Family Fun on LightNight
Whether it’s singing, getting stuck into a new art form or playing a retro game there’s plenty to see and do this LightNight
Liverpool’s galleries, heritage and academic venues will throw open their doors late into the night on Friday 19 May for the city’s eighth annual LightNight. The festival will see hundreds of free cultural events staged across the city centre for visitors of all ages.
Over 100 arts organisations come together, with more than 900 artists and performers taking part to respond to the theme of ‘time’. There’s plenty to enjoy, even for the littlest of art lovers, and lots of opportunities to take part through music, dance and crafts.
Typhoon and the Pedal Players (LightNight commission)
Paradise Street, 17:00 – 21:00
Their time machine is broken and the Pedal Players are stuck in a time continuum; cycling around in circles for centuries, telling the same stories for years and YEEEARS! Will they return to 2017? Or surrender to a lifetime of steampunk storytelling? Join them as they journey across time and space. Typhoon & the Pedal Players can be found here, there or anywhere between Paradise Street (near John Lewis), Manesty’s Lane, Peter’s Lane and Bluecoat Courtyard. Seconds mean nothing in a time slip so join them along the route or at Paradise Street on the hour.
Fancy a Selfie?
Bluecoat, 17:00 – 21:00
Join artists from Blue Room, Bluecoat’s inclusive arts programme, as they take you on a fancy dress journey through time. Create your own accessories and props in a drop in costume workshop or take a shortcut and use the pre-made props and costumes, then visit the photo booth or one of the selfie stations to capture and share your moment in the Bluecoat time portal.
Time, Space and Climate Change
LJMU John Foster Building & Gardens, 17:00 – 22:00
Fascinated by space? This is a must-see for any budding scientists. A fun, interactive installation features experts from LJMU’s Astrophysics Research Institute and Department of Geography to explore how scientists work out what the space is in, well, space. Learn what was happening on Earth when light left distant objects in our Universe, measure light and distance using spectral lamps and spectroscopes. Hands on activitiesl explore how climate change has, and continues to change over time.
Big Art for Little Artists
Walker Art Gallery, 17:00 – 22:00
Bring the little ones for a fun evening of craft activities, storytelling, exploring and dressing up in the children’s gallery Big Art for Little Artists, designed to introduce children to art. A special place where children can learn and have lots of fun! For children up to the age of eight.
The Super Sonic Assembly (LightNight commission)
Liverpool Cathedral, 18:45 – 23:00
Bridging past, present and future through song and dance, the Super Sonic Assembly showcases the evolution of music since WWII. This fun, interactive family event features choirs, community participation and a blistering DJ set of great music (from the and now) by Greg Wilson. Community choirs and the Reverend Cleve Freckleton lead a journey from the 40s, through the Summer of Love to the present day. Everyone is encouraged to join in to create a vast aural harmonic experience.
Time Out of This World in Brass
Grand Ballroom, Liverpool Town Hall, 19:00 – 21:30
Two special pop-up concerts by The Liverpool Walton Band of the Salvation Army performing James Horner’s classic soundtrack to The Land Before Time, alongside off-piste surprises and family favourites all rooted in the notion of Time.
Fanny & George’s Georgian Liverpool
Merseyside Maritime Museum, 17:30 – 21:00
Join Fanny and George for a poke around Georgian Liverpool and discover death, disease and docks, plus a few beauty secrets that will make your hair curl. With tales of smuggling, ‘oyster selling’, and a good old fashioned day out at the hanging, this performance is not the for the faint-hearted! For children aged 10+
Here be Dragons
Steble Fountain, 20:45 – 22:15
A group of mysterious hooded figures make their way through the crowds, accompanied by two huge dragons. Out of place and out of time, they bring messages from the past…but do we have the ears to hear them in our modern world? With two spectacular lantern puppets, Headstrung deliver an after-dark visual feast to delight all ages.
The Paper Moon Print Studio
Constellations, 17:00 – 21:00
Screenprinting is a very instant process, and it’s a very satisfying one to turn your hand to. A once blank piece of paper is permanently altered in seconds from the pull of a squeegee. The Paper Moon is a shared screen printing studio space, base din Constellations. Come and take a look and try your hand at printing.
Gaming Through Time
Contemporary Urban Centre, 18:00 – 20:00
Inspired by the number of retro games that came out of Liverpool, the Studio School curated the world’s first interactive, educational, retro gaming museum. This interactive, playable exhibition is home to many consoles of the past; from the Commodore 64 to the ZX Spectrum and a Nintendo Entertainment System, moving into the modern day with consoles such as the SEGA Dreamcast and Playstation 1.
Clay Time
Baltic Clay, 17:00 – 23:00
‘How long did it take to make?’ Artists are often asked this – now is your chance to find out. See a studio busy with artists creating work and have the chance to see how a piece of work comes to life as well as enjoying games and activities exploring time and the creative process.
The full festival line up is available at www.lightnightliverpool.co.uk
The printed LightNight Festival Guide is on sale now for £3 and features full listings, a cultural diary for the rest of the year and in-depth articles about commissions and other cultural events taking place this year. The proceeds will fund LightNight 2018 so visitors are urged to show their support.
The LightNight Guide has been produced in collaboration with local publisher Wordscapes.
Order online at www.lightnightliverpool.co.uk or buy one from Bluecoat, Blackburne House, News from Nowhere, FACT, Liverpool Cathedral, Homebaked, Unity Theatre, Baltic Social, Furrow, dot-art Gallery, Baltic Bakehouse, Bluecoat Display Centre, Victoria Gallery & Museum, St George’s Hall, Baltic Creative, British Music Experience, Northern Lights, Albert Dock Tourist Information, Liverpool Central Library, HUS and Black Lodge Brewery.