Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Seasonal Guides
Southport is a large seaside town in the county of Merseyside, which also takes in Formby, West Kirby and Liverpool. Formerly known for genteel ladies of a certain age and crust-less afternoon teas, Southport is subtly and gradually changing from crumbling grandeur and kitsch amusements to an attractive town with a focus on the arts. Take The Atkinson: this determinedly innovative, Grade II-listed arts centre offers a theatre, galleries, museum, deli and an artisan bakery.
There’s also the Waterfront Arts project and excellent architecture, including the wonderful, cathedral-like fernery at the Botanic Gardens and the Belle Epoque colonnades of Lord Street. Legend has it that the graceful boulevards of central Paris were modelled on Southport, after Napoleon spent two years in exile here. Southport does, of course, boast “Britain’s longest overland pier”, a listed structure with its own tramline to carry visitors over a mile between Southport promenade and the pier head.
There’s also Southport Market, a number of good places to eat (if you know where to look) and the Southport Model Railway Village – a pretty unique experience, and yours for only £4.50 entry. Finally, let’s not forget the British Lawnmower Museum, a short walk from the town and everything a specialist museum should be: earnest, interesting and incredibly eccentric.
A busy and brilliant season – expect contemporary takes on the classics, world premiere adaptations of bestsellers and fantastical family shows. There’s plenty to enjoy in Liverpool’s theatres this spring.
The Old Dock tour is a treat for younger and older visitors alike, fans of Liverpool’s maritime past, and anybody curious about local history.
The 12th edition of the UK’s oldest and largest festival of contemporary visual art is back this year, bringing with it art focusing on ancestral knowledge, wisdom and healing.
Come along to ‘Under a Hot Sun’, presenting the 2020 John Moores Painting Prize winner Kathryn Maple’s first solo exhibition.
See JWM Turner’s work like never before paired with Lamin Fofana’s immersive exhsound environment in ‘Dark Waters’, a very special exhibition at Tate Liverpool opening this September.
FACT presents the final instalment of the Radical Ancestry programme with a new show by Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley & Josèfa Ntjam.
Stepping into the shoes of Richard III, Adjoa Andoh will bring a fresh portrayal of Shakespeare’s most notorious antihero to Liverpool this spring.
Bursting with brilliant original music inspired by the British pop scene, buckle up and follow Alice as she tumbles into Wonderland. A super show for the whole family.
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