Things to do in Liverpool

Discover the best things to do in Liverpool with our handpicked guides to events, activities, and hidden gems across the city. Whether you’re a local looking for weekend plans or a visitor exploring Liverpool for the first time, you’ll find everything from live music and theatre to food festivals, art exhibitions, nightlife, and family-friendly attractions. Stay up to date with the latest happenings and uncover what makes Liverpool one of the UK’s most vibrant cultural destinations.

  • Liverpool Whisky Festival 2015; The Crypt (Metropolitan Cathedral) 5th September

    Liverpool Whisky Festival 2015; The Crypt (Metropolitan Cathedral) 5th September

    The Liverpool Whiskey Festival returns this year to The Crypt beneath the iconic Metropolitan Cathedral and once again it will be flooding the elegant arches with incredible whiskies from all over Scotland and the rest of the world. Now in it’s 5th year it is becoming one of the UK’s most established whisky festivals and to mark this tremendous 5th birthday they’ll be pulling out one or two special classes. Each ticket will include; Entry…

  • The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia 2015; Preview

    The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia 2015; Preview

    The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia returns on 25th + 26th September 2015 within the warehouses and recesses of Camp and Furnace, Blade Factory and District, in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. Headlined by pysch heavyweights Spiritualized the group’s performance at PZYK 2015 comes ahead of the release of the band’s eighth LP later this year. This year the Baltic Triangle festival site will benefit from an additional performance space, with District joining the existing complex of…

  • Public Enemy To Play Liverpool O2 Academy In December

    Public Enemy To Play Liverpool O2 Academy In December

    Legendary hip-hop band Public Enemy will be playing an iconic show at Liverpool’s O2 Academy on 2nd December. The band who formed in 1982 have recently released their 13th studio album and will be touring the UK stopping at Liverpool for what is set to be a truly unforgettable show. Tickets are on sale now here.

  • Liverpool Pirate Festival At The Albert Dock 12th & 13th September

    Liverpool Pirate Festival At The Albert Dock 12th & 13th September

    The annual Liverpool Pirate Festival at Albert Dock returns with two days of spectacular, swashbuckling fun for all the family on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. Running from 11am-5pm daily, come along dressed like a scurvy sea-dog and get into the spirit of the day. There will be sword fighting, musketry and cannon fire, shanties and storytelling, free face painting and activity workshops, plus a spectacular ship-to-ship pirate battle across Albert Dock. Discover how…

  • Liverpool International Music Festival; 27th-31st August Sefton Park & Various Venues

    Liverpool International Music Festival; 27th-31st August Sefton Park & Various Venues

    This five-day festival is Europe’s biggest free music event, celebrating music from all over the world in addition to our own musical heritage. Headliners for this year’s festival include Basement Jaxx, Labrinth and Echo and the Bunnymen. Other notable performers include Katy B, Laura Mulva, Naughty Boy, Rae Morris, Bipolar Sunshine and heaps of local artists including Louis Berry, Hooton Tennis Club, The Visitors, Luke Cusato, Silent Sleep, Little Grace and She Drew The Gun.…

  • Liverpool Calling 25th July 2015; Preview

    Liverpool Calling 2015; Review

    Knowing I had limited time at the Liverpool Calling Festival this year, I was torn between two of the hottest talents on the Liverpool scene to begin my festival experience. Last Line Out and The Jackobins are already firm favourites of mine, with shed loads of potential between them. I couldn’t choose, so I opted for the half-set option, starting with The Jackobins playing a set in the sunshine of the iconic Bombed-out church venue. As ever, the beautiful…

  • EVOL Returns For The Fourth Annual FestEvol Celebration At The Kazimier

    EVOL Returns For The Fourth Annual FestEvol Celebration At The Kazimier

    EVOL returns for the fourth annual FestEvol celebration of all that is good across the Merseyside music scene on Saturdays 1st and 8th of August. Unfortunately The Kazimier will be closing on New Years day, so this will be the final FestEvol event at the venue.  Organisers are overjoyed that Dave McCabe & The Ramifications, The Serpent Power, All We Are and The Tea Street Band are this years FestEvol headliners.  They spearhead what is…

  • Liverpool Calling 25th July 2015; Preview

    Liverpool Calling 25th July 2015; Preview

    Liverpool Calling returns on 25th July for it’s third year and this year the line up is huge. From festival headliners Reverend & The Makers who will be making the Bombed Out Church bounce, to Allusondrugs rocking Maguire’s Pizza Bar and The Tea Street Band providing the official afterparty shenanigans at The Magnet, yes there will be gig clashes leading to difficult decisions throughout the day and that is what is helping to establish Liverpool…

  • Summer Arts Market 18/19 July 2015 St George’s Hall

    Summer Arts Market 18/19 July 2015 St George’s Hall

    Offering a unique alternative to the high street, the Summer Arts Market lands at the historic St George’s Hall on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July. Now in its third year, the market will play host to a variety of artists, designers and makers selling creations including original screen prints, paintings, jewellery, tableware, beauty products, decorations, accessories, textiles, photography, knitwear. Shoppers will also find a vintage fair in addition to arts activities for children. 18th…

  • Africa Oye 2015: The World Celebrates With Liverpool In Sefton Park 2

    Africa Oye 2015: The World Celebrates With Liverpool In Sefton Park

    After an early scare of rain on Saturday morning, Oye 2015 brought the sun, sights and sounds of Africa to Liverpool’s Sefton Park to truly make it a weekend to remember. The festival matched last year’s record breaking footfall of 80,000 across the weekend as the masses flocked to to see artists from Africa, the Caribbean and South America as well as home-grown talents tear up the Oye stage and to also take part in…

  • Sonic Yootha At Camp & Furnace Friday 26th June

    Sonic Yootha At Camp & Furnace Friday 26th June

    Soul II Soul / Electronic / Scarlet Fantastic / The Teardrop Explodes / Happy Mondays / Malcolm McLaren / PIL / Hazell Dean / Echo And The Bunnymen / Heaven 17 / Grace Jones / Saint Etienne / Bomb The Bass. Sonic Yootha 7.00pm – 1.00am Camp & Furnace: 67 Greenland Street

  • Festival 31; Merseyside's First Official Festival Exploring Refugee Experience, Arts & Culture 15th June - 15th July

    Festival 31; Merseyside’s First Official Festival Exploring Refugee Experience, Arts & Culture 15th June – 15th July

    Liverpool’s official festival celebrating arts & culture from refugee communities and creating discourse around the refugee experience. FESTIVAL 31 brings together refugees, wider communities, individuals, grassroots, small and larger organisations for a 31 day experience across the whole city from 14th June – 15th July 2015. The official launch party will take place at The Brink, Parr Street, Sunday 14th June 4-7pm with craft stalls and live music from The Peacemakers, Oscar & Francisco Carrasco, Mojo Storm…

  • Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots At Tate 30th June - 18th October

    Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots At Tate 30th June – 18th October

    Jackson Pollock is widely considered to be one of the most influential and provocative American artists of the twentieth century. Pollock famously pioneered action painting, a process that saw him drip paint on canvases resting on the studio floor. Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots at Tate Liverpool is the first exhibition in more than 30 years to explore the artist’s black pourings, a lesser known but extremely influential part of his practice. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to…

  • An Evening With Huey Morgan At Leaf Friday 12th June

    An Evening With Huey Morgan At Leaf Friday 12th June

    The host of BBC Radio 6 Music and Fun Lovin’ Criminals frontman will be at Leaf on Bold Street this Friday, 12th June to discuss his new book Huey Morgan’s Rebel Heroes, looking at the music influences of his favourite revolutionary artists across the decades, from Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin to Joe Strummer and beyond. 7pm/First Floor Tickets Available £6/£5 (Waterstones.com)

  • Africa Oyé Announces Running Order For Next Weekend's Jam-Packed Festival

    Africa Oyé Announces Running Order For Next Weekend’s Jam-Packed Festival

    Ahead of their 23rd annual festival on Merseyside, Africa Oye have announced the running order for this year’s main stage acts. Soul supremo Omar will headline the Saturday of the event, preceded by one of East Africa’s most exciting new bands – Sarabi – performing for the first time ever in the UK. Reggae icon Frankie Paul is set to close proceedings on the Sunday after Lindigo – hailing from Reunion Island – grace Sefton…

  • Live Show Announcement; Rat Boy At Studio 2, 18th September

    Live Show Announcement; Rat Boy At Studio 2, 18th September

      Hotly tipped as a big name for the future, Rat Boy (Jordan Cardy) will be stopping off at Studio 2 Parr Street as part of his upcoming tour this September. The grime/hip hop/indie rock artist has risen to fame over the last year with his socially observant lyrics; he’s a realistic voice for youth. Rat Boy writes, sings and plays all his own instruments (guitar, bass, keyboard) and produces his own songs. Think Jamie…

  • FACT Exhibition 'Build Your Own: Tools for Sharing' 1

    FACT Exhibition ‘Build Your Own: Tools for Sharing’

      This exhibition explores the connections between craft, technology and community. From 3D printing prosthetics, to handing over your garden to a robot, these four new commissions showcase the potential of skill-sharing and collaborative making in the real world. It will feature four new commissions by leading makers, creative technologists and collectives, exploring the opportunities that are brought along by the democratisation of digital tools, and the roles of both old and new skills in…

  • Liverpool Noise Presents; Liverpool Calling At The Magnet 25th July

    Liverpool Noise Presents; Liverpool Calling At The Magnet 25th July

      We are excited to announce our line up for The Magnet stage as part of Liverpool Calling Music Festival on 25th July. Our stage will focus on local talent featuring some brilliant up and coming bands as well as some of Liverpool’s most popular acts. To clue you up on our line up check out the band features below; Last Line Out are a slick blues inspired rock band who are all about ‘getting…

  • electric eel shock

    Electric Eel Shock, Bob Slayer, Super Fast Girlie Show & Saltwater Injection At O2 Academy 18th June; Preview

    Ruberneck, GS Promotions & Yeah Buddy Blog with Antipop Records present… Electric Eel Shock (JPN): Electric Eel Shock are a glorious celebration of Classic Rock, Punk and Metal. A true power trio from the time before rock became fractured into a diverse multitude of sub-genres and we were all still one big happy Rock & Roll family. Self-proclaimed rock’n’roll monsters from Japan, Kerrang! say they ‘occupy the void somewhere between Queens of the Stone Age, AC/DC…

  • lightnight 2015

    Liverpool LightNight 2015; Review

    For its sixth year running, the cultural event LightNight returned to illuminate the city last Friday night – and what a night it was! People of all ages came together to celebrate the immense cultural diversity Liverpool has to offer, and this year over 130 free events were put on for the public to come and see, or to take part in for themselves. With the theme for 2015 being ‘Looking to the New’, there…

Whether you're visiting for a weekend or you’ve lived here your whole life, there’s always something new to discover in Liverpool. Bursting with culture, creativity, and character, the city is packed with unforgettable experiences — from music heritage and world-class football to cutting-edge food, art, and nightlife.

Our “Things To Do in Liverpool” section is your ultimate guide to exploring the city, whatever your interests or budget. We’ve curated the best local activities, events, and hidden gems — from headline attractions to indie favourites that make Liverpool so unique.

Explore Liverpool’s Rich Culture & History

Liverpool is a UNESCO City of Music with a global reputation for creativity — and it shows. Whether you’re tracing the steps of The Beatles, learning about the city’s maritime past, or diving into its rich art and museum scene, culture is everywhere.

Top cultural attractions include:

  • The Beatles Story, Strawberry Field, and the Magical Mystery Tour

  • Museum of Liverpool, World Museum, and International Slavery Museum

  • Tate Liverpool and independent art spaces like Open Eye Gallery and FACT

Many of Liverpool’s museums and galleries are free to enter, making them great options for rainy days, family visits, or anyone on a budget.

Iconic Landmarks and Unique Neighbourhoods

Liverpool’s skyline is iconic — and so are its neighbourhoods. Wander the waterfront and take in the Royal Albert Dock, Liver Building, and Museum of Liverpool, then explore further afield for local character.

  • Stroll through the Georgian Quarter with its leafy streets, theatres and cathedrals

  • Discover the industrial-meets-creative vibes of the Baltic Triangle

  • Explore Bold Street, one of the UK’s best indie food and shopping streets

  • Visit the Knowledge Quarter and Hope Street for historic pubs and hidden gems

You can also head to Sefton Park or Otterspool Promenade for nature-filled escapes within the city.

Music, Nightlife & Live Events

This is a city that lives and breathes music. From world-famous venues to underground gigs, there’s always a live show to catch.

  • The Cavern Club, Phase One, Jimmy’s, and Camp and Furnace all host regular gigs

  • Liverpool Philharmonic Hall offers orchestral concerts, film scores, and live comedy

  • Don’t miss LIMF, Sound City, and local grassroots festivals throughout the year

Liverpool also has a thriving bar and club scene — from rooftop cocktails and craft beer dens to late-night clubs, cabaret shows, and LGBTQ+ venues.

Football, Tours & Sporting Experiences

If you're into sport, few cities rival Liverpool for passion and pride. Take a tour of Anfield, Goodison Park or the Hill Dickinson Stadium, or plan a matchday experience to see the city come alive. You can also enjoy:

  • Mersey River cruises

  • Crazy golf, axe throwing, and escape rooms

  • Local runs, cycle routes, and yoga in the park

For fans of walking tours, ghost tours, or food and drink trails, Liverpool has a huge variety of guided experiences that bring the city to life in new ways.

Food, Drink & Independent Shopping

Liverpool’s independent scene is thriving — especially when it comes to food, drink, and unique shopping. Discover:

  • Baltic Market and Duke Street Market for casual eats

  • Bold Street, Lark Lane, and Smithdown Road for indie cafés, vegan options, and world cuisine

  • Vintage shops, record stores, artisanal makers, and independent galleries

There’s always a new place to eat, a local beer to try, or a weekend market to explore.

Seasonal Events & Hidden Gems

Liverpool loves a celebration — and with festivals, light trails, pop-up exhibitions, and waterfront events happening all year round, there’s always something to look forward to. Whether it’s:

  • Christmas markets at the docks

  • Summer outdoor cinema nights

  • Halloween ghost hunts

  • Liverpool Biennial or LightNight

We keep you up to date on what’s on and what’s worth checking out, so you never miss a moment.

Why Explore with Liverpool Noise?

We go beyond the obvious. Our "Things To Do in Liverpool" section brings together real recommendations, independent voices, and the latest updates from across the city. Whether you're a tourist planning your first visit or a local looking for new inspiration, we’re here to help you make the most of every day in Liverpool.

We regularly update this section with:

  • What’s on this weekend in Liverpool

  • New restaurant and bar openings

  • Seasonal round-ups and curated guides

  • Budget-friendly ideas and free things to do

  • Tours, events, and family-friendly picks

Discover our latest features below and discover why Liverpool is one of the UK’s most exciting cities to explore — with something new around every corner.