Liverpool’s arts and cultural venues through open their doors for the city’s annual “culture crawl” on Friday 18 May and there’s plenty for families to get involved in.
From the Waterfront to the Georgian Quarter and the Baltic Triangle, LightNight sees thousands take to Liverpool city centre for over 100 free arts events.
This year, the World Museum will be open late on LightNight for the very first time, inviting families to explore their free collections, from Egyptian mummies to casts of dinosaur bones and treasures from around the world.
Here we highlight just a handful of some of the family friendly activities happening at this year’s festival. The full programme will be released 1 May and is available to pre-order now at www.lightnightliverpool.co.uk
LightNight 2018 will see 800 participants will build a 15 metre Paper Bridge, created by pieces of paper, on which they’ve written their aspirations for the future, what transformation they wish to see in the world. Each piece of paper will become part of the bridge.
In a new commission for LightNight, Liverpool’s Tmesis Theatre explore the story of human evolution in just 20 minutes. At the Albert Dock, the work will see the award winning theatre group tell the story of how humans started as amoebas, crawled out of the water and began a journey to the species they are today, in a breathtaking, entertaining and visceral performance.
Audiences can enjoy a captivating performance by Capoeira for All. Capoeira is an exciting and dynamic Afro-Brazilian art-form that combines elements of movement, dance, martial arts, music, and play.
A new wildflower garden is being built in the grounds of The Oratory. Explore the major three year art project with an audio visual installation showing the project’s progression through films and drawings. This work is being developed by Jayne Seddon, artist in residence at the LIPA Primary, LJMU ART LABS, Friends of St James Gardens, The Eden Project and National Museums Liverpool.
Headstrung Puppets present The Cockatrice, the legendary story about a chicken’s egg hatched beneath a toad. The Cockatrice is a creature of transformation and the special performance will encourage interaction and will explore how humans can change the world around us.
A special evening opening of children’s gallery Big Art for Little Artists with dress up, stories and crafts plus a badge making workshop.
Clare Rawlinson, marketing manager, Albert Dock Liverpool, says, “LightNight is an incredible event that showcases Liverpool’s vibrant cultural venues to a family audience who might otherwise be unfamiliar with the city’s museums and galleries. Having the chance to visit a museum at night-time is also extra magical!
“To be part of the programme feels like a natural fit for Albert Dock as we are home to some of Liverpool’s most iconic and important cultural hotspots including Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum, which are staying open late especially for the occasion.
“The Tmesis Theatre commission is also going to be a lot of fun and we urge as many families as possible to come out and join us for an evening of free culture and entertainment this spring.”