Liverpool - More Than Just The Beatles

As you can well imagine, there are scores of tours that take Beatles aficionados to each of these famous places mentioned in their songs, as well as their family homes, haunting grounds, and first performances, but Liverpool is known for so much more than just The Beatles. For example, the city's famous for other genres of music as well. Liverpool is home to the majestic Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the oldest surviving professional symphony orchestra in the U.K. The Orchestra always has an exciting concert season, and its 2011/2012 season is no exception, with concerts held at the beautiful Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Built in the 1930s, this 1,790-seat Art Deco concert hall features a wide variety of entertainment throughout the year, including performances and concerts of contemporary rock, pop, roots, folk, blues, and jazz.

Liverpool like a number of UK cities such as Newcastle Gateshead city centre has several music festivals a year celebrating its strong musical heritage. For example, Hope Street Festival, which is celebrating its sixth year honouring this historic neighborhood, will take place Sunday 18th September. This festival, which its organizers call the "urban village fete of the Hope Street Quarter," will again be full of the dance, theatre, music, and art that characterise Hope Street's unique contribution to Liverpool.

Liverpool also has a great cultural heritage. In 2008, it was named the European Capital of Culture. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004. The city is an exceptional example of the development of maritime mercantile culture in Britain during the 18th and 19th century. Like many UK port cities, Liverpool went through a significant economic downturn in the late-20th century that led to a redevelopment of its dock system. The Albert and Wapping Docks were restored and became a major tourist attraction and retail centre. The installation of new dock gates at Canning in the 1980s resulted in the creation of the Tall Ships and Mersey River Festival, which will occur in September 2011

Liverpool is also well known for the visual arts, with more galleries and national museums than any other city in the UK apart from London. National Museums Liverpool is the only British national collection based wholly outside of London, and the Tate Liverpool gallery contains the modern art collection of the Tate in Northern England.

So you can see that there's plenty to see, hear, and do in Liverpool. It's more than just The Beatles and pop music. There are attractions, activities, and landmarks to see and enjoy in this truly historic and exciting city.