Culture Guides
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Seasonal Guides
Liverpool exploded into life in the 18th century, rapidly turning from a small town into one of the world’s most important port cities. For 200 years, it eclipsed most of Europe in the trading stakes – nationally and internationally – Liverpool was where it was at.
What does that mean for the visitor today? You’ve only to look up: a skyline that’s part of a World Heritage Site, a waterfront that never fails to impress, and Georgian streets that are as graceful as they are grand. It is these architectural cheekbones that, along with the grand sweep of the River Mersey, make Liverpool such a visual treat. Sure, the city was for years on its uppers, its post-industrial decline as swift as it was comprehensive. But Liverpool has reinvented itself, as the UK Capital of Culture in 2008, as the home of the leading visual arts event Liverpool Biennial, as the place where artists make work and where a new, creative future is being written.
Step straight out of Lime Street Station and you’ll find yourself in the middle of the bustling St George’s Quarter. Together with the World Museum, is the Walker Art Gallery, housing a collection of historic and contemporary art. The Liverpool Empire, Royal Court and the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre are close by too. With two stunning cathedrals that sit on either side of Hope Street in the Georgian Quarter, the arrea is also home to the Everyman Theatre and some of the finest restaurants and bars in the city: The London Carriage Works, Pen Factory and the architecturally marvellous Philharmonic Dining Rooms are among our favourites.
Head to Liverpool Waterfront for a world-class visual arts offering alongside important historic exhibitions. Aside from an abundance of independent shops and eateries, the Dock is home to Tate Liverpool and its collection of contemporary art and changing exhibitions; the Merseyside Maritime Museum exploring Liverpool’s long nautical heritage and the uniquely important International Slavery Museum, examining Liverpool’s part in the Transatlantic slave trade.
Like the Liver Birds sitting atop the city’s most famous building, one turned to the sea, one turned to home, Liverpool is a city with a world view, yet a place with a personal, personable one too.
Lucy McKenzie at Tate Liverpool
Spanning post-war muralism, fashion, music subcultures, gender politics and more, Lucy McKenzie’s first UK retrospective is not to be missed.
Sickert: A Life in Art at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool
From sombre nudes to darkly-hued architecutre, the retrospective of Walter Sickert’s art at The Walker Art Gallery is a raw glimpse into Victorian-era life.
Spoken Word at the Mansion House
The Reader’s Spoken Word evenings at the Mansion House in south Liverpool’s Calderstones Park are back inside, with a packed line-up running into the New Year.
Cinema in the City at LUSH Liverpool
Set in the heart of the city centre, at LUSH Liverpool, Cinema in The City is back this February, with another weekend of contemporary feature films alongside shorts from emerging filmmakers plus food and drink from local traders
Graffiti at Zap Graffiti
Liverpool’s Zap Graffiti teaches all the basic skills and techniques you need to make a street-style creation you’ll be proud of.
Future Ages Will Wonder at FACT in Liverpool
FACT presents an ‘alternative museum’ of artworks that question our past and offer new ways of understanding who we are.
The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics at Walker Art Gallery
A treat for the eyes and curious minds, the Walker Art Gallery’s spring exhibition of Tudor portraits is sure to delight audiences.
Suki Chan: CONSCIOUS at the Bluecoat, Liverpool
The Bluecoat will offer an in-depth look at Suki Chan’s project CONSCIOUS, which tackles questions of collective consciousness and memory through films, photography, sculpture and virtual reality.
Yellow Furry Lullaby at FACT
London-based Korean diaspora artist duo Breakwater present a powerful storytelling performance examining the historical trauma of Chinese indentured labour.
Liverpool Visitor Guides
Theatres in Liverpool
You’ll find a varied programme across our guide to Liverpool’s best theatres.
Art Galleries in Liverpool
Whether it’s classical sculpture or cutting-edge photography you’re after, check out our guide to the best art galleries to visit in Liverpool.
Museums in Liverpool
Our guide to museums in Liverpool ranges from gargantuan offerings like the World Museum to the small but perfectly-formed.
Independent Shops in Liverpool
The best service-heavy, knowledgeable and cheerfully independent shops in Liverpool.
Breakfast in Liverpool
Breakfast. There’s a reason that it’s deemed the most important meal of the day – here are our favourite breakfast places in Liverpool.
Vegetarian Food in Liverpool
On the hunt for a decent vegetarian restaurant in Liverpool? Here’s our guide.
Liverpool District Guides
Lark Lane, Liverpool
A little way out of Liverpool City Centre, and a short and leafy walk from…
William Brown Street, Liverpool
As city centre districts go, this one is relatively small: a cluster of buildings along…
Waterfront, Liverpool
The waterfront, which takes in the Albert Dock and the Pier Head, is an integral…
Ropewalks and Chinatown, Liverpool
The Ropewalks is a part of Liverpool that combines old and new. Once crowded with…
Hope Street, Liverpool
One of Liverpool’s most graceful quarters can be found along Hope Street. Named after the…
