Lord Tony Hall, Chair of LCRDP and Chair & Baron Hall of Birkenhead
How listening to local businesses is driving a new era of ambition, investment and collaborative action by LCRDP Chair, Lord Tony Hall
Southport is entering a landmark year, a year where culture, creativity and community ambition collide to accelerate the town’s economic renewal.
Across Liverpool City Region, we are proving that strategic cultural investment can do more than entertain, it can strengthen confidence, attract visitors, support local businesses and shape a place’s identity for the future.
Southport’s successful Lightport, captured this belief more clearly than anything else. It grew from the priorities set by Southport’s business community and from the support of the Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership (LCRDP) and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram. This is collaborative placemaking in practice: listening, acting and turning ambition into impact.
Lightport was a brand‑new, free immersive light and sound experience produced by leading international artists Lucid Creates, which transformed Lord Street into a 400‑metre walk‑through rainbow of colour and creativity.
Beginning at Mermaid Gardens and stretching across key locations including Monument Square and the Town Hall Gardens, Lightport invited residents and visitors to step into a vibrant world of illuminated installations, holographic projections and immersive environments.
But Lightport was just the first spark in a bold, year‑round cultural programme: Southport 2026: Elegantly Eccentric. This includes:
- Cristal Palace (April) — a spectacular aerial performance by renowned French street theatre company Transe Express, featuring a 15‑metre‑wide flying chandelier suspended over Lord Street.
- The Big Top Festival (May) — a celebration of world‑class contemporary circus, including performances by internationally recognised companies such as Circa and Gandini Juggling.
- Southport Originals (Summer) — the return of beloved annual events, from the Southport Flower Show and Air Show to the British Musical Fireworks Championship.
- Books Alive! (October) — a reimagined literature festival designed especially for families, filled with storytelling installations, live performances and workshops.
These new events will perfectly complement Southport’s much‑loved, existing flagship events, the Southport Flower Show, Food and Drink Festival, Southport Air Show, The Open Golf Championship and the British Musical Fireworks Championship.
What makes this year especially meaningful is the way it has been shaped. In late 2024, Southport businesses shared their ambitions, concerns and ideas directly with the LCRDP Board and the Metro Mayor. Those conversations made it clear that the town was primed and ready for greater investment, stronger cultural programming and a renewed belief in what Southport could and certainly should become.
As Chairman of the LCRDP, I felt it was vital that we not only listened but acted, ensuring the voices of Southport’s business community were central to the decisions that followed.
The Metro Mayor’s support, combined with the expertise of the Board and our partners across Sefton, has helped transform those early discussions into tangible commitments: world‑class events, renewed creative energy, and a cultural programme designed to bring joy, pride and economic growth to the town.
Southport’s Year of Culture is far more than simply a fantastic programme of events. It is a clear statement about the town’s future. It is a demonstration of what happens when business voices shape priorities, when regional leadership listens, and when cultural ambition is matched with meaningful investment.
Around the world, places that commit to bold, creative programming see stronger local economies, higher visitor numbers and a renewed sense of pride, and Southport is now stepping confidently onto that stage, not as a follower, but as a place defining its own identity through partnership, imagination and shared purpose.
The momentum we build in 2026 will carry far beyond this year. This partnership is laying the groundwork for a more vibrant, resilient and forward‑looking Southport, a town powered by creativity, shaped by collaboration and confident in its future. It proves that when listening leads to action, progress follows, and Southport’s brightest days lie ahead.
Lord Tony Hall
Chair, Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership