Saturday 10 January 2009

Capital of Culture - handover celebrations

The whole city centre becomes a stage on January 10 2009.

The newly regenerated public space at the Pier Head will come alive with light and sound for this people's celebration. At 6.15pm, a live MC will introduce a sound, light and visual reviewof Liverpool's history from 7,000,000,000BC to the present day. It will incorporate a history associated with its world heritage waterfront that has been reinvigorated like the rest of the city, and will be shown in full colour across several huge screens on the waterfront followed by a magnificent pyrotechnic finale from ships in the river at 7pm.

This 'Transition' will mark Liverpool's 08 Year of Culture to its 09 Year of the Environment, and will mark the official handover to the European Capitals of Culture 09, the Austrian city of Linz and Vilnius in Lithuania. The exciting prospect is that Linz has agreed to 'twin' with Liverpool and stage a complementing light event in Austria on the same night.

Plus Liverpool Light Night

7 - 10pm

Various venues around the city

From 7pm, many of Liverpool's extensive shops, Town Hall and 14 of its world renowned cultural facilities - including the Bluecoat, Open Eye Gallery, FACT, Tate Liverpool and the Maritime & International Slave Museums - will open late and there will be street theatre, music and dance performances in the city's public spaces, pedestrian and shopping zones. Locals and visitors alike can venture into the city centre enjoy Liverpool's Light Night, an evening of street performance, art and exclusive shopping.

Liverpool Light Night is part of a national programme of events covering the whole of the UK supported by the Association of Town Centre Managers www.lightnight.co.uk.

Throughout the night, Liverpool's many restaurants, bars and clubs will be ready to welcome visitors with the best in local food and hospitality.

Access is free for Transition and most of Light Night venues.

Venues participating in Liverpool Light Night:

Tate Liverpool

The Fifth Floor: Ideas taking space

open all day through to 10pm

0151 702 7400

www.tate.org.uk/liverpool

Tate Liverpool will be celebrating with The Fifth Floor: Ideas taking space; a celebration of the imagination and ideas of the people of Liverpool. We will host a special "indoor festival" where local musicians, performers and DJs will collaborate to create a new sound for Liverpool Tate (19.30 - 22.00).Café will also be open so you can drop in for a bite to eat.

FREE

Merseyside Maritime Museum

Open all day through to 10pm

5.00 - 9.00pm Captain Crusoe and Maritime Panto Characters

7.30 & 8.30pm The Fourmost

T: 0151 478 4499

W: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Magical Music Tour

From the Titanic to the merchant navy, enjoy the many aspects of Liverpool's seafaring legacy. Join The Fourmost (A Little Loving) on a Magical Music Tour through fifty years of Merseybeat in the café - where you can also enjoy the tantalising new menu brimming with gastronomic delights! Captain Crusoe will also demonstrate his wood carving skills and meet our maritime panto characters.

FREE

International Slavery Museum

open all day through to 10pm

T: 0151 478 4499

W: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

The International Slavery Museum opened in Liverpool is the only national museum in the world dedicated to the history of the transatlantic slave trade and its legacy. Housed within Merseyside Maritime Museum at the Albert Dock; the exhibits deal with issues such as freedom, identity, human rights, discrimination and cultural change.

FREE

The Beatles Story

2 for 1 offer and late night opening

last admission 8.30pm, open until 10pm

0151 709 1963

www.beatlesstory.com

The Beatles Story celebrated "08" by undergoing a massive and exciting expansion. Now three times the size - come and see for yourselves the amazing changes. For this special night we are offering a '2 for 1' ticket on the evening of January 10th and will stay open late until 10pm (last admission 8.30pm)

COST £12.25 / Concs £8.30/ Child £6.35

Open Eye Gallery

David Goldblatt; Intersections Intersected

Open all day through to 10pm

0151 709 9460

www.openeye.org.uk

Open Eye Gallery is proud to present the UK debut of a major new exhibition project by celebrated South African photographer David Goldblatt. Since the early 1970s Goldblatt has photographed the physical and ideological landscape of his native country. This exhibition looks at South Africa before and after the collapse of apartheid in 1990.

FREE

the Bluecoat

Light Night at the Bluecoat

Galleries open until at 10pm, the Building until 10.30.

0151 709 5297

www.thebluecoat.org.uk

Drop in, make art, have fun! Exhibition, Next Up: Liverpool Art Now, featuring Liverpool's most vital artists. Live music from The Suns and other Merseyside bands, plus DJ Mixmaster Grandmaster Tache. Food and drink, in the stunning, re-opened Upstairs restaurant and bar. Film of Sun Ra's legendary 1990 Bluecoat gig: wild cosmic jazz freak out

Free.

Bluecoat Display Centre

'50 @ the BDC'

open all day through to 10pm

0151 709 4014

www.bluecoatdisplaycentre.com

'50 @ the BDC' will feature 50 selected makers exhibiting one piece of ceramic, textile/fibre art, jewellery, wood or glass, each of which will retail for £50. This will celebrate the start of our 50th anniversary year and a specially curated programme of exhibitions that will run through 2009.

FACT

DING>>D0NG: Galleries open until 9pm

CODA: 9pm in the Box

Building open until 11pm

0870 758 3217

www.fact.co.uk

DING>>D0NG expands and reboots the music where hacking and rewiring equals listening and performing. Featuring artists The Fragmented Orchestra, The Owl Project, Andy McClusky, Peter Saville, Hambi Haralambous, Steve Symons, and Tetsuaki Babi.

FREE

CODA; A blurry post-new year reflection on 08. Philip Jeck and Vergil Sharky play Woolworth's boomboxes, 60s and 70s record players, antique dulcimers, keyboards, retro guitars, found video and photographs in a hubris-free New Year confection.

£10.00/£7.00 (Members & concs)

Wolstenholme Projects

After the Curtain Falls

7pm to 10pm

no phone

www.wolstenholmeprojects.org

After the Curtain Falls is an exhibition that considers the passing of a spectacular event as a point of departure, it features ex-students from The Slade School of Fine Art whose exploration of quiet statements in varying media favour personal observation and responsibility over aggressive methods or shock tactics.

FREE

3345 Parr Street

Terry Cryer Exhibition

Open until 2am

0151 708 6345

www.3345parrst.com

Timeless intuitive and alluring, Terry Cryer's images of the great jazz & blues musicians tell stories that words could never define. Plus DJ set from Anni Hogan, Marc Almond's musical director.

FREE

The Picket

FUSED - tomorrows people!

7 - 10.30pm

0151 708 6789

www.myspace.com/picketliverpool

Always looking to invest in the future, the renowned Picket will present some of the best new young bands from Liverpool, building tomorrow out of the now, a fitting end to 2008 and a new start for 2009. Featuring My Auntie Sam. Off Target. Freq. The Metropolitans. A 14+ Dry Bar gig.

FREE

Leaf Tea Shop & Bar

Leaf Unplugged

7.30pm until late

0151 707 7747

www.thisisleaf.co.uk

A selection of Liverpool's leading signed and unsigned artists come together to celebrate the success of Capital of Culture 2008. The unplugged night to end all unplugged nights.

FREE

Contemporary Urban Centre

Fun Day

11am - 11pm

0151 708 3510

www.novasscarman.org

11am until 6pm, with dance, drama, poetry reading, gallery viewings and entertainment. Bring your families and tour this fantastic new community resource. Then join us after the fireworks for music and drinks in our pub till 11pm, or grab a bite to eat in our Jamaica Rooms restaurant.

FREE

Liverpool Biennial 2008

Public artworks

Open all evening

www.biennial.com

Ai Weiwei's Web of Light: Exchange Flags.

Rabbit: St James Church, Upper Parliament Street. (In collaboration with St Vincent de Paul Primary School)

Richard Wilson's Turning the place over, Moorfields.

Diller Scofidio & Renfro Joyful Trees, Great George St.

Rockscape - the open-air theatre designed by Japanese architects Atelier Bow-Wow hosts an evening of live jazz and Balkan gypsy music. Stage, lights and sound by www.thejammfactory.co.uk

7 - 7.45pm The Gypsy Brothers. Kensington-Czech-Slovak-Roma band

8 - 9pm Anthony Pierce Quartet

TRAVEL

Please use public transport - there will be enhanced bus and train services, including extended city centre shuttle services; the C2, C3 and C4, until 10.00 pm to allow people to access the various attractions.

Travel information from Traveline: 0871 200 22 33

www.merseytravel.gov.uk

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