River of Light Festival – Liverpool

Vicky Andrews

Visit now

River of Light Festival – Liverpool

The Cunard Building, Waterfront Royal Albert Dock, Waterfront
28 October-5 November 2024

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

River of Light Festival – Liverpool
River of Light
Book now

Once again this winter, River of Light Festival will take place in the Liverpool City Centre, spanning a 2km trail around the waterfront, in a mix of new commissions and existing artworks which haven’t visited the city before.

Highlights this year include: Atelier Sisu’s installation Bubblesque created especially for bodies of water around Mann Island; Impulse – light up seesaws in that you can actually jump on from Lateral Office & CS Design; Bunch of Tulips by Koros Design which is exactly as you expect, an enormous bunch of lit up tulips, created in relation to the 1630s ‘tulipmania’; and Checkmate by Amigo & Amigo, a monumental version of the classic game drawing inspiration from the 20th Century Bauhaus movement.

Also worth checking out is Piano Walk also by Amigo & Amigo, a studio specialising in bold, playful installations. The piece is an interactive one, featuring 40 interactive keys and piano hammers that strike the strings. Visitors can explore and play with the sounds  by stepping on the keys, together creating a collaborative performance.

There are lots of other pieces and installations to check out on the trail so make sure you catch them all! For the full list of installations and their locations, check out the Festival’s website via the button below.

 

Where to go near River of Light Festival – Liverpool

Waterfront
Museum
The British Music Experience

It’s a discotheque for the senses, an incredible collection of artefacts and memorabilia, audio guides, music and stories. There are iconic costumes worn by David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Dusty Springfield, the Spice Girls and Adam Ant, and musical instruments played by some of the world’s most renowned artists from Noel Gallagher to the Sex Pistols.

Waterfront
Café or Coffee Shop
Royal Liver Building

An iconic landmark, the Royal Liver Building was one of the first multi-storey buildings made using a steel-reinforced concrete structure.

Pier Head
Liverpool
Tourist Attraction
Pier Head

Head to the Pier Head for Liverpool’s most iconic buildings on the waterfront.

Afternoon tea at Oh Me Oh My
City Centre
Café or Coffee Shop
Oh Me Oh My

A secret space and tea room, Oh Me Oh My lives in the stunning surrounds of Liverpool’s West Africa House. We take a look.

Liverpool
Restaurant
Silk Rd

Silk Rd Tapas serves up delicious Mediterranean small plates, named after the Silk Route, an ancient network of trade routes, bringing spices and silks.

City Centre
Restaurant
Etsu

What Etsu sushi restaurant in Liverpool lacks in marketing skills, it more than makes up for in Japanese cuisine.

What's on: Exhibitions

The Same Deep Water as You at PINK
ExhibitionsStockport
The Same Deep Water as You at PINK

Get involved in this artistic and ambitious takeover of PINK’s three-storey venue, weaving together live performance, video, sculpture and sound.

Free entry
Wolf in Yellowstone
Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Wild at Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum explores the concept of ‘wild’ nature as a means of tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis in a new exhibition.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss (unless you’re paying attention).

Hannah Platt 'Playing Out', courtesy of Threshold, photograph by Jules Lister.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.

portrait of Lorsung in a dark shirt with dark hair and dark round glasses
Literature Events in the North

We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.