20 things that shaped Liverpool in the 2010’s

Can you believe the 2010’s are over already?! As we edge our way in to the 20’s we are taking a look back at some of the things that have shaped Liverpool over the last ten years.

There’s one thing for sure, looking back at the last decade, there’s been highs, and there’s been lows in Liverpool, but mostly we’ve had a ball!

We have seen our city grow at an incredible rate with more tourists, attractions and reasons to visit than ever before. Seen new stars shine on screen, revelled in awe-inspiring sporting victories, made way for breath taking moments like the Liverpool Giants, the Three Cunard Queens and of course… witnessed the birth of the Ket Wig!

Sit back and remember the hotspots and headlines of Liverpool in The 2010’s.

1 - Hillsborough Families continued the fight for justice

The families of victims of the Hillsborough disaster continued the campaign for justice to uncover a conspiracy to conceal the truth. 26th April 2016 was a monumental day for the Hillsborough families and for the city, as new inquests concluded that the 96 victims were unlawfully killed.

The jury found match commander Chief Supt David Duckenfield “responsible for manslaughter by gross negligence” due to a breach of his duty of care. Nine jurors reached unanimous decisions on all but one of the 14 questions at the inquests into Britain’s worst ever sporting disaster.

Monday 15th April 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of The Hillsborough Disaster and of course the city united, remembered and reflected.

The fight for justice continues as former police superintendent David Duckenfield was acquitted of manslaughter on 28th November 2019.

As that fight continues, one thing is for sure – the 96 and their families will remain in our city’s heart for many, many more decades to come.

The video above was filmed at the Hillsborough Verdict Memorial at St. George’s Hall in 2016.

2 - We said goodbye to the home of iconic super club, Cream

It was a sad day to be a Superstar DJ in April 2016 as Nation, home to global super club Cream was knocked down to make way for a multi-million regeneration scheme which will take the site to eleven stories, include an underground club, and will be known as The Address at One Wolstenholme Square.

Nation was home to iconic clubbing brand Cream since 1992 and closed its doors as a weekly venue in 2002. Good news though as the brand stuck with its Liverpool routes, bringing us Steelyard and other epic events on our waterfront. Cream Classical also launched this decade with a new Cream Classical in the Park festival launching in 2019.

We also said good bye to legendary music and arts venue, the Kazimier in 2016 in that same demolition.

3 - Fourth most visited UK City

Thanks to a host of world class events and more attractions than ever before we are now in the top 5 places to visit in the UK.

In the last five years alone, Liverpool’s tourism figures saw a 28% increase in the city’s visitor economy, and a 5% increase in the duration of their stay here, which basically translates into Liverpool being a boss place to visit with loads to do, and places to stay as stunning, friendly and caring as any Scouser.

Of course Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year in 2008 was a massive catalyst for our tourism success, but the city itself continues to grow, Liverpool City Region’s Visitor Economy is now worth over £4.9bn, in 2018 alone we welcomed 67.3m people to Liverpool City Region.

Peter Sandman, Head of Visitor Economy for the LEP, said: “In the ten years since Liverpool became European Capital of Culture, the city, and region as a whole has seen the visitor economy experience a healthy growth and the sector continues to contribute significantly to the region’s economy.

Walking through town hearing accents from all over the world, warms our hearts. If you haven’t been asked to take a photo of a group of American or Japanese tourists on the Pier Head, are you even a Scouser?!

Here are 8 reasons why Liverpool is perfect for tourists. 

4 - We went massive on the waterfront

In September 2015, the city opened a giant Exhibition Centre on the waterfront, with a sky bridge connecting the building to the adjacent ACC Liverpool which opened in 2008, and neighbouring M&S Bank Arena.

Known as the Liverpool Event Campus, the site is the only purpose-built interconnected arena, convention centre and exhibition facility in the UK.

The Exhibition Centre welcomed more than 113,00 visitors and over 100 different exhibitions in its first year, and the following year, the 4-star Hotel Pullman Liverpool was added to the site, adjoining the ACC Liverpool.

Meanwhile our M&S Bank Arena welcomed global superstars like Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Kylie, Lionel, Liam Gallagher and Michael Bublé. Good job we’ve got the kind of facilities which keep global super stars happy then, isn’t it?

Next year it is expected that ACC Liverpool will have had an economic impact of £2 billion.

While we are talking waterfront we need to mention the royal sign of approval for our newly named, Royal Albert Dock Liverpool. The attraction has grown to become the most visited multi-use attraction in the United Kingdom outside London, with in excess of four million visitors per year. Get in!

5 - Some Giants came to visit

We’ve had some unforgettable visitors but The Liverpool Giants were about as big as it gets on the guest front.

These gorgeous French marionettes played out an epic trilogy across Merseyside and we spilled onto the streets to follow in their fascinating footsteps.

There were three shows, all taking place in the 2010’s:

• Sea Odyssey: Giants Spectacular, 2012.
• Memories of August 1914, 2014.
• Liverpool’s Dream, 2018

The final instalment in 2018 seen more than 1.5m visitors line our streets to bid a final farewell to Little Girl Giant, Xolo the Dog and their Royal De Luxe mates with The Guide Liverpool producing the official highlights video above.

6 - We said a sad farewell to some Liverpool legends

Liverpool lost some legends during the last ten years, including Sir Ken Dodd (died 2018) and Cilla Black OBE (2015) , both commemorated with statues at Lime Street Station and Mathew Street.

In Sport, LFC’s Tommy Smith (2019) and EFC’s Dave Hickson (2013) are forever remembered, along with author Dame Beryl Bainbridge, nominated five times for the Booker Prize.

Of salon and showbiz, we said goodbye to the ray of sunshine and starlight that was Herbert Howe (2016), along with Toxteth-born Jean Alexander (2016), who played Coronation Street icon, Hilda Ogden.

A tribute to Liverpool comedy icon, Sir Ken Dodd

7 - Baltic Triangle was cool AF

Creative, innovative, risk-taking, ground-breaking and frequently – breath-takin! We just don’t know what The Baltic Triangle is going to do next, and we love it that way.

Whether we’re working, dining or drinking The Baltic knows how to keep us guessing and some of us can’t stay away – especially since you can live there, and they even aced that too, when Baltic Triangle was named the coolest place to live in the UK by The Times.

There are the hidden treasures of the Baltic Triangle.

8 - Scousers are dead good Sports

In Sport, LFC become Kings of Europe and opened the new Main Stand, and Everton launched the campaign for their new stadium.

Meanwhile, Tony Bellew beat David Haye with an 11th round TKO and boxing put the city on the map thanks to the likes of the Smith Brothers, David Price, Rocky Fielding and Natasha Jonas.

Liverpool hosted huge sporting events like the round the world Clipper Race, the Netball World Cup in 2019, the Golf Masters in Southport and the Grand National got bigger than ever over at Aintree Racecourse.

Both the 2012 and the 2016 Olympics seen Scouse sporting stars like Samantha Quek, Beth Tweddle, Ben Purvis, Daniel Goodfellow and Anyika Onuora shine. And of course heptathlon athlete, Katrina Johnson Thompson won the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships, breaking the British record with a score of 6,981 point

Did we mention LFC becoming KINGS of Europe?

9 - Liverpool International Music Festival aka "LIMF" was born

LIMF began in 2012, welcoming everyone from Shaggy to Sister Sledge to Sefton Park.

The event took over from the Mathew Street Festival which we said goodbye to in 2012. The likes of Echo & the Bunneymen, Cast, Boy George, De La Soul, Rebecca Ferguson, Basement Jaxx and Jax Jones have all been on the lineup.

Local musicians have benefited too with the Music City Stage and the LIMF Academy has developed countless upcoming stars to give them the boost they need to reach the top.

In 2019 LIMF seen over 70 acts perform with Nile Rodgers & Chic headlining the event.

Watch our chat with Nile Rodgers backstage at LIFM 2019.

10 - We cruised into the decade

The Liverpool Cruise Terminal has enjoyed success on colossal scale this decade, welcoming some of the biggest vessels on the seas and welcoming millions of visitors to our city.

Cruising brands like Cunard, Disney, Princess and many more are regular visitors, with the past two years seeing more than 170 visits.

We will never forget that beautiful sight in 2015 of the Three Queens sailing in tandem down the Mersey as Cunard celebrated its 175th birthday, with the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary sailing together for the first time in history.

2020 looks even bigger as the build of the new Liverpool Cruise Terminal gets underway and the team at Virgin Voyages bring their first ship, Scarlet Lady to Liverpool.

Look at the new £50m Cruise Terminal for Liverpool here.

11 - A blockbuster decade for Liverpool's film industry

No other city outside London has ever caught the eye of Hollywood and TV’s elite, quite like Liverpool. We became film capital of the North with the likes of Peaky Blinders, Harry Potter, Fast & Furious and The Crown all shot here.

Liverpool Film Office celebrated its biggest year to date in 2018 with more TV and movies productions filmed on our shores than ever before.

Movies like Captain America: The First Avenger, Creed, Jack Ryan, Fantastic Beasts, Tolkein, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool and Yesterday have firmly put our city on the map. Whilst TV shows like Peaky Blinders, Bulletproof, The Crown, Foyles War, Safe House and War of the Worlds have made Liverpool their filming home.

For more on Liverpool’s Blockbuster success head this way.

12 - Scousers took shopping to the next level

Liverpool ONE become one of the most successful shopping complexes in the UK this decade welcoming global brands and opening more than 170 stores and restaurants after opening in 2008.

The likes of US brands Morphe, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren and & Other Stories all chose Liverpool above anywhere else. Whilst Harvey Nichols opened it’s first ever Beauty Bazaar, Footlocker opened its biggest store in Europe and Apple relocated to an even bigger unit on the top floor of South John Street.

Here are 10 reasons why we love Liverpool ONE

13 - Liverpool's food scene got even tastier

During the last ten years, the city’s food scene served up some seriously good restaurants, with destination dining going to the next, delicious level.

We would be here all day if we named all of the incredible eateries that opened this decade, but its safe to say Liverpool has never been tastier with the likes of Mowgli, The Art School, Wreckfish, Maray, Roski and Lu Ban heralding new market concepts. Completely new dining experiences launched too with the likes of Baltic Market and Graffiti’s ever growing list of top venues like Duke Street Market. Whilst on the sweet side the likes of Midnight Delivery, Laura’s Little Bakery, The Chocolate Cellar and Treaty Pie all began serving our sugar tummies.

Head to our Food & Drink pages to see what’s on the menu in our city.

14 - Liverpool' theatres raised the curtain

Our theatres got a new look, with the £28 million Everyman rebuild in 2014, the Liverpool Empire extended its stage area and created a new Atrium Bar, and a multi-million revamp of Liverpool’s Royal Court included a glass extension, new bar area, and renovated Green room for performers.

We welcomed more touring productions than ever before with the likes of War Horse, Lion King, Wicked and Les Mis taking to the stage at the Empire. Whilst Liverpool’s very own theatre companies grew, with the Everyman and Playhouse company delivering hundreds of critically acclaimed shows, and our Royal Court reaching new heights with the likes of Lost Soul, Bouncers, The Royal, Brick Up and the all-new Scouse’d up pantos we see every Christmas.

And that’s not to mention the amazing work that Unity Theatre does too.

Check out our dedicated Liverpool Theatre section of our site here.

15 - We’re Arty and we know it

Liverpool Art remained high profile, with Sir Peter Blake’s Dazzle Ferry, a new Beatles Statue at The Pier Head, and Paul Curtis’ Liver Bird Wings at The Baltic became iconic on Insta over night.

Liverpool Biennial brought us more breath taking art works whilst Tate Liverpool brought us Ugo Rondinone’s Liverpool Mountain and more dazzling exhibitions than ever before, putting Liverpool on the cultural map yet again.

Check out the latest ART listings for Liverpool on our site here.

16 - The most famous bird in Liverpool got even more fabulous

Our prestigious Liver Building was purchased in 2018 by Everton chairman, Farhad Moshiri and in 2019, RLB360 was launched by Liverpool icon Gerry Marsden MBE.

RLB360 offers visitors the chance to explore the top of the Liver Building for the first time in history, including the 322ft Grade I listed clock tower with 360º views. Boss.

The iconic venue continued its revamp with The Venue opening its doors, and a new residential and leisure development which will open in 2020.

17 - Liverpool City Region began - but what is it?

Liverpool City Region began in 2014, resulting in our first ever elected mayor, Joe Anderson.

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram was elected in 2017, with a combined authority including Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton.

The historical title of Lord Mayor is currently held by Councillor Anna Rothery, Liverpool’s first ever black, female Mayor. Liverpool councillors meet every 7 weeks in our prestigious Town Hall.

18 - We went places

With more choice than ever before, we took off whenever and wherever we fancied, thanks to Liverpool John Lennon Airport flying into new territories and welcoming new routes, like the latest direct flight to Vienna.

We moaned a bit about changing travel plans, but our train stations got some proper TLC. The £140 million Lime Street Station renovation was unveiled in July 2018, and Merseyrail City Centre stations received complete makeovers.

Meanwhile, intercity travel was encouraged as The Edge Lane Project rejuvenated the local area and widened the main route to the M62.

19 - Our Hotel industry made headlines

Great-looking, sumptuous hotels with incredible cuisine and warm, welcoming customer service come as standard to a city that knows how to look after our guests.

From the historic 4-star Titanic on Stanley Dock to the Georgian Quarter’s Hope Street Hotel, our robust Hotel industry frequently made headlines as heralded by The Telegraph and along the way we reached some incredible record-breaking highs!

Again the list of new hotels in the city this decade is endless with the likes of The Pullman, Double Tree Hilton, 30 James Street, Shankly Hotel, Urbanista, the Epic Hotel, Holiday Inn at Albert Dock and Aloft Liverpool all seeing room occupancy at its highest rate ever in our city. And new boutiques like Lock & Key make headlines on a national level.

These are the top traveller ranked hotels in Liverpool according to Trip Advisor.

20 - Scousers stole the lime light

It’s been an incredible decade for Scouse stars including John Bishop, Rebecca Ferguson, Stephen Graham, and LFC’s Trent Alexander Arnold.

Meanwhile, at the 2019 World Championships, heptathlon athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson broke the British record winning gold! Oh, and you might’ve heard of her best-mate? EMMY and BAFTA award-winning Liverpool actress, Jodie Comer? No?

In music bands like Circa Waves, The Wombats, Stealing Sheep, Clean Cut Kid and MIC Lowry took to the charts, whilst bands like Cast, Space, The Zutons and even Atomic Kitten reformed.

The next decade looks bright music wise as the likes of Louis Berry, She Drew the Gun, Chelcee Grimes, MIC Lowry and Lapsley all continue their rise to number one.

On a local level social media seen the likes of Scouse Bird Blogs, The Anfield Wrap and Independent Liverpool start going viral. Whilst Bongo’s Bingo, a Boss Night and Silent Adventures kicked off the party.

Also a very proud, a very Scouse and a very local platform for the city, you might know, called The Guide Liverpool was born. Bring on the 2020’s!