Liverpool Launches Year of Culture
European Capital of Culture Starts on Merseyside on 11 January 2008
Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr and the Wombats are among stars helping launch Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture on 11 January 2008, and the Echo Arena next day.
In Liverpool on 11 January 2008 there is only one place to be, and that is the St George's Plateau on Lime Street. It's here at 20.08 in the evening that the Merseyside city launches its year as European Capital of Culture, with what promises to be a spectacular event. The rooftops around will be the stages for artists including the Wombats and Ringo Starr, with dancing cranes, scissor lifts, aerial performers and an air-borne ballet to set the year on its way with a bang.
Liverpool: The Musical
On 12 January the newly-created 'Liverpool: The Musical' will be premiered at the opening of the brand new Echo Arena at the King's Dock down by the River Mersey. This sounds like being just as much of a blast as the opening ceremony the night before.
The Echo Arena is a new 10,600-seat state-of-the-art arena built for concerts, comedy shows, sports events and family entertainment. The X Factor and Girls Aloud are among the events scheduled for later in 2008, not to mention wrestling and Supercross.
On the night of 12 January, however, the lucky ticket-holders (it's sold out, of course) will see the musical celebration of the past and the future of the city of Liverpool in 'Liverpool: The Musical'. This is what the official website says about the event:
- Integrating live performances and film in a radical and new way, vertically stacking performers seven stories into the air, the show features a once-in-a-lifetime cast including: Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with No Fakin DJs, Ringo Starr, Echo and The Bunnymen, Ian Broudie, The Farm, Riuven, The Wombats, Pete Wylie, Dave Stewart and the people of the city.
Liverpool European Capital of Culture Official Website
If you want to know what's happening in Liverpool 2008 then that official website is the first place to go. You can get the official guide to find out all about over 350 events that are being held throughout the rest of the year.
You can also check the Online Guide to the events of 2008 in Liverpool, and search by theme or by date, to get a list of what interests you.
You can download your own copy of the complete programme so you know exactly when people like Paul McCartney, Ken Dodd, Simon Rattle, Phil Collins and even the Archbishop of Canterbury will be doing their gigs.
The events of 2008 are expected to bring an extra two million people to the city, to join in the fun of what it means to be a European Capital of Culture. When Glasgow was chosen for this honour in 1990, it helped transform the city's fortunes and its image in the eyes of British and world travelers. Liverpool is already world-famous thanks especially to its music, including the Beatles of course, and its sport, with Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs, and Aintree Racecourse home to the Grand National.
Yes, there's only one place to be on January 11th 2008 – but any day after that will be a great time to visit Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture for 2008.
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