events & festivals

Music Events & Festivals

Liverpool lays on a whole host of fabulous musical events and live festivals each year to celebrate its rich musical heritage and role as the World Capital of Pop.

There is the mighty Mathew Street Festival, an orgy of free, live rock and pop music that takes place in and around Mathew Street every summer Bank Holiday weekend and attracts over 300,000 people.

The Mathew Street Festival is staged at the end of International Beatle Week, one of the biggest music events in the world, with bands from over 20 countries and fans from over 40. International Beatle Week has live gigs taking place all over the city, from the Cavern Club and the Cavern Pub on Mathew Street to the Adelphi Hotel, as well as memorabilia sales, guest speakers and even sightseeing tours.

Liverpool Sound City is another fab festival of bands, DJs and artists happening over four days each May in the Cavern Club and the Hard Day’s Night Hotel, while Africa Oyé brings a taste of African music to Liverpool in June in a two-day free festival of African music and culture in Sefton Park. There is also the Brouhaha carnival in July, which attracts 100s of performers from the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean to the city to take part in 10 days of colourful carnivals and exciting festivals.

Liverpool even has an official Liverpool Music Week, as if every week isn’t music week in Liverpool. This takes place in November and is a massive indoor winter music festival featuring over 250 live bands across 26 venues.

Southport also stages a number of great music events, such as Southport Summer Classics, an outdoor proms style weekend of top live music and spectacular special effects held at the end of July in Southport’s Victoria Park. And let’s not forget Liverpool’s own Summer Pops Festival, held at the Echo Arena Liverpool and various other venues each July and August, and drawing such huge international names as Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and Dame Shirley Bassey.