20 things that shaped Liverpool in 2025

Reflect on a huge year as we bring you some of the biggest stories that shaped Liverpool in 2025.

The Guide is all about lifting up Liverpool, and that means sharing the stories that matter to us all and affect people’s lives across our region.

As another big year for the city comes to an end, here are the ones that have shaped Liverpool in 2025 …

This City Is Ours brought our city to life on screen

The success of This City Is Ours, filmed at locations across Liverpool, was phenomenal. Already commissioned for a second series, the BBC crime drama, with a fabulous cast led by Sean Bean and Julie Graham, attracted over six million viewers and gave a £9m boost to the local economy. It also made one of its stars, James Nelson-Joyce, a surprise bet for the new 007!

Brookside returned … for a moment as Hollyoaks turned 30

It was the comeback all Brookie fans had been waiting for – the famous Close was on telly again in October after more than 20 years off our screens. A crossover episode to celebrate Hollyoaks’ 30^th birthday gave us the chance to see some of our favourite characters including Bobby and Sheila, Tinhead, Nikki and Sinbad.

LFC Parade incident shook the city

What was supposed to be a joyous day to remember for Reds fans in May came to a shocking climax with the horrific incident at the LFC victory parade which left 134 injured. But as always Scousers showed tremendous solidarity at a time of need and members of the public and local businesses rallied alongside emergency service workers to help those caught up in the incident.

Everton got a shiny new home as Hill Dickinson Stadium opened

After four years of watching and waiting as the stadium gradually appeared over the walls at Bramley Moore Dock, in August Everton finally got to play the first Premier League game at their new Hill Dickinson home – and what a home it is. It’s an absolutely stunning piece of architecture with room for more than 52,000 fans, the return of Z Cars and even true blue ketchup on the hot dogs!

And there was an emotional goodbye to Goodison

On May 18, it was time for Evertonians to say a last goodbye to the Grand Old Lady as the Blues played their final home game at Goodison Park after 133 years of history. With so many memories, there were plenty of tears and the atmosphere was unreal, from early morning until late into the night after Iliman Ndiaye scored twice to seal a 2-0 victory over Southampton.

BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend brought huge names to Sefton Park

2025 was a massive year for live music events in the city, and one of the best was BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sefton Park. They brought a star-packed line-up in May including Tom Grennan, Sam Fender, Mumford and Sons, Tate McRae, Tom Odell and Biffy Clyro, and not forgetting a very surprise guest … Ed Sheeran, who turned up to kick off day two on the New Music Stage.

River of Light shone bright once again

It’s one of Liverpool’s favourite annual free events now, and River of Light was shining as brightly as ever this autumn with a trail of spectacular illuminated installations along the waterfront on the themes of The Science of Light in what was one of its most successful years ever for attracting crowds of all ages.

We said a heartfelt goodbye to Liverpool FC great Diogo Jotta 

July 3 was a sad day for Liverpool and football fans around the world with the news of the tragic death of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva. A sea of floral tributes was left outside Anfield and murals created in memory of the hugely popular Portuguese player. The club also confirmed plans for a permanent memorial at the ground, and retired Jota’s number 20 shirt as a sign of respect.

Huge music stars rocked Anfield 

Anfield’s becoming a must-play for some of the world’s biggest music superstars and June had a hattrick of memorable nights, with stadium concerts from Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa and two epic gigs by the Boss Bruce Springsteen which not only lasted almost three hours each, but also (once at least) featured probably the most famous special guest of all time, Sir Paul McCartney.

We were named Time Out Best City of Food, and Go Fund Me Most Generous City

If there’s two things Scousers already know about our city, it’s that we have some amazing indie places to eat and we’re not shy at putting our hands in our pockets when it comes to good causes. But it’s still nice when those two things are recognised outside of Liverpool and in 2025 they were – and it’s the second year running for Most Generous City!

Knowsley Safari welcomed two newborn tiger cubs

All the new arrivals at Knowsley Safari are lovely, but two in summer were extra special. At the end of July, a pair of rare Amur tiger cubs joined the family: a girl and a boy, named Akira and Ozo. The births weren’t just a conservation milestone for an endangered species, they were also a momentous moment for Knowsley Safari because the cubs were the first to be born there since 1996.

Zoe’s Place hosted a huge celebration to save the hospice

Fundraising efforts for Zoe’s Place were unbelievable, raising £7million, and in July some of the city’s best-loved musicians and comedians – including Jamie Webster, Ian McCulloch, Rebecca Ferguson, The Zutons, Lightning Seeds and Adam Rowe – put on a huge concert at the Arena to celebrate how everyone came together to save it. 

World Championship Boxing brought a host of champs to the city

For almost two weeks in September, football wasn’t the only sport dominating Liverpool because the Arena hosted the inaugural World Boxing Championships. More than 500 men and women boxers from over 60 countries took part in the competition which was the biggest Olympic-style boxing event to take place in Britain since the London 2012 Olympics.

Aintree celebrated its biggest and brightest Grand National to date

For racing lovers it was another fabulous three days of the Grand National Festival in April, with dressed up crowds of around 150,000 at the course and a further 800 million tuning in to watch around the world. As always there was a story behind the winner of the big one, as jockey Patrick Mullins rode Nick Rockett, a horse trained by his dad Willy Mullins, to victory.

Food lovers welcomed delicious new venues

For foodies, it was a very good year with lots of new openings including wing maestros Wingstop at Liverpool ONE and Edge Lane, jacket legends SpudBros in Queen Square, the beautiful Ivy Asia joining The Ivy on Castle Street, Cowshed’s second beef house Herd on Smithdown and Paul and Harry Askew’s Barnacle in the gorgeous Old Blind School building on Hardman Street.

Liverpool Empire celebrated 100 years of theatre magic

We’re lucky to have so much fantastic theatre on our doorstep and in 2025 Liverpool Empire celebrated a landmark century of entertaining audiences in the city. It hosted two iconic Liverpool shows, Blood Brothers and Boys from the Blackstuff. Opened in 1925 as the largest two-tier auditorium in Britain, with more than 2,300 seats, it’s gone on to welcome stars from The Beatles, Diana Ross, Kylie and Frank Sinatra (who did a week-long residency in 1953!).

Liverpool Airport saw its busiest year to date with new routes, easyJet aircraft and lounges

After being crowned the best airport in the UK in July, beating every other British terminal in a new global ranking, Liverpool Airport went on to have a record-breaker of a year. August was the busiest month in its 92-year history with more than 616,000 passengers. There were also extra aircraft, new destinations and a new Aspire Executive Lounge.

The first ever Guide Liverpool Heroes celebrated the most inspiring people in the city region

We love sharing the best of Liverpool and in November we decided to put the spotlight on some of the most inspirational people and organisations in the region with our first Guide Liverpool Heroes awards. Held at Titanic Hotel, it was a brilliant night of standing ovations, remarkable stories and a celebration of the best city in the world.

There were more cruise ship visits than ever before

Liverpool was treated to the sight of some spectacular cruise ships on the Mersey in what was a record year for Liverpool Cruise Port. There were a total 115 ship visits, and plenty of highlights including Cunard’s Queen Anne in May and August, the Queen Mary 2 in September and the debut of new ships like Disney Fantasy.

We turned 10 – and celebrated a decade of showcasing the city!

We couldn’t end a review of the year’s highlights without mentioning it’s The Guide’s 10^th anniversary – what an incredible decade it’s been, showcasing our amazing city, so thanks to everyone who’s been a part of it and we’re looking forward to the next 10!

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