Liverpool events under review and definitely no official fireworks for Bonfire Night

Liverpool is famous for its world class events and many of those take place over the winter months including River of Light, and of course the city’s Christmas celebrations.  

Liverpool City Council has been reviewing the remainder of the city’s 2020 events calendar on a constant basis in light of the ongoing health crisis.

The Culture Liverpool department – the team behind some of the city’s biggest and most successful events – has been looking carefully at each city council-run event and whether it can go ahead safely.

The latest update is:

River of Light

There will be no official fireworks display taking place in the city this year as there are concerns around large crowds gathering in one place. Following last year’s success, the team is still looking at the option of installing a number of light installations across the waterfront in a covid-safe way. A decision will be made in the next couple of weeks.

Service of Remembrance

The decision has been made to hold a virtual service which will be streamed online on Sunday 8 November. There will be no public gathering on this day and anyone who would like to lay wreaths at the Cenotaph on St George’s Hall plateau is asked to avoid 11am on Remembrance Sunday (8 Nov) and 11am on Armistice Day (11 Nov).  Instead they are urged to find a time over the four days (8-11 Nov) to pay their respects while adhering to social distancing.  Full details of the virtual service and how people can watch the proceedings will be announced in the coming weeks.

Christmas Markets

All options are currently being explored to establish whether it’s feasible to stage a Christmas market on St George’s Hall plateau. Consultations with stakeholders have been taking place for a number of weeks relating to the delivery of a covid-safe event, to bring a bit of festive cheer to the city centre. A final decision on whether this will go ahead is expected later this month.

Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for culture, tourism and events, Councillor Wendy Simon said:

“This is a year unlike any other and as a city renowned for its events, it’s never an easy decision to postpone or cancel activities which we know bring so much joy to people and a much-needed economic boost.

“Safety takes priority over everything, and for months our event experts have been looking how we can continue to stage events safely. Just yesterday we were delighted to deliver The Good Business Festival to a virtual audience – an event which was originally planned to fill conference centres and venues across the city.

“It’s clear that fireworks – which annually attract 250,000 people – simply isn’t an option in the current climate, so we need to think differently about how we stage and deliver activities. Being able to provide an online remembrance service is hugely important to us and there are still lots of conversations going on behind the scenes about the River of Light installations and the Christmas market.

“It’s a challenging time, especially when local regulations can change with little notice, but the team will continue to analyse all options, and plan for 2021 in the hope that events can return to Liverpool once again.”