Arts and Culture
Discover the best of arts and culture in Liverpool, featuring exhibitions, interviews, and cultural events celebrating the city’s creative spirit.
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Alia Boquash
Alia Boquash – A poet shaped by heritage, community, and Liverpool’s creative undercurrents. Alia Boquash – known to many as Alia Breeze – writes with an instinct that comes straight from lived experience. Her work is shaped by realism, by the grit of south Liverpool streets, and by emotions that don’t soften themselves before arriving on the page. She describes herself as “emotionally charged, heartfelt, and slightly hard faced,” and her poetry carries that same unfiltered energy. For Alia,…
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Leap Dance Festival Reveals 2026 Programme
Leap Dance Festival returns to Liverpool City Region venues next month promising an unmissable fortnight of brilliant performances, workshops and fantastic free events for all the family. The annual festival of dance will take place at theatres, cultural venues and in public spaces between Friday 24 April and Saturday 9 May 2026. Audiences can enjoy stunning new performances from some of the UK’s most exciting contemporary dance companies along with a must-see programme of work from talented dancers from…
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Asexual and Selling Sex: The Unlikeliest Gogo Dancer
It’s 4am, I’m in a tiny pair of hot pants on a podium. My body is gyrating to the music. I look at the crowd and see people gazing at me. Men and women compliment my legs, my butt, my sexy outfit. The next night I am a fantasy elf. The crowd goes wild as I rip each layer of my glittering costume off to reveal a tiny leather harness and mini undergarment. I am…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Dan Cullinan
Dan Cullinan – A reflective piece from a poet who finds calm in stillness. Dan Cullinan is a poet quietly working his way through Liverpool’s spoken-word and grassroots poetry scene. Since beginning to write seriously in 2017, Cullinan has published two collections, The Vietnam Collection and Accidentally Poetic. Beyond writing, he’s the founder and curator of the open-mic series Give Poetry A Chance, a regular fixture offering free-to-attend nights that bring together seasoned and emerging voices in poetry. With this…
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Mark Leckey Launches Music And Art Union For Tate Liverpool and Future Yard
Tate Liverpool and Future Yard have today announced a new collaboration that will merge the worlds of contemporary art and contemporary music. Selector will present the artist ‘In Conversation’ at Tate where the musical inspirations on their work are explored, followed by a series of live music events curated by visual artists to celebrate the influence music has on their art. The series will launch with Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey in June. Visual and performing artists have been combining their artforms for centuries. Since…
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Grenfell by Steve McQueen To Be Shown At Liverpool’s Bluecoat
Tate Liverpool are collaborating with the Bluecoat to bring Steve McQueen’s film installation Grenfell to Liverpool. Tate has been coordinating a national tour of the artwork since 2025, and it will be presented at the Bluecoat from 16 May to 21 June. In December 2017, artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen (b.1969, London) made an artwork in response to the fire that took place earlier that year on 14 June at Grenfell Tower. 72 people died in the tragedy. Filming…
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Liverpool Olympia CIC Officially Launched At Special Opening Event
Liverpool Olympia officially launched its new CIC status with a special open morning which entertained and enchanted local schoolchildren. Around 100 pupils from nearby New Park Primary and Whitefield Primary Schools were treated to a peek inside the historic West Derby Road venue on Thursday, where they watched a thrilling circus magic show compèred by local showman Mike Stuart, channelling the spirit of theatre architect ‘Frank Matcham’ – and even got to meet Noo Noo the animatronic elephant. Meanwhile selected…
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Open-Air Theatre, Ukuleles And Garden Parties Set For Calderstones Park Summer
A packed programme of open-air theatre, free garden parties, literary events and family festivals is set to return to Calderstones Park this summer, as Shared Reading charity The Reader unveils its Summer 2026 season. Taking place at the historic Grade II listed Mansion House, the programme brings together storytelling, wellbeing workshops, live performance and relaxed community gatherings, reinforcing Calderstones Park as one of Liverpool’s most vibrant cultural destinations during the National Year of Reading 2026.…
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New Brighton’s Mural Trail Enters a New Era of Scale and Impact
For nearly eight years, New Brighton’s walls have been quietly doing the work. Not as a campaign. Not as a short-term project. As a sustained effort to build something visible, public and lasting. One mural at a time, the Victoria Quarter has evolved into an OpenAIR gallery that now sits at the centre of the town’s identity. That foundation is now in place. What happens next is scale. With three major new murals delivered in…
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Liverpool Makers Bazaar Spotlight on Dock and Aloe
Proud to have been born and bred in Wavertree, raised by a strong, independent single mum with support from the best Scouse nan and grandad on the planet, Antony is Dock and Aloe. Dock and Aloe is currently a range of natural vegan soaps whose name is a play on words, paying homage to Liverpool’s rich maritime history at the docks, with a nod to the traditional Scouse greeting “Ello”, whilst also alluding to aloe…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Aaron Murdoch
Aaron Murdoch – a conceptual duel between typewriter and sound. Aaron Murdoch has spent three decades reading and writing material across open floors, cultivating a practice that is both iterative and restless. For Murdoch, repetition is not stagnation; every new piece is an evolving process, a reason to leave the house rather than simply retrace familiar paths. His work has appeared in underground anthologies and publications including antivirus productions’ Lastbench series, Twenty From Ten (2012), and The First Page of…
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The Creative Corner Festival (Night Two) at Epstein Theatre
On the second evening of the Creative Corner Festival, the stage of the Epstein Theatre played host to two sharply contrasting pieces of new writing, each offering a glimpse of emerging theatrical voices still in the process of shaping their craft. Presented in partnership with Naughty Corner Productions, the festival positions itself as a space for experimentation—an opportunity for writers and performers to test ideas in front of a live audience. Night two demonstrated both…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: John Boyd
John Boyd – A wry look at domestic life and everyday frustrations. John Boyd is a poet, writer, and performer whose work often moves between humour and reflection. Poetry has long been his primary form, though in recent years he has explored playwriting, including an autobiographical comedy about a wedding. Despite these ventures, Boyd has consistently returned to the poem as his first and enduring creative outlet. The Laundry Blues, written some years ago, is based on a true…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Seán Street
Seán Street exploring the circles that shape a life. Time is a subject that circles us all, but for Seán Street it has become something of a lifelong companion—persistent, questioning, impossible to ignore. His poem, O, presented for the 52 for 26 Poetry Project, grows from that intimate preoccupation. Drawing on a striking idea from John Berger’s essay How to Resist a State of Forgetfulness, Street reflects on the notion that our lives are not simple points on…
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Creative Spotlight: In Conversation with Eleanor Rees
Eleanor Rees: Where Place Becomes Voice For Eleanor Rees, poetry has never been a performance of the self. It is something quieter, more porous — a practice of attention rooted in landscape, language and the subtle negotiations between the human and the more-than-human. Across more than two decades of work, the Birkenhead-born poet has traced rivers, parks, mythic figures and post-industrial terrains, building a body of writing that listens as much as it speaks. Rees’s…
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Cardboard Clues: The Mystery Signs of Aintree
Before going to work, some may go and grab a large cup of extra-strong black coffee to help mentally prepare themselves for what lies ahead in the office; not me. Before clocking on, I prefer to take some photos. Aintree, a pleasant residential area in the Merseyside region, is also known for housing the world-famous Grand National race every year at the iconic Aintree Racecourse. But what I discovered was not necessarily something you would…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Mike FC
Mike FC – Poetry forged where personal space meets public crisis. Liverpool has a habit of producing artists who don’t just create, but bear witness. Mike FC is firmly in that lineage. His work—whether spoken, staged or sung—always feels tethered to the streets he walks and the people he listens to. With MY FRONT DOOR, his contribution to the 52 for 26 Poetry Project, Mike turns that instinctive sense of social radar onto a night that left an…
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New Brighton Bids To Become UK’s First Town of Culture
New Brighton has officially confirmed its bid to become the UK’s first Town of Culture, setting out a bold coastal vision for 2028 and inviting residents, businesses and visitors to help shape the programme. The bid forms part of a landmark moment for Wirral, with two towns entering the national competition. Birkenhead will bid in the large town category, while New Brighton will compete in the small town category, reflecting the strength and ambition of…
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Liverpool Olympia Unveils Community-Led Future After Becoming CIC
One of the city’s most iconic entertainment venues is entering a bold new era as Liverpool Olympia officially becomes a Community Interest Company (CIC), placing community benefit at the heart of its future plans. The landmark venue on West Derby Road has adopted CIC status to strengthen its commitment to delivering cultural, educational and training opportunities for local people. As a CIC, the organisation will reinvest profits back into the community it serves — a…
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52 For 26 Poetry Project: Stephanie Trujillo
Finding Belonging Beyond Blood: How Stephanie Trujillo’s “Apples and Oranges” Celebrates the Families We Choose and the Connections That Heal. Stephanie Trujillo’s poem Apples and Oranges is a quietly powerful meditation on family — not the kind you’re born into, but the kind you choose. It’s about belonging, about building a support network when your blood family isn’t safe, supportive, or present. For anyone who has felt estranged, overlooked, or out of step with inherited expectations, the poem offers recognition…
Liverpool has long been recognised as one of the UK’s most creative cities, with a thriving arts and culture scene that continues to inspire, innovate, and attract visitors from across the globe. From world-class art galleries and museums to grassroots exhibitions, community-led projects, and bold new work from emerging artists, the city offers an ever-changing landscape of creativity.
Our arts and culture in Liverpool section celebrates everything from major cultural moments to intimate creative experiences. Here, you’ll find coverage of the city’s most exciting art exhibitions, from Tate Liverpool’s thought-provoking contemporary shows to Bluecoat’s pioneering visual arts programme and FACT’s boundary-pushing exploration of digital culture. We also shine a spotlight on independent galleries and artist-run spaces, such as Output Gallery and dot-art, which champion local talent and give a platform to Liverpool’s diverse artistic voices.
But arts and culture in Liverpool is about more than exhibitions. It’s also about the stories behind the artists, curators, and cultural leaders who shape the city. Through interviews, features, and opinion pieces, we explore the inspirations, challenges, and creative journeys of those contributing to Liverpool’s cultural life. Whether it’s an established painter, a theatre director, or a multidisciplinary artist experimenting with new forms, we share their perspectives and amplify their work.
Liverpool’s cultural calendar is packed with must-see events, and this section keeps you up to date with the highlights. From visual arts festivals like Liverpool Biennial, to multi-arts celebrations such as Africa Oyé and Homotopia, we cover the festivals and events that bring people together and reflect the city’s spirit of creativity and inclusion. Alongside these larger-scale happenings, we also look at grassroots cultural activity—pop-up exhibitions, open studios, and collaborative community projects that keep the city’s cultural identity vibrant and alive.
The city’s strong cultural foundations, built on its history as a UNESCO City of Music and European Capital of Culture 2008, continue to fuel innovation. Today, arts and culture in Liverpool is about creating accessible, inclusive, and exciting opportunities for everyone to experience creativity. Whether you’re interested in traditional painting and sculpture, cutting-edge digital installations, performance art, or cultural heritage, Liverpool offers something for every taste.
By exploring this section, you’ll discover not only what’s on, but also gain insights into why the arts matter here and now. Liverpool’s artists and cultural organisations are shaping important conversations about identity, diversity, community, and the future—and we’re here to share their stories.
So whether you’re planning your next gallery visit, looking to discover a new artist, or simply want to stay connected with the heartbeat of Liverpool’s creative scene, this category is your guide to everything happening in arts and culture across the city.