Liverpool

Liverpool's Light Night event will be staged on Friday 9th January 2009 as part of the closing events of the city's hosting of European Capital of Culture programme.  Liverpool is delivering a very successful Culture programme which has attracted millions of extra visitors to the city and received worldwide media coverage and acclaim.  The programme commenced with a huge people's opening event and it is intended to repeat this for the closing event in January.

The closing event will mark the official handover the European Capital of Culture hosts for 2009, the Austrian city of Lintz.  The exciting prospect is that Lintz have agreed to ‘twin' with Liverpool and stage a complimenting light event in Austria on the same night.

Liverpool Light Night will feature:

Extended Opening of Cultural Facilities

Liverpool's extensive and world renowned cultural facilities in the city centre will remain open throughout the night and into the early hours of Sunday morning.  Facilities such as the Walker Art Gallery, St Georges Hall and the World Museum Liverpool will be open to the public and specified events will be staged during the evening.

Music and Performance

Liverpool Light Night will centre on an extensive programme of musical performers, street theatre and live entertainment throughout the evening.

The City Centre has a full range of squares and vistas that will be used to stage the performances.  Activities and events relating to the tall ships race that focus on Liverpool's historic Albert Docks will compliment the Light Night programme with visitors able to experience both being in close proximity and city centre based.

Complimentary Provision and Offer

Visitors will be able to experience Liverpool's exciting shopping offer, boosted by the £1B development Liverpool One, through extended retail opening hours.  A Continental market will also be staged in the cultural quarter of the city centre during the evening.

The city centre's large and high quality rage of restaurants, bars and clubs will also be geared up and ready to receive the huge numbers of people coming to the city for this significant weekend.

The Liverpool Light Night promises to be one of the biggest events in the city's capital of culture programme.  Not only are the city's residents looking forward to a huge send off for the conclusion of European Capital of Culture, but thousands of tourists from around the world will join them.  Light Night in Liverpool will have a significant captive audience who will experience the staged event for free.

Liverpool Light Night is being promoted as an integral part of the European Capital of Culture 2008 programme and appears on all related literature.