Liverpool Irish Festival – October 16th-26th

Since 2003, the Liverpool Irish Festival has been celebrating and exploring the deep ties between Liverpool and Ireland through art, music, history, and community, and 2025 will be no different.

From October 16th to the 26th, the festival will be entertaining, informing, and intriguing anyone who comes along to one of the many events they have scheduled.

This year’s theme is ‘Arrivals’, so the program digs into migration, settlement, belonging, and what it actually means to ‘arrive’. The theme is being approached from a historical context, but also includes modern stories of identity that fit the theme.

Around 10,000 people are expected to take part over the 10 day festival, so thousands of Scousers can remind themselves of the connection Liverpool has always had with Ireland (including the accent links).

It’s an important cultural annual project, and this year looks like it will be more engaging than ever.

Events and Tickets

There is a whole program of events taking place, so I can’t talk about them all. Safe to say there will be something for everyone.

Whether you fancy plays, music, literature, visual arts, educational talks, exhibitions, online lectures, or anything else, there will be something that takes your interest. Queer Arrivals by Gráinne Hunt, for example, is a story based music night, whereas David Gilna’s Did I Ever Tell Ya is more of a storytelling one man show.

The whole festival kicks off with a world premiere documentary called ‘Reveal’, along with a book launch of the same name. Both are about the Walk of the Bronze Shoes, a pilgrimage from Strokestown, Ireland to Liverpool, UK — and the creation of the Global Irish Famine Way.

A new song has been commissioned specifically for the festival too, The Ullaloo, plus, there are walking tours and a vigil from Clarence Dock to St Luke’s Bombed Out Church to remember An Gorta Mór (the Irish Famine).

While there is lots of entertainment, the festival is about much more than just enjoying yourself. It’s about remembrance, identity, creativity, politics, and heritage

Check the website to see all of the different events taking place. They are all in different locations, and while some a free and open to anyone, others are free but ticketed, and some charge entry.