Festivals
Stay up to date with the best festivals in Liverpool, from music and arts to family-friendly food and drink events across the city.
-
Sound City 2021 Review & Artist Playlist
Sound City made a triumphant comeback last weekend and for the first time in a long time things felt kind of normal. The festival’s return to city centre venues certainly brought back some nostalgia as well as acting as a reminder of what life felt like pre-pandemic. It felt good to be heading from venue to venue, despite the bad weather and some full capacity lockouts at certain times over the three days. There was…
-
Sound City 2021 Preview: Our Top Ten Artists Not to Be Missed
Sound City returns to Liverpool city centre venues this weekend and we can’t wait to catch sets from some amazing local talent across the three day festival. I think we share the excitement of many who are so glad to see Sound City return to its roots, with festival goers milling around town heading from one venue to another, immersing in the party-like atmosphere. Over 175 acts will take over the city’s music venues with…
-
bluedot 2022 confirms Björk as closing headliner
In a UK festival exclusive, bluedot Festival (21-24 July 2022) has announced a unique Björk performance as Sunday night headliner. The genre-spanning pioneer will be joined by The Hallé Orchestra at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Jodrell Bank Observatory, accompanied by a projection mapping spectacle. The audio-visual performance will feature video and animated projections on the iconic Lovell Telescope, for a unique show exclusive to bluedot. This will be the first-time audiences at bluedot…
-
Sound City 2021 Confirms Venues & Adds More Names To Lineup
Sound City is returning to its city centre roots as they announce venues and even more acts are added to the festival lineup. Sound City continues its preparations for an emphatic festival return this October – sitting not only as the definitive home of new music discovery in 2021 but also the celebrated return of the festival to its inner-city roots in the heart of Liverpool. Returning to the streets that originally played host to…
-
Everyone is invited out to ‘Play’ for LightNight Liverpool
Liverpool’s annual ‘culture-crawl’ LightNight returns to the city on Friday 21 May, when arts venues will throw open their doors until late at night to shine a spotlight on the region’s world-class artistic offer. Open Culture revealed the line-up of over 75 free arts events across the 30 venues taking part in the one-night only arts festival. With a combination of in-person events in Liverpool city centre, and an online events programme, the theme of…
-
LightNight Liverpool Unveils Seven New Commissions for 2021 Event
LightNight Liverpool will unveil seven new commissions when it returns on Friday 21 May 2021, in a combination of online and offline arts activity for the one night only arts festival. With a live drag cabaret event on Church Street, a synth-pop trio becoming a human instrument, a 3D cut out opera and a piece exploring sound waves and social gatherings, the theme of this year’s festival is ‘Play’. The theme ‘Play’ allows a reflection…
-
Writing on the Wall Festival returns with high-profile guests
Liverpool’s Writing on the Wall Festival Secures Line-Up of High Profile Guests To Mark 21st Anniversary. WoWFEST: 21 Years of Radical Writing, which will run online throughout May, will see headliners including, film-maker Ken Loach, Children’s author and poet, Michael Rosen and television presenter, Jon Snow, all making appearances. They will be joined by Maxine Hong-Kingston, the Chinese American author and Professor at the University of California; Singer, song-writer, Tracey Thorn and crime fiction American…
-
Positive Vibration Festival 2021 Confirm New Dates
Positive Vibration Festival has confirmed its new dates for their 2021 event. The festival was due to take place on 11 and 12 June 2021, however as the Government’s Roadmap out of lockdown plans were only announced recently it’s just not possible for the event organisers to hold the festival in June. The festival will now take place on 10 and 11 September 2021, in the Baltic Triangle. If you have already purchased a ticket,…
-
Homotopia Festival 2020 Preview
Nobody knows how to adapt and survive to strange times like the queer community and Liverpool’s Homotopia Festival is back with a bang for 2020 and a dynamic line-up of physical events and online happenings. In a year where everything has changed, the UK’s longest running LGBTQIA arts and culture festival will reach out into new places and spaces, including a drag promenade down Liverpool’s Hope Street, a ‘Queer the City’ art crawl and a…
-
Liverpool Irish Festival 2020 Preview
Irish comedian and TV presenter Patrick Kielty has been announced as the headliner for the Liverpool Irish Festival this October, as the cultural showcase goes online for 2020. The 10-day festival celebrates the connections between Liverpool and Ireland and although this year’s event will be exclusively virtual, will still feature an exciting line-up of music, film, art and spoken word. Patrick Kielty headlines the programme on 17 October with a special event called ‘Hard Histories,…
-
BlackFest: Liverpool’s Black Arts Festival 21 – 27 September
Liverpool’s Black Arts festival, BlackFest heads both online and to city venues this September for a week long programme of diverse and thought-provoking entertainment and events. After two highly successful programmes in 2018 and 2019, BlackFest returns for its third annual festival this autumn with an exciting line up of music, theatre, film, performance, poetry, spoken word and panel discussions; many of them free to stream online. The festival opens on Monday 21st September with Locks, an online discussion about prison systems and racial profiling, featuring…
-
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival Goes Digital: 9-18 July
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival goes digital for the first time in its history next week. The UK’s longest running Arab arts festival opens a door into Arab arts and culture from 9 – 18 July, connecting artists and audiences from across the UK. This year’s festival will feature events from Ramallah, Beirut, London, Jerusalem, Morocco, Aleppo, Kuala Lumpur and more. Established in 1998, the festival usually takes place each year in arts and cultural venues…
-
Creamfields Announces First Wave of Acts For 2021
Prestige festival Creamfields has announced the first wave of acts confirmed to perform at Creamfields 2021. This is good news for fans of the festival, after the COVID 19 crisis resulted in a global live event shutdown for 2020. This year’s festival would have featured renowned headline artists including The Chainsmokers, Armin van Buuren and Camelphat. The announcement was made via the Creamfields website, with renowned DJ’s such as Martin Garrix, Peggy Gou, Tiësto, deadmau5,…
-
Liverpool Digital Music Festival Huge Lineup Revealed
Liverpool Digital Music Festival 22 – 25 May 2020 Liverpool Digital Music Festival has announced 100 local artists who will be playing the online event between 22 – 25 May. Jamie Webster, Natalie McCool, Spinn, All We Are, Mutant Vinyl and Charity Shop Pop are amongst those who will play as part of the event in support Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust and Save Our Venues from the Music Venue Trust. The all-digital online festival…
-
Sound City Online Festival: Saturday 2 May
Sound City online festival will feature Friendly Fires (DJ Set), The Wombats, Red Rum Club, over 30 artists and conference speakers. With this year’s festival postponed until September, Sound City are partnering with the Music Venues Trust #saveourvenues and taking the event online this Saturday with a stellar line-up of artists on streaming platform Guest House. Headliners Friendly Fires will join the party with a DJ set, while The Wombats, Red Rum Club, The Night…
-
Bluedot Festival Postponed Until July 2021
The organisers of Bluedot Festival have confirmed that this year’s event will be put back to 22-25 July 2021 due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus outbreak. All three headliners – Bjork, Metronomy and Groove Armada – have confirmed their appearance on the bill next year with many other artists and speakers from this year’s line-up set to join them. Tickets already purchased will be valid for next year’s festival or alternatively full refunds will be…
-
Sound City 2020 Festival Extra Day And More Artists Announced
***Sound City 2020 Cancelled Due To Ongoing Coronavirus Concerns*** Sound City 2020 festival has announcd that it has expanded its re-scheduled event to 25, 26, 27 September. With Friendly Fires headlining on Friday 25 September, Pale Waves on Saturday 26 and Red Rum Club on Sunday 27, the festival will launch on Thursday 24 September with a party at District headlined by Fickle Friends. The Sound City + conference will now include a revised programme…
-
Sound City 2020 Announces New Festival Dates: 25-27 September
Sound City 2020 rearranged dates have been announced due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The festival is now scheduled to take place 25 – 27 September 2020. Returning to the Baltic Triangle for its third year Sound City 2020 edition will feature an exclusive Friendly Fires headline show. Picture the music festival, which was established in 2008 as a sprawling block party where pop-up bars, clubs and warehouses make way for the hottest new music talent…
-
Future Yard Festival Announce Series of 2020 Events
The team behind Future Yard Festival has announced Near Future, a pop-up music venue and Birkenhead’s only dedicated live music space. Initially Near Future will be showcasing a series of live events between 25th April – 20th June 2020. It will present some of the most exciting emerging new artists from across the UK – and very special returning local icons. The success of the first Future Yard Festival last year proved that there is…
-
Positive Vibration Announce Second Wave of Acts for 2020 Festival
The award-winning celebration of reggae music and Jamaican culture, Positive Vibration Festival has announced even more acts ahead of the festival’s return to the Baltic Triangle, Liverpool on 12 and 13 June 2020. Since its inception in 2016, Positive Vibration Festival of Reggae has established itself as one of the country’s most exciting and eclectic reggae festivals, playing host to internationally renowned bands, legendary sound systems + selectors and some of the brightest new talent.…
Festivals are at the heart of Liverpool’s cultural identity, bringing people together to celebrate music, art, food, film, and community. The city has a long tradition of hosting vibrant festivals that reflect its creativity and diversity, offering something for everyone throughout the year. Whether you’re a music lover chasing the buzz of live performances, a family looking for fun days out, or a foodie ready to explore new flavours, Liverpool’s festival scene has it all.
Music festivals are among Liverpool’s biggest draws, showcasing everything from local grassroots talent to international superstars. Events like Sound City attract huge crowds with eclectic line-ups, while festivals such as Africa Oyé shine a spotlight on global sounds, reggae culture, and community spirit. For fans of electronic music, events like Creamfields (just outside the city) and independent club-led festivals deliver world-class DJ sets and unforgettable all-night parties.
The city also thrives with arts and culture festivals, celebrating creativity in all its forms. Liverpool Biennial, the UK’s largest festival of contemporary visual art, transforms the city every two years with thought-provoking exhibitions, installations, and performances. DaDaFest champions disabled and Deaf artists through powerful work that challenges perspectives, while Homotopia Festival celebrates LGBTQIA+ culture through theatre, cabaret, and visual arts.
For families and food lovers, food and drink festivals are a huge part of the Liverpool calendar. The likes of the Baltic Market’s street food events bring together the best of local restaurants, bars, breweries, and independent traders. Visitors can sample cuisines from around the world, enjoy cooking demonstrations, and discover hidden gems from Liverpool’s food scene. Seasonal favourites like Christmas markets and Easter festivals also provide plenty of fun for all ages, with live entertainment, craft stalls, and activities for kids.
Film fans and culture-seekers aren’t left out either. The city plays host to Liverpool Film Festival, and smaller community-led screenings that celebrate both local filmmakers and international cinema. These events provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy films in unique settings while supporting independent cinema.
No matter the season, Liverpool’s festivals bring a sense of excitement, colour, and togetherness to the city. They reflect the city’s heritage, creativity, and welcoming spirit, making them an essential part of life in Liverpool. Whether you’re planning your festival calendar for the year, discovering new music and art, or just looking for a fun weekend with friends, there’s always something happening to capture your imagination.
Our Festivals category keeps you up to date with the best events across the city region. From major annual highlights to smaller niche gatherings, we cover everything so you don’t miss a moment of Liverpool’s thriving festival scene.