Liverpool is hosting Eurovision on behalf of 2022’s winners Ukraine with the semi-finals taking place on Tuesday and Thursday, before the final on Saturday 13 May, all at the Liverpool Arena on the banks of the River Mersey. With a total of nine shows and the venue holding up to 11,000, as many as 100,000 visitors are expected in Liverpool this week.
Events are taking place outside the Arena all week, including the EuroFestival (until Sunday) that includes 24 artworks around the city, many of which are collaborations with Ukrainian artists as well as theatre, dance, comedy and cabaret.
The Eurovision Village fan zone is at the Pier Head with live performances, DJ set and a Discover Ukraine area – all free and non-ticketed – until the day of the final when a sold-out ticket-only event will be held.
At Liverpool One’s Chavasse Park, EuroCamp is a free LGBTQ+ festival of drag, performance, choreography, vogue, music, carnival and circus, taking place until Thursday.
Hotels and rentals are in high demand – prices have soared over the Eurovision period – but basing yourself away from the centre or in nearby towns such as Stockport can be far more economical. It’s also a good way to enjoy all that Liverpool and the surrounding area has to offer visitors.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Liverpool Biennial, the largest festival of contemporary visual art in the UK, and in 2023, a summer of events is being curated by Khanyisile Mbongwa. The city’s 2008 tenure as a European Capital of Culture also cemented it as a cultural powerhouse.
These seven suggestions of what to see in and around Liverpool are by no means its only highlights, but offer a snapshot of a city that has been nicknamed “The World Capital of Pop” among several other epithets (thanks to artists from The Beatles to Frankie Goes to Hollywood via Gerry and the Pacemakers, Echo & The Bunnymen, Cast, The Coral and Mel C).
The Baltic Triangle
Whether you’re a Liverpool FC fan or not, a visit to the Baltic Triangle should not be missed. Street art depicting anything from Jurgen Klopp to Paul Curtis’s Liver Birds wings decorate the brick walls of Jamaica and Jordan Streets in the city’s de facto “Creative District.” This central neighbourhood has been reclaimed by creatives, who breathed life back into the red brick warehouses that speak of Liverpool’s industrial past.
It’s a snapshot of the city’s creativity, where photographers, artists, fashion designers, architects, film-makers and musicians thrive. Dive into the fun for street food at Baltic Market, or drinks at the Botanical Garden or Hobo Kiosk. Nearby, Berry & Rye is a popular speakeasy-style cocktail bar that’s also not to be missed.
Chinatown
Just north of the Baltic Triangle, Liverpool is home to Europe’s oldest and largest Chinese community, its Chinese arch on Nelson Street the highest outside China, (it was imported in pieces from Shanghai, with which Liverpool is twinned) reaching an impressive 13.5m tall.
Restaurants line Nelson Street but are also found along Berry Street (such as Chamber 36 and Bon Bon Bakery), with popular options including China Dina on Bold Street and Lu Ban Bar & Restaurant on Stanhope Street serving Tianjin-inspired cuisine.
Snowdrop the Dazzle Ferry
Taking a ferry along the Mersey is a solid and popular tourist attraction, and Mersey Ferries is operating special Eurovision cruises in the week leading up to the final, including an Abba tribute and Drag Queen voyage.
However its most eye-catching sailings are on its Dazzle Ferry, Snowdrop. Designed by Sir Peter Blake (who designed the Sgt Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover for the most famous of Liverpool’s World Capital of Pop exports, The Beatles) to commemorate the First World War centenary, the ferry is his unmistakable interpretation of a “dazzle ship”, which were designed to baffle the enemy during war.
Special Eurovision-themed River Explorer Cruises with sightseeing commentary and music will depart Tuesday-Friday at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm for trips along the Liverpool and Wirral waterfront. Tickets from £11.50, merseyferries.co.uk
Strawberry Field
The Cavern Club, The Beatles Story museum and John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s childhood homes are firm fixtures on The Beatles pilgrimage route, but Strawberry Field was put back on the map in 2019.
Reopened to the public by the Salvation Army, the former children’s home and childhood haunt of John Lennon immortalised in The Beatles’ 1967 song “Strawberry Fields Forever” is now a quiet place for reflection.
Behind its iconic red gates are the gardens where Lennon once played as a small boy, is a cafe and visitor centre that helps vulnerable young people back into employment. It is also currently displaying the piano on which Lennon composed “Imagine”. Tickets from £10.95, strawberryfieldliverpool.com
Sefton Park
With sunshine and showers forecast during Eurovision week, this leafy enclave – the city’s second-largest park after Croxteth Country Park – offers a welcome oasis from the bustle of the city. Embellished with a Victorian glass Palm House and a Fairy Glen of cascading waterfalls, it’s quite the contrast to the brick heritage of the Royal Albert Dock and the Liver Building.
The Palm House hosts regular free events, from Jazz and Beatles tributes on the bandstand to craft clubs and exercise classes. And at the time of Eurovision, bluebells should be carpeting the ground beneath the 200-acre park’s many trees; look out also for the replica statues of Eros and Peter Pan. There is also a boating lake and several cafes. visitliverpool.com
New Brighton
This seaside resort and suburb of Wallasey on the Wirral peninsula is a great escape on a sunny day. Walk the Prom to admire its decommissioned, Grade II-listed lighthouse where the Mersey meets Liverpool Bay, with Liverpool’s docks and waterfront hard at work in the background.
A quirky feature of Cosy Cove was the driftwood boat, The Black Pearl, which was looked after by a band of “pirates”. Destroyed by storms in 2020, plans are afoot for a rebuild of the unique attraction. Nearby, Vale Park is home to a miniature fairy garden while a few streets back, the Victorian Quarter is where you’ll find vinyl shops, street art, pubs and independent shops and restaurants. visitnewbrighton.com
Southport Pier
Although closed since December due to rotting wood, Southport’s grand, Grade II-listed pier is worth admiring from afar. At 1,000m long, it is the UK’s oldest iron pier. A tram once ran its length – on a clear day visitors could see as far afield as Blackpool and North Wales – to the Pavilion cafe.
Charlie Chaplin was among many entertainers who have performed on the pier, which opened in 1860, and steamliners once docked at its end. visitsouthport.com
