As part of its exciting programme celebrating Liverpool hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, Royal Albert Dock have partnered with city-based inclusive club night Sonic Yootha.
The trio of DJs will be playing onboard a 72ft Challenger yacht during the afternoon of Eurovision Grand Final Day – Saturday 13 May.
Operated by Tall Ships Youth Trust, the yacht will be moored in the dock’s inner quay from 6-14 May, and Sonic Yootha DJs will hit the decks between 2pm and 5pm.
Promoted as “A monthly dislocated disco for homos, fauxmos, gender-blenders & part-time Brendas”, Sonic Yootha has risen to fame over the past few years to become one of the leading club events in the country, and have supported Kylie Minogue on her 2018 ‘Golden’ tour.
Playing a set of Eurovision hits, disco classics, and indie anthems, co-founder of Sonic Yootha Shaun Duggan said:
“We can’t wait to be all at sea for Eurovision on Finals Day at Royal Albert Dock – it’s the first time Ian, John and I will have played from the deck of a boat so it’s certainly going to be lots of fun. It’s great to be involved in the dock celebrations and hope visitors enjoy our set.”
In addition to Sonic Yootha’s DJ set, the waterfront destination will also be bringing the party with ‘Time To Shine’ podiums where visitors can come together and lip synch or play air guitar to their favourite tunes on specially built mini-stages.
Hosted by presenter and personality Leanne Campbell, the Time To Shine podiums will be operating on the afternoons of Tuesday 9, Thursday 11 and Saturday 13 May, with the best performances winning spot prizes!
Continuing the theme of unity and positivity, the dock’s Grand Hall is set to host a three-day takeover by Skittles and Gay Times.
Running from 11-13 May the free pop-up exhibition entitled ‘Queer Joy’ aims to shine a light on the unfiltered, queer self-expression that is vital to the LGBTQ+ community and highlight the sense of queer joy in the community.
The exhibition will showcase striking portraits of queer people, captured by a variety of emerging international photographers. Guests will be invited to capture their own images within the space, pick up a packet of SKITTLES®, and will also have the chance to have a portrait captured by a local queer photographer.
Ryan Pardo-Roques, Senior Brand Manager, SKITTLES® said: “Liverpool has an impressive history when it comes to LGBTQ+ movements and we’re thrilled to reveal a glimpse of our QUEER JOY exhibition in the city. This month, we will see a Europe-wide moment of cultural unity in Liverpool and we’re hoping that the exhibition will help further spark the feeling of queer joy, vibrant expression, and togetherness. The exhibition marks a three-year journey with our brilliant partners to help create the LGBTQ+ archives of tomorrow, shaping them into the dynamic and representative collections they ought to be. By helping people See The Rainbow we hope to drive more acceptance through visibility!”
For more information on all of Royal Albert Dock’s Eurovision events programme, visit www.albertdock.com/eurovision.
