Liverpool city centre will start to feel a lot like Christmas when the lights are switched on from 16 November, as Liverpool BID Company reveals the decorations, installations and animation planned for the festive season. 

Over the next four years, Liverpool BID Company is investing £480k in lights across the city centre, from Lime Street and the Commercial District to the retail heart in Church Street and Lord Street, up Bold Street and into Hope Street.

For the first time, as the BID area has expanded up to the Georgian Quarter, this year’s lights will extend into Hardman Street and Leece Street. The funding from Liverpool BID Company comes from the levy paid by city centre businesses and helps to cover the shortfall in the public purse. 

New Christmas lights will be in Old Hall Street and Tithebarn Street, up to Lord Street and Church Street, Hope Street, Hardman Street and Leece Street. With lamp post motifs and light decorated trees, the festive decorations will add sparkle and animation to the city centre. Ceiling curtains will light up specific streets, including Basnett Street, Tarleton Street, Richmond Street and Williamson Street.

As well as decorations, Liverpool BID Company unveils a festive programme of animation and celebration. 

At Metquarter, a seasonal programme of ticketed workshops in partnership with GPO, including craft making and creativity, will see the team from Open Culture host activities from wreathmaking to fabric fairy light creation. Spots can be booked here (link) and start from 25 November. 

The Elfie Selfie Station returns to St John’s. Run by Paperwork Theatre, the elves will be on hand for selfies and for a chance to add themselves to the nice list (it is being checked twice”. The Elfie Station is open 12-4pm every weekend from 25 November. 

There will also be pop up cultural activity in the city centre including choirs, pop up panto, musical theatre and more. The full programme will be released on the website here.

Jennina O’Neill is Chair of Liverpool BID’s Retail and Leisure Board, and Centre Manager at Metquarter said:

“We invest in the festive decorations each year to help ensure the city centre is a welcoming and celebratory place for Christmas. These lights are our most sustainable yet, created using recyclable materials. They will also be re-used, so when we have national days or moments when we want to light the city centre, the lights in the trees will remain and change colour to suit the occasion. 

We work with our creative communities to ensure there is plenty to offer families in the run up to the festive season and to provide as much animation as possible. The run up to Christmas makes up half of the annual trading for retail and hospitality sectors, so it is a critical time of the year for the local economy. At Liverpool BID, we recognise the importance of investing to make the city feel full of the seasonal spirit as we countdown to Christmas”. 

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