘LAPS’ by Oliver Landreville, ‘Lightbattle III’ by VENIVIDMULTIPLEX, ‘No Place Like Gnome’ by Amigo & Amigo, ‘Piano Walk’ by Amigo & Amigo, ‘Positive Spin’ by Liz Harry in collaboration with Kazimier Productions and ‘Rangoli Mirrored Cosmos’ By MURUGIAH.
Open Sauce
Saturday 12 October saw a free day of performances at District, showcasing some of the best talent from LIMF Academy!
The exciting line-up of artists past and present featured rising stars, Michael Aldag, known for his Electro-Pop sound, and Tonia, known for her debut single, Flux. Joining the line-up was KOJ, Immi Dash, Jazmine Johnson, Bethané, Remée, Jade Burns (DJ Set), Euan Blackman, Faye Donna Francis, Superlate, hosted by Ni Maxine.
This event celebrated a decade of the LIMF Academy initiative, which since 2013 has nurtured and supported over 5,000 young music creators in Merseyside.
Act 1.5 & Expedition One
September saw Liverpool announced as the world’s first ‘Accelerator City’ for climate action, having been recognised for its commitment to trial innovative new ways to rapidly decarbonise the live music and TV/Film production sectors via the UN Climate Change’s Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action programme.
Following years of work by ACT 1.5, an artist-led research and action effort, and climate scientists from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Liverpool is going to be the place where the experiments and ideas for how to create change will be tested first.
Kick starting a series of events in and around the city was three nights of live music, which took place from the 28 – 30 November. Under the umbrella of Act 1.5, Idles, Massive Attack and Nile Rogers & Chic each performed at M&S Bank Arena – all the gigs being low carbon, showcasing the ‘gold standard’ of smart design in live music events.
Coinciding was Expedition One, a headline industry summit aimed at professionals working in British live music events and Film/TV production. Taking place on 29 – 30 November, Liverpool offered these two vital sectors a city-wide petri-dish, the partners, and the systemic support to test and pioneer deep carbonisation and the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels.
HMS Prince Of Wales
HMS Prince of Wales returned to Liverpool this December and members of the public were once again able to go on board and view one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK.
With an expected service life of up to 50 years, the floating cities of the Queen Elizabeth-class are highly versatile and able to meet the widest range of tasks around the world.
The ability to move 500 miles per day – combined with the speed and range of the F35 jets – means these carriers can react at very short notice and make a difference around the globe.
Transforming into a force centred around carrier strike – The Royal Navy supports ships as they conduct carrier strike missions, enforce no-fly zones, deploy Royal Marine Commandos, deliver humanitarian aid, and build international partnerships with allies.
On Sunday 8 December, public stepped on board at Liverpool Cruise Port, exploring the impressive aircraft carrier – taking the opportunity to talk with members of the crew.
The visit of HMS Prince of Wales was organised by the Royal Navy in partnership with Liverpool City Council and Global Ports Holding.
Spellow Re-Opening
The British Library in London was among more than 120 libraries around the country lighting up on Wednesday 11 December, on the eve of the reopening of a Liverpool library that was torched during the racist riots in the summer.
The arson attack on Spellow Library and Community Hub in Walton prompted a huge outcry and a nationwide response, with book donations from Her Majesty the Queen and a host of famous authors, as well as a £250,000 fundraising campaign.
To mark the reopening, the Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, called on local authorities across the country to be part of a nationwide symbolic moment on the evening of Wednesday 11 December.
Scores of libraries – from Lancashire and Newcastle to Southampton, Cornwall and even the Isle of Wight – agreed to light up in solidarity and share photographs of it on their social media platforms using the hashtag #ShareTheLight.
At the same time, there was a community-focused event for local people in Walton, part of which was broadcast live on The One Show on BBC One.
The building was officially reopened on the morning of Thursday 12 December at a civic event, which included members of the local community, schoolchildren, first responders and political leaders.
There were also contributions from poet Levi Tafari and Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
Following the reopening, a weekend of special family Christmas events was planned to welcome the local community back into Spellow Library & Community Hub.
