A new food festival, the return of LIMF and more on Liverpool's 2022 events calendar

Liverpool’s events are back with some familiar favourites and new festivals lined up for 2022 after two years of disruption.

Culture Liverpool – the award-winning council team responsible for staging some of the city’s biggest events – is deep in planning mode to bring back some of the most loved events as well as some brand new projects which are set to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and bring in millions to the local economy.

This year’s highlights for your diary include:

Chinese New Year

The year starts with a roar as Chinatown is the stage for the Year of the Tiger celebrations. On Sunday 6 February, traditional dragon, unicorn and lion parades will take place along with brand new, free commissions such as 3D projections, fire performances, new artwork, dance and live music. It’s set to attract thousands of people into the city to celebrate. Head to the official website for full details.

Liverpool Against Racism

This brand new festival will feature specially commissioned music and cultural events that celebrate diversity and the deep cultural heritage of Liverpool. With a focus on community cohesion, it will be a place in which people and organisations from across the city can respond creatively to the challenges, hate and discrimination which some people in Liverpool still face. The festival runs from Saturday 23 to Sunday 30 April.

Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux

Another new addition to the calendar, this foodie festival will celebrate Liverpool’s incredible food and drink offer as well as transforming some key city centre streets into stages to showcase the city’s UNESCO City of Music status. It will take place across the jubilee bank holiday weekend (2-5 June), and more details will be announced imminently.

Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF)

One of Liverpool’s most popular music festivals returns with a new-look, new location and new feel from 29 to 31 July. Expect an inspiring programme of unique musical performance and collaboration which will pay homage to Liverpool’s UNESCO City Of Music status.

River of Light

After its latest instalment in October/November 2021 attracted around 150,000 people, a stunning trail of installations will return to the city centre from 21 October to 6 November. The theme of ‘Unexpected Twist’ will be a nod to the World Gymnastics Championships 2022 which will be taking place in the city at the same time.

More details about all these events – and other activities which are being kept under wraps for now – will be released in the coming weeks and months. The events will be a mixture of free and ticketed experiences.

And that’s not all residents and visitors have to look forward to. The city’s much-loved cultural sector is back with renewed rigor, from Africa Oyé heading back to Sefton Park and Tate Liverpool hosting the prestigious Turner Prize right through to National Museums Liverpool staging a world-first Doctor Who exhibition.

The 2022 programme announcement comes hot on the heels of the Culture Collective campaign which sees Liverpool’s arts organisations come together to show off the city’s impressive cultural credentials. To find out more and to watch the official music video soundtrack head to https://www.visitliverpool.com/culturesclub

Liverpool’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Councillor Harry Doyle, said:

“It feels amazing to be talking about staging actual events once again! As a city renowned for its enviable programme of events it’s great that we’re now in a position to bring something to our city streets which gives people genuine joy and some much-needed escapism from what we’re shared over the past couple of years.

“It’s great to see some old favourites on the list, but it’s exciting that there are new additions as well as a new-look LIMF which we’re hoping will appeal to the old and new audience.

“We can’t reveal the full programme, or indeed give away a huge amount of detail at this stage, but it’s all about giving people a little taste of what’s to come and getting the message out there that culture is back!”

Liverpool’s Director of Culture, Claire McColgan, said:

“As a city we have remained committed to investing in culture and the arts. The launch of the Culture Collective campaign highlights how passionately we value the sector and we know that when we bring major events to Liverpool, this has a knock-on, positive impact on our arts organisations and our leisure and retail sector. The millions of pounds pumped back into our local economy by visitors spending time and money in the city is invaluable – and we appreciate this more than ever after the past couple of years.

“Our 2022 programme shows confidence and ambition – once again setting us apart from other cities and helping us use culture to attract visitors, investment and create and maintain jobs.”

A new food festival, the return of LIMF and more on Liverpool’s 2022 events calendar