Culture in Liverpool

Culture is as much a part of Liverpool as the accent and there’s always something happening that will stop you in your tracks. Where else could you spend an afternoon watching a dog dressed as Donald Trump in the middle of town (for the Howlaween puppy parade) and then nip over to the Tate to catch the latest Tracey Emin and William Blake exhibition?

But what exactly is ‘culture’? My dad seems to think it’s just a load of arty-types wearing hipster beards, avoiding ‘a proper job’ by dancing around while dressed as endangered animals, sipping artisan coffee and hoping to change the world through interpretive jazz-whistling.

Thankfully, the city has a larger cultural offering than a shelf full of manky yoghurts and hardly any of it resembles the paragraph above.

Research also shows that a strong cultural offering increases tourism, boosts the local economy and creates jobs. It also allows an alternative expression of ideas and acts as a vehicle for discussion and social change.

More importantly, it can be inspirational.

Everyone needs to be inspired. To most of my friends the day we first watched Richard Pryor Live In Concert was just a Tuesday. To the fifteen year old me, that was the day I decided to become a comedian.

I still perform across the UK comedy circuit while simultaneously steering The Comedy Trust as Artistic Director. And we’ve been super busy recently with our year-round workshop programme, delivering with businesses, mental health groups, schools and communities.

Businesses in the BID district can even claim a free ‘Happy Hour’ workshop for staff that will teach participants how humour can increase personal resilience and make you more productive. Get in touch with us for more info, contact details below.

We’re also letting the dust settle on our latest Liverpool Comedy Festival that culminated in October. For just over two weeks the UK’s funniest city became the funniest city on the planet as a host of hilarious comedy acts descended on Liverpool. The Festival continues to grow and attract comedians of all persuasion from household names to the stars of tomorrow and everything in between, as we strive to programme something for everyone.

This year we had over 130 shows in 25 venues across the city and for the first time our very own Fringe Festival, lovingly curated by the good chaps at Funny Looking Live. The aptly titled Funny Looking Fringe took place at 81 Renshaw Street and showcased some of the best and brightest long-form comedy at fantastically cheap prices.

But as much as we’d like it to be, it’s not all about us. As we approach the 10 year anniversary of our European Capital of Culture year the city’s cultural diary is more jam-packed than my purple wheelie bin the week after Christmas.

Liverpool always dances to it’s own beat when it comes to fashion so where else would the Laces Out! Trainer Festival belong? Showcasing the ‘best in UK sneaker culture’ you can catch them at Camp and Furnace on Saturday 19th November.

Promoting all different aspects of LGBT culture, Homotopia returns in November promising to be ‘a force for good and a champion for change’. Dada Fest arrives in November to once again inspire, develop and celebrate talent and excellence in disability and deaf arts and the Christmas Markets are heading to the thriving St George’s Quarter in December.

So my advice would be to find something that tickles you, go and see what it’s all about and don’t take Liverpool’s cultural offer for granted. And after all that, if you still want to change the world with jazz-whistling, drop me a line and we’ll go for a nice artisan coffee.