About Liverpool 2009
Liverpool's tenure as the UK's European Capital of Culture 2008 has ended and it generated an £800m boost to the regional economy. The city has been hailed for producing the most effective and memorable Capital of Culture containing 60 World and European premieres in music, film, theatre and art, with 30 new commissions by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. And the European Union now considers Liverpool to have set a template for future Capital of Cultures. In 2008 the city welcomed more than 100 international delegations to see how it delivered the year.
2009 plans are well underway for Liverpool, which invested £400m in cultural infrastructure projects in the run up to '08. Projects included the new ECHO Arena, FACT and Victoria Gallery and Museum to the restoration of the Bluecoat Arts Centre and St George's Hall. Major cultural infrastructure developments worth a further £200m have already begun such as the new Museum of Liverpool Life (opening in 2010) and the Design Academy at John Moore University (opening in 2009).
Liverpool City Council, led by Councillor Warren Bradley, has made a commitment to maintain current funding levels for the arts over the next two years worth £8.2m. The local authority has appointed a new Head of Culture - Claire McColgan, currently Executive Producer at the Liverpool Culture Company, to lead a new 25 strong team from early 2009. And this week Phil Redmond, Creative Director of Liverpool Culture Company, announced he will lead a new independent body, called The Cultural Collective, to ensure arts bodies across the region continue to work together.
Liverpool's Capital of Culture themed year's programme will continue with 2009 - The Year of Environment and 2010 - The Year of Innovation.
Liverpool is also the first city to have conducted a longitudinal assessment of being a European Capital of Culture. Based over five years this pioneering academic study looks at the economic, social, cultural and physical impacts of Liverpool '08.
A final report will be published in summer 2009 by the Impacts 08 research programme at University of Liverpool and John Moores University. This team will then publish a paper on Liverpool's research, framework and management models for 2008 as a reference source for cities and major cultural programmes.
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LIVERPOOL TO BE CAPITAL OF FREE CULTURE Liverpool has unveiled a highlights programme of over 100 events and festivals in a bid to be the UK capital of FREE culture in 2009. The city announced today it is to build on its success as the 2008 European Capital of Culture, which generated £800m for the regional economy, by commissioning several major FREE cultural events including a waterfront festival and a public art parade similar in scale to the ’08 hit Go Superlambananas.
