Peter Pan comes to life at Sefton Park Palm House

Enjoy a classic tale in a truly unique setting this summer as Peter Pan comes to Sefton Park.

On Friday 15th June 2018, The Palm House in the heart of Sefton Park will be commemorating and celebrating the 90th anniversary of the unveiling of its iconic Peter Pan statue, which was gifted to the children of Liverpool in 1928.

The event will be an entertaining one for guests of all ages and will feature an evening of open air theatre, including acting, dance and drama from students and performers of The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic and experience the story of Peter Pan as told by the Lost Boys, who will be interacting with guests and fellow actors as they bring the story of The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up to life.

The bronze statue of Peter Pan, made by British sculptor Sir George Frampton, was originally gifted to Liverpool’s children by local merchant George Audley – known for his generous work with children – 90 years ago.

When it was first unveiled, the statue was installed overnight and the children were told he had just flown in. There was a Peter Pan pageant to mark the occasion and the story’s author, James Barrie, famously sent a telegram addressed to ‘Peter Pan, Sefton Park’, telling Peter to ‘behave himself and grow no bigger’.

Roy Boardman, Director at The Palm House, said: “The Palm House is an iconic venue in the city and the Peter Pan statue is a major attraction and much-loved feature for both locals and visitors of Liverpool, having been through significant restorations and repairs over the years.

“We wanted to create an event to celebrate this, as well as to showcase the fantastic talent that we have within the city through an engaging and unique experience.

“We encourage guests both big and small, to bring along a picnic, a blanket and get immersed in the production by coming dressed as their favourite character from the story. Guests may even find themselves lending a hand to the Lost Boys and becoming a part of the performances, with some additional surprises along the way!”

Mark Featherstone-Witty, Chief Executive at LIPA, added: “We’re delighted that our students have the opportunity to be a part of this celebration and hope that people will come along to experience all that The Palm House has to offer and learn about the history of the Peter Pan story through the performing arts.”

The event will be taking place at the Palm House on Friday 15th June from 6pm. Tickets are available to purchase online here and are priced at £10 per adult and £5 for children.  To learn more about this event and other up-coming events at The Palm House, visit www.palmhouse.org.uk.

We’d love to see you photos with the Peter Pan statue at Sefton Park as it celebrates it’s 90th birthday. Drop us a line on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and we’ll share the best on our socials.